Disable or Remove “Show Hidden Icons” Arrow Button from Windows 11 Taskbar

If you want to get a clean and minimal Taskbar experience in Windows 11 and want to remove all unnecessary extra icons from the Taskbar notification area including the “Arrow” button, this article will help you.

Many people like minimal and clean UI (user interface) without any clutter. When we install 3rd party software programs in Windows 11, it starts adding lots of extra and unnecessary icons to the system tray or notification area in Taskbar. Addition of these unwanted program icons makes the Taskbar cluttered and ruins the user experience.

Windows 11 automatically shows or hides program icons based upon their usage and we can also hide unnecessary icons under the small drop-down Arrow button which is called “Show hidden icons” menu. We can decide which icons should be displayed and which should remain hidden under the arrow button using Taskbar Settings page as mentioned in following article:

[Tip] Always Show All Icons in Windows 11 Taskbar Notification Area

But even if we hide extra icons, all the icons are still displayed inside the “Show hidden icons” flyout which can be accessed by clicking on the Arrow button on Taskbar. Anyone can click on the Arrow button and can access those hidden program icons.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could completely hide or remove the “Show hidden icons” arrow button too from the Taskbar? If we remove the Arrow button, no one will be able to access those hidden program icons and we’ll also have a clean minimal Taskbar experience.

Newer versions of Windows 11 allow users to disable or remove the “Show hidden icons” menu button as well. If you also want to get rid of the Arrow button from Windows 11 Taskbar notification area, following steps will help you:

1. Right-click on the empty area in Taskbar and select “Taskbar Settings” option. It’ll open Taskbar settings page.

Alternatively, you can open the same page using Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together and then go to “Personalization -> Taskbar” section.

2. On Taskbar settings page, look for “Other System Tray Icons” section and click on the drop-down arrow button given next to the section name to expand the options list.

Now you’ll see an option “Hidden icon menu” (Icons which are turned off can be accessed in this menu) as shown in following screenshot:

The option is ON by default which means the Arrow button is visible on the Taskbar.

To hide or remove the Arrow button, set the toggle button to OFF.

It’ll immediately remove the “Show Hidden Icons” menu button from the Taskbar.

PS: In future, if you decide to restore or re-enable the Arrow button on Windows 11 Taskbar, set its toggle button to ON again.

Also Check:

Disable or Remove Extra Icons and Buttons from Windows 11 Taskbar

How to Restore or Enable Classic Taskbar in Windows 11 (All Versions)

[Tip] Customize Date and Time in Windows 11 Taskbar Clock, Add Day, Month Names