How to Hide the Taskbar in Windows 10

See the Windows 10 taskbar only when you need it

A woman hiding behind a closed laptop.

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by Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera is a former writer who covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications.
Updated October 20, 2019

Located at the bottom of the screen by default, the Windows taskbar contains shortcuts to your favorite applications, the Start Menu, an integrated search field, an icon that displays available Wi-Fi networks, and more. While it certainly comes in handy, there may be times when you want to hide the Windows taskbar while you play a game or watch a video.

Instructions in this article apply exclusively to Windows 10.

How to Hide the Windows 10 Taskbar

To temporarily disable the taskbar Windows 10:

  1. Right-click any blank space on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

    You can move the Windows taskbar to the top, left, or right side of your screen by clicking and dragging it. You can also lock the taskbar in place.

    Right-click any blank space on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

  2. Set the toggle switches under Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode and Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode to On.

To access the Windows taskbar while hidden, move your mouse cursor to its usual location on the screen. The taskbar should pop up automatically.

Set the toggle switches under Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode and Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode to On.