Who doesn’t get irritated with the taskbar overlaying on the screen even while playing games in a full-screen mode? This issue is pretty common on Windows PC as many users have complained about seeing the taskbar staying on the screen while playing games watching movies or videos. Quite annoying!
Even though the taskbar strip holds some important features including the Start menu, date and time, volume control, etc., these are not required at all while playing games. There are other shortcut keys to access these features hence, the taskbar while playing games on full-screen is a big no.
Since it is a very common and not-so-serious issue, you would be delighted to know that there are some very simple and quick fixes for it. We have discussed all of these in detail below. Read all of them out, follow the steps carefully and play your games without the frustrating interruption of the taskbar strip.
Methods to Hide Task Bar On Windows 10 When Playing Games
Method #1 : Auto-hide the taskbar
The first method to hide the taskbar being displayed while playing a game is very simple. Now, depending on the device that you are using, this method is further divided into two different modes including:
- The Desktop Mode
- The Tablet Mode
Either of the settings you choose will result in automatically hiding the taskbar while you are playing games in the full-screen mode. But, if you drag your cursor to the area of the taskbar, it will pop up and you will now have to change the settings again.
The process takes no time and can be done by following these steps:
- Take your cursor to the taskbar and right-click on it.
- You will see a list of options, choose Taskbar Settings from the bottom of the list.
- Now you will see several options including “Automatically Hide the Taskbar in Desktop Mode” and “Automatically Hide the Taskbar in Tablet Mode”.
Note: If you are using Windows 10 on a PC or laptop, toggle the Desktop Mode option whereas, if your device is a tablet, toggle the Tablet Mode option.
Method #2 : Use the shortcut key
Another very quick and simple way to hide the taskbar and enjoy your games in a full-screen window is to use the shortcut key. For all Windows users, the shortcut key to turn the screen into a full-screen mode is F11.
Whether you are playing a game, watching a YouTube video, or simply browsing the internet, pressing F11 will turn it into a full-screen. This simple shortcut key also prevents you from going through the different processes – even though those are simple as well but this one is the simplest.
With this method, you don’t even need to use your mouse or open any program to do so. Just a single press will do the work for you. Isn’t it amazing?
Another amazing thing about this method is that it works on every single PC or laptop. Pressing F11 alone might not work in some PCs or laptops so you will have to press it in a combination i.e., Fn + F11.
Method #3 : Restart the Windows Explorer
Another effective and easy fix is by restarting Windows Explorer which can be achieved by following any of the two methods mentioned below:
1st Method
It is a simple method that can restart the Windows File Explorer through Task Manager.
- Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + ESC
- Click on More Details to view the entire list of applications.
- Search for Windows Explorer in the list of processes.
- Left-click on it and out of several options, click on Restart.
2nd Method
If the 1st Method didn’t work for you or is taking too long to restart, you can try out the 2nd Method i.e., the Command Method. The steps include:
- Press the Windows icon + R to open the Run
- Here, you will have a text box where you need to type “cmd” and then “taskkill /im explorer.exe /f”.
- Now type “explorer” once again and then, type “exit”.
- This will kill and restart the Windows File Explorer for you.
Note: Make sure that you type every command in the text box excluding the quotation marks.
My taskbar isn’t hiding, what do I do?
Usually, hiding a taskbar isn’t a big issue and is done easily without causing any complications. But, if the taskbar in your Windows 10 isn’t hiding automatically, there could be several reasons for it.
- The foremost reason is that the application you are running has an important notice for you hence isn’t going away. It requires your immediate attention and will settle once you’ve reviewed the notification.
- It can also happen when any operation in the program is completed or when you receive new calls, chats, or email notifications. Once you view the notification, the taskbar will hide automatically.
- Sometimes the apps in the background seek your attention as well by keeping the taskbar displayed on the screen. If you have any background apps running and this happens, go through the notifications as well as these apps so that the taskbar hides away again.
Final Words
Even though it is pretty annoying to see the taskbar saying on your screen since it interrupts your view and ruins the overall gaming experience. As a Windows 10 user, facing this issue is not very unusual.
But, the good thing here is that you can fix this issue easily by following any of the methods explained above. Make sure to understand the steps so you don’t end up creating another issue.
Furthermore, all of the methods mentioned earlier are not only for hiding the taskbar when you are playing games. If it annoys you while watching your favorite movie or browsing on full-screen mode, these methods can be followed here as well.
