[Fix] Taskbar Won’t Go Away in Fullscreen

In full screen, the taskbar usually disappears giving us the whole screen. However, sometimes, it won’t go away. This can be frustrating especially when you want to switch to full screen for playing games and/or watching videos in the browser or via any other applications. 

There could be several causes for the taskbar remaining across the desktop even on full screen. Some of the possible causes are discussed below. 

Why Won’t the Taskbar Go Away in Full Screen?

How to Make Taskbar Go Away in Full Screen?

Now that we have discussed the causes for why the taskbar won’t go away, please continue reading in order to know regarding the fixes. 

Adjust Your Settings

In order to adjust your setting so that the taskbar automatically hides, please follow the steps below:

1. Right Click anywhere on the taskbar.
2. Select Taskbar settings.
3. On the right hand menu, you can see various options. 
4. Select On for the option “Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode”
   

Turn Off Notifications

You can either turn off all the notifications or turn off notifications of a specific program to not display the taskbar when full screen. Here’s how you can turn off all notifications: 

1. Click on the Windows logo. 
2. Go to Settings > System. 
3. On the left hand menu, select Notifications & Actions.
4. On the Get notification from apps and other senders, Click the slider so it shows “off.”
   

Here’s how you can turn off notifications for specific apps or programs: 

On the bottom right of the taskbar, you can find an upward arrow. Clicking on the arrow shows your system tray which is all the applications and programs that have notifications. To turn off the notifications for specific programs follow the steps below:

1. Click on the Windows logo. 
2. Go to Settings > Notifications & Actions.
3. On the Get notifications from these sender, you can Scroll down to see a list of applications have the notifications turned on. 
4. Depending on your choice, turn off the notification for specific applications and programs which you do not require. 
   
   

Update Windows

Updating Windows regularly can be a general fix to the problem. You can follow the steps below to do this: 

1. Click on the Windows logo. 
2. Select Settings, which is also a gear icon.
3. Scroll down to find Update & Security.
4. On the left hand menu, select Windows Update.
5. Click on Check for updates.
   
6. Restart your computer and see if taskbar will go away in full screen.

Restart Windows Explorer

To fix this issue, it is necessary to restart Windows Explorer. For, Windows 10, please follow the steps below to do this: 

1. Right click anywhere on the taskbar.
2. Select Task Manager.
3. Go to the Processes tab. 
4. Scroll down to the bottom and find Windows Explorer.
5. Right Click on it. 
6. Select Restart.
   

If you are using Windows 7, the process is a bit longer as you need to restart the explorer manually. Please follow the steps below: 

1. Right click anywhere on the Taskbar. 
2. Select Start Task Manager.
3. Go to the Processes tab.
4. Scroll to find explorer.exe and select it.
5. Click on End Process located at the bottom right.
   
6. A pop box will ask for reconfimation, Click on End Process. 
7. Click on the File tab of the task manager box.
8. Select New Task (Run…).
9. A pop up box will appear for “Create New Task”
10. Type in explorer.exe in the Open box.
11. Click OK.

Disable Hardware Acceleration in Browsers

Hardware acceleration in browsers allows it to offload some of CPUs tasks to other hardware that can perform the activity better. This way, it increases the performance of browsers.

However, sometimes this can overheat the system and result in the browser crashing. In order to disable hardware acceleration please follow the steps below:

For Chrome

1. Open Chrome and click on the vertical three-dot icon located on the top right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. On the left hand panel, go to Advanced.
4. Click on System.
5. On the right box, uncheck “Use hardware acceleration when available” option. 
   
6. Relaunch Chrome browser to check if the Windows 10 taskbar will auto hide when Chrome goes into fullscreen.

For Firefox

1. Click on the Settings icon located on the bottom of the homepage. 
2. Click on the General Tab.
3. Go to the Performance menu.
4. Uncheck “Use hardware acceleration when available” option.
   

Scan for Malware

If the problem persists after the update, you can scan the device for malware.  You can use Windows’s inbuilt Windows Defender. Please follow the step below:

1. Click on Windows logo.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Click on Update & Security.
4. Click on Windows Security on the left hand panel.
5. Under Protection areas, Click on Virus & threat protection.
   
6. Click on Quick Scan.
   

If files are detected with malware you can quarantine, delete it or do other recommended actions.

You can also go to Virus & threat protection updates and check for updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Auto-hide Task Bar With Command Prompt?

Command prompt offers shortcuts for specific functions. In order to auto-hide taskbar, please follow the steps below:

1. Click on the Windows logo. 
2. Type “Command Prompt”
3. Type the following text into the box:
   &{$p='HKCU:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3';$v=(Get-ItemProperty -Path $p).Settings;$v[8]=2;&Set-ItemProperty -Path $p -Name Settings -Value $v;&Stop-Process -f -ProcessName explorer}.
   
4. Press Enter.

What to Do When the Taskbar Won’t Auto-hide?

Check the taskbar settings and see whether the auto-hide function is on. If the taskbar still won’t auto-hide, you can follow the steps above to Restart Windows Explorer and Update Windows. 

Why Won’t Taskbar Go Away While Playing Game?

To make the taskbar go away while playing the game, first ensure you have selected full screen. Then follow the steps below to auto-hide taskbar:

1. Right click on the taskbar, click on Taskbar Settings.
2. On the taskbar tab toggle On the option “Automatically hide the taskbar in Desktop Mode.”

What Is the Shortcut Key for Auto-hiding Taskbar ?

You can press F11 to exit and enter full screen mode in Windows.