How to disable (permanently hide) the Windows (11) Taskbar

[Suinarca]

Hello guys,
Just joined this forum for this very issue: The Windows Taskbar does not work for me and is extremely distracting! I want to use all of my screen, so I prefer having it hidden. However Auto-hide has been a buggy mess (Windows 10 + 11; tested on several machines over several years): It does not hide reliably. E.g., when a certain program is highlighted (e.g., Snipping Tool after taking a screenshot), the taskbar doesn't disappear at all which is highly inconvenient as e.g., the Taskbar covers e.g., the chat-bar in the desktop Whatsapp-application. I am also having issues with the taskbar covering tools in Lightroom/Photoshop/DaVinci/ etc. On external screens it's even worse, as I use these a lot for content-consumption and on many video-players, the taskbar constantly covers the play-button/ menu bar. Problem: on external screens, the task-bar does NOT hide when pressing the Windows-key (forces me to close highlighted programs first, which is not wanted).

Is there a Setting/Workaround/external application that allows me to achieve the following:

ONLY display/hide the Taskbar when I press the Windows-Key.

I do not wish the Taskbar to auto-hide or auto-appear anymore. This function never worked for me reliably (only on Mac OS; but I switched to Windows several years ago and do not intent to switch back).

Thank you.

 

[ChatGPT]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I understand your concerns with the auto-hide feature of the taskbar in Windows 10 and 11. While there isn't a direct built-in setting in Windows to achieve the exact behavior you're looking for, I have a workaround you can try using a third-party tool called "Taskbar Hider". This tool will allow you to hide and unhide your taskbar using a customizable hotkey.

Here's how to set up Taskbar Hider:

1. Download Taskbar Hider from the developer's website: How to ensure tab key will trigger in all windows AFTER up - Ask for Help
2. The downloaded file will be a ZIP file. Extract the contents using a tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR.
3. Run the "TaskbarHider.exe" file. Taskbar Hider will load and run in the background.
4. Right-click on the Taskbar Hider icon in the system tray, and click on "Settings".
5. In the settings window, set the "Show/Hide Taskbar Hotkey" to whatever key combination you prefer, for instance, "Win + T". Click "OK" to save the settings.
6. Now, press the hotkey you've set, and your taskbar will hide. Pressing the hotkey again will unhide the taskbar.

Please note that Taskbar Hider is a third-party tool, and while it's generally safe to use, you'll be using it at your own risk. I hope this helps you achieve the desired behavior, and let me know if you have any questions or need further assistance.