If you’d like to hide the system tray or the notifications area in Windows 11/10 you can do so using the Registry Editor, Group Policy Editor, or Ultimate Windows Tweaker.
Hide the Notifications Area in Windows 11/10
1] Using Registry
Open regedit and navigate to the following registry key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoTrayItemsDisplay
If it does not exist, in the right pane, right-click and create a new DWORD, NoTrayItemsDisplay and give it value ‘1‘.
Restart Explorer.
You will find that the notification area is hidden!
2] Using Group Policy Editor
You can also show or hide the Notification Area or System Tray via the Group Policy Editor.
Open gpedit.msc and navigate to:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu & Taskbar > Hide the notification area
This setting affects the notification area (previously called the “system tray”) on the taskbar.
Description: The notification area is located at the far right end of the task bar and includes the icons for current notifications and the system clock.
If this setting is enabled, the user’s entire notification area, including the notification icons, is hidden. The taskbar displays only the Start button, taskbar buttons, custom toolbars (if any), and the system clock.
If this setting is disabled or is not configured, the notification area is shown in the user’s taskbar.
Note: Enabling this setting overrides the “Turn off notification area cleanup” setting, because if the notification area is hidden, there is no need to clean up the icons.
Enable the setting, click Apply, and exit.
3] Using Ultimate Windows Tweaker
Use our free Ultimate Windows Tweaker to remove it with a click!
You will see the tweak at Customization > Taskbar.
Alternatively, you can also use this nifty app Hide SysTray to hide the notifications area easily.
You have to run it as an administrator, and it requires .NET Framework v4.
How do I show Notification area in Windows?
To show the notification area in Windows 11/10, click the clock or notification bell icon on the taskbar. Alternatively, you can press the Windows key + N to open the notification center, displaying updates, alerts, and system activities in a convenient flyout.
How do I hide the Notification area in Windows?
To hide the notification area in Windows, right-click the taskbar and select “Taskbar settings.” Scroll to the “Notification area” section and click “Turn system icons on or off.” From there, you can toggle off icons you wish to hide. This helps keep your taskbar tidy and free of unwanted distractions.
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