Windows 11 ships with a new taskbar and Start menu. The taskbar, by default, uses a centered layout where the Start button and program icons are displayed at the center of the taskbar instead of the left.
Additionally, the network, volume, and battery icons always appear on the taskbar, and there is no option to hide them.
Can we hide the network, volume, and battery icons from Windows 11 taskbar?
In Windows 10, we can hide volume, network, and battery icons from the taskbar. In fact, Windows 10 allows hiding all icons from the taskbar so that we can have a clean taskbar. However, Windows 11 does not allow removing these network, volume, and battery icons from the system tray area of the taskbar.
The network, volume, and battery icons are critical system icons, and most users prefer having them on the taskbar. Moreover, in Windows 11, these icons have been linked to Quick Settings, a flyout that allows you to change various system settings quickly.
When you click on the network, volume, or battery icon, the Quick Settings flyout shows up in Windows 11. As with the case of previous versions of Windows, you can perform a right-click on any of these icons to see their respective options. For instance, when you right-click on the volume icon, you get Troubleshoot sound problems, Open volume mixer, and Sound setting options.
This might be a good idea as Windows 10 users often report missing battery, network, and volume icons from the taskbar. In Windows 11, these icons will always show up as there is no setting as such to hide or remove these icons. However, those who would like to hide these icons might be disappointed.
That said, you can hide or remove other icons from the taskbar by navigating to the Settings > Personalization > Taskbar page.
