How to Hide the Taskbar on a Windows 11 Kiosk

Note: The screenshots in this article were captured in a Japanese-language Windows environment. Menu and setting names may differ slightly in an English-language installation.

On permanent kiosks, digital signage, and unmanned guidance terminals, if you operate the start menu or another app from the taskbar, you may be disconnected from the displayed content.

On devices that use a regular Windows desktop, turn on "Auto-hide taskbar" to hide unnecessary items such as search and task view. Use Windows Assigned Access for restricted kiosks where you don't want users to see the taskbar again.

method	Taskbar behavior	Suitable configuration
Auto-hide Settings app	It is usually hidden, but can be redisplayed by operating the bottom edge of the screen.	Devices that usually use full-screen apps on the desktop
assigned access	Hide the taskbar in restricted user environment	managed kiosk terminal

How to choose a method to hide the taskbar

If you want to make the taskbar invisible only on a daily basis, you can use auto-hide in the Settings app. However, it is not a function that restricts user access, as it will be redisplayed if you move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen or touch the bottom edge.

requirements	How to use
Hide the taskbar only normally	"Automatically hide the taskbar" in the Settings app
Reduce the number of operation items on the taskbar	Turn off search, task view, badges, etc.
Display only a single app, such as Edge	Single app assigned access
Use multiple allowed apps and hide the taskbar	Assigned access for restricted user environments
Replace Windows shell with dedicated app	Consider Shell Launcher in supported editions

Open the taskbar settings screen

1. Open "Settings" with Win + I.

2. Select "Personalize".

3. Open the Taskbar.

Taskbar settings are saved for each Windows user. Please configure while signed in to the kiosk user.

Automatically hide taskbar

Expand Taskbar Behavior and configure the settings as follows:

Setting items	Recommended settings
Automatically hide the taskbar	on
Show badges in taskbar apps	off
Show flashing taskbar apps	off
Show the taskbar on all displays	Turn off if not needed
Share a window from the taskbar	off
Select the corner of the taskbar to display the desktop	off

Confirm that the taskbar disappears off the screen immediately after setting. The normal behavior of auto-hide is that it reappears when you move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen.

Hide search and task view

Expand "Taskbar Items" on the same settings screen and hide any items you don't use in your kiosk.

Setting items	Recommended settings
search	hidden
task view	off
restart	off

If the screen displays "Some of these settings are managed by your organization," the settings may be fixed by Group Policy or MDM. Please check with the administrator on the organization management terminal.

Turning off search or task view doesn't disable keyboard shortcuts or other Windows actions. Organizing taskbar items is an auxiliary setting to reduce the number of incorrectly operated entry points for users.

Check operation after setting

After setting, sign out and sign in again as the kiosk user and check the following.

1. Display app starts automatically
2. The taskbar is normally hidden
3. Search and task view not visible
4. No badges or flashing
5. Moving the pointer to the bottom of the screen behaves as expected.
6. Touching from the bottom of the screen works as expected.
7. The recovery method works if you close the app

In addition to normal restarts, we also check startups from power off, abnormal app termination, and keyboard and touch operations.

Use assigned access for complete hiding

In normal auto-hide mode, the taskbar will be redisplayed by operating the bottom edge of the screen. For assigned access in restricted user environments, you can control the display using the Taskbar element in the configuration XML.

<Taskbar ShowTaskbar="false"/>

In Microsoft official documentation, ShowTaskbar="false" is a setting that hides the taskbar, and is explained as being different from the normal automatic hiding, which is redisplayed by operating the bottom edge of the screen.

The configuration XML must be created with a schema that matches the Windows version, edition, and kiosk method. Please check the official configuration example as it is not always possible to apply it by adding just the one line above to the existing XML.

Simply hiding the taskbar does not prevent desktop display or keyboard operations after the app is closed. We also design full-screen display of the app, automatic startup, restart upon exit, and permission restrictions for dedicated users.

How to restore settings

• Cancel auto-hide: Turn off "Auto-hide taskbar"
• Return to search: Re-select the display method for "Search"
• Bring back task view: Turn on “Task View”
• When using assigned access: modify ShowTaskbar in the configuration XML to suit your requirements and reapply the configuration

Reference materials

• Windows 11 taskbar policy list (Microsoft Learn)
• Assigned Access Configuration File (Microsoft Learn)
• Windows 11 settings item reference (Microsoft Learn)

Summary

For kiosks and digital signage that use a regular Windows desktop, turn on "Auto-hide taskbar" to hide unnecessary items like search, task view, badges, etc.

Auto-hiding does not restrict access as it can be redisplayed by operating the bottom of the screen. On devices where you need to hide the taskbar from users, use kiosk features such as Assigned Access.