windows 10 «show hidden icons» in system tray — icons too much space

Since some time, the icon space between the icons in the tray bar is larger as usual:

Usually, it should be more narrow, like this:

To be 100% clear, I’m speaking about the sector with the white OneDrive Icon in it.

Not the Task or Tray Bar itself. The hidden Notification part («show hidden icons»)

I’ve seen other PCs with the same «error» (all Win 10 from 1803 to 1903).

I was wondering what could provoke such a behaviour, as I recently reinstalled a PC (after formatting. no upgrade) which already has this extra-space too.

I know at least 3 PCs with this extra space and I couldn’t yet figure out what does this.

As it’s not a real Error. More like optical issue, I don’t know where to continue searching.

Has anyone ever got this, and found out why?
And can tell me, how to change it back?

I’m very sure I have seen PCs on 1903 that don’t have the extra space after upgrade.
Its not version related for me.

I have seen several PCs with this now. I can say this in generel:

All PCs were on 1920*1080
Mostly newer HP Laptops
All 64bit

All are Win 10 Pro from 1803 to 1809 to 1903

All get Updated from Windows Update automaticly

I don’t know what to say else that could be related.

Thank you for every answer that could lead me to my goal.

Replies (5) 

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I appreciate your efforts and time in identifying the issue and bringing this to our notice. As you have mentioned that this issue is occurring on all the version of Windows 10, for further analysis of the issue I would require some information.

What is the exact model of the HP laptops?

What is the make and model of the graphics card?

Is there any Taskbar or Start Menu modification software installed on the PC?

Please get back to us with the detailed information to assist you further.

We await your response.

Microsoft Community – Moderator

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for your help.

1. most are ProBook 450 g4/5 or EliteBook 850 g5/6

My personal PC (Selfmade) has this effect too.

I reinstalled this System with a new Win10 Pro 1809 from a Win Media Creation Tool USB Stick about 1 month ago.

Once I saw a Microsoft Surface that has it too.

2. The HP have all Intel CPU with integrated GPU (Driver comes from HP Support Assistant)

Mine is a Nvidia GTX1060 6gb (updated some days ago)

3. A lot of them have Greenshot installed.

All Laptops got the HP Support Assistant (except the Surface wich uses 100% Win Update).

No Theme Modifications. All use the Windows Original Theme after install. Never modified. (Some use Explorer Dark Mode)

Not a real Taskbar Mod, but I think all of them use the FortiClient (VPN) in different versions (5.6 to 6.5 I think)

And all the original Windows Stuff, like Onedrive, Bitlocker.

No other special Tools installed.

There is really nothing else in Common (installed Tools) I could relate to this. thing.

Only (very speculative) thing else I could imagine to try:

I could never reinstall one of them that got this problem to see if its gone after new Win install, or if its hardware related.

Even if I’m 99,93% sure the Error is gone after reinstall. But you can never know before.

I’m very curious where this could come from.

I just looked my Tray Icons, and the space at this moment is normal:

Very misterious. I made no changes about the Taskbar (except some Date/Time Settings). I just shut down and started my PC some times (incl restart)

The Windows 10 system tray – How to show or hide icons!

Located on the right side of the taskbar, the system tray, correctly called the Notification area, has been a part of Windows for over 20 years. It kept on improving since it was first introduced with Windows 95, providing easy access to system functions, notifications, and applications. The Windows 10 system tray is more customizable than ever before, as you get to configure which system and apps icons are shown in it. Whether you want to hide the volume icon, keep a particular icon always visible in the Notification area, or see nothing but the clock on your taskbar, this tutorial shows you how to do it:

NOTE: The screenshots and the instructions in this guide apply to Windows 10 May 2019 update or newer. If you do not know what version of Windows 10 you have, read: How to check the Windows 10 version, OS build, edition, or type.

How to show hidden icons in the system tray using the mouse

In Windows 10, a lot of icons are hidden by default in an expandable pane, giving you more space on your taskbar. To reveal them, click on the arrow left of the Notification area.

The most straightforward way to show any of these icons in your Notification area is to drag them with the cursor from the expandable pane to the taskbar.

TIP: If enabled, the setting to “Always show all icons in the notification area” makes the arrow and the expandable pane disappear. Keep reading to learn more about this option.

How to show hidden icons in the system tray using Windows 10 settings

Another method for displaying the hidden icons in the system tray involves accessing the Taskbar settings. To do that, right-click or press-and-hold an unused area of the Taskbar and then click or tap Taskbar settings from its menu.

In the Taskbar section of the Settings app, scroll down the list of settings found on the right side of the window until you find Notification area. Click or tap on the “Select which icons appear on the taskbar” link.

Turn on the switch of each icon you want in the Notification area. The icons you choose to show become instantly visible on the taskbar.

IMPORTANT: If you turned On the switch to show a certain icon and that icon is not instantly displayed on your taskbar, the corresponding app is probably not currently running on your computer. Keep in mind that the icons in your Notification area are only shown when their apps are running.

If you like to keep an eye on everything, you can use the “Always show all icons in the notification area” option at the top of the list. Turn On the switch next to it, and all the icons in the list are instantly displayed in your taskbar, while their individual settings, now obsolete, can no longer be changed.

Some system icons, like Network or Volume, can be completely turned off, which means they are not displayed in the list of taskbar icons above, and they are nowhere to be found on your taskbar or in the expandable pane. To make them appear in the Notification area, you first need to enable them. Go to the Notification area section from the Taskbar settings again and click or tap the “Turn system icons on or off” link.

Choose which system icons are enabled by turning on the switch next to them.

Once a system icon is turned On, you can use the instructions above to decide if you want to see it in your Notification area or access it from the expandable pane.

How to hide icons from the system tray using the mouse

Having too many icons in your Notification area (system tray) can make things a bit cluttered, while also reducing the space on your taskbar, so we recommend hiding the icons you don’t need on a regular basis. The easiest way to do this is by dragging them with your cursor from the Notification area into the hidden expandable pane.

How to hide icons from the system tray using Windows 10 settings

You can also do this from the Taskbar settings, which are accessed by right-clicking or pressing-and-holding on a free area of the taskbar, and then going to Taskbar settings.

In the list of settings found on the right side of the window, scroll down until you find the Notification area section. Click or tap on “Select which icons appear on the taskbar.”

Make sure the*”Always show all icons in the notification area”* option is turned Off and then, to hide the icons you no longer want to see in the Notification area, turn off the switch next to them. The icons are instantly hidden in the expandable pane.

When it comes to system icons, they can not only be hidden, but completely disabled, thus keeping them out of both your Notification area and its expandable pane. To do this, you first have to return to the Notification area section from the Taskbar settings, and then click or tap the “Turn system icons on or off” link.

From the list in this window, turn Off the icons that you don’t want to see in your Notification area. This makes them instantly disappear, never to bother you again.

How cluttered is your Notification area?

We like to keep things tidy, so our Notification area only displays the icons we need to keep an eye on, like the Power icon, or the ones we use daily, such as the Volume icon. What does your Notification area look like? How many icons do you have in it? Comment below and let’s discuss.

Always Show All Tray Icons in Windows 10

In Windows 10, many classic Control Panel options were moved to the Settings app. Options related to the taskbar were moved there as well. This is the case since at least build 14271, which is part of Windows 10 «Anniversary Update» (Redstone 1) branch. Let’s see how to make Windows 10 always show all tray icons on the taskbar using Settings.

If you have a wide screen or small number of icons, it will be useful to have them visible all the time.

There is a special option to make them visible. There are two methods to enable them.

To always show all tray icons in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Personalization — Taskbar.
3. On the right, click on the link «Select which icons appear on the taskbar» under Notification area.
4. On the next page, enable the option «Always show all icons in the notification area».

Tip: If you do not like using the Settings app, there still exists the ability to open the classic Notification Area Icons dialog. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog and type the following in the Run box:

Press the Enter key. The next window will be familiar to many users:

There, tick the option «Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar».

Finally, it is possible to apply a Registry tweak to make all tray icons visible all the time. Here is how.

1. Open Registry Editor (see how).
2. Navigate to the following Registry key:

On the right, create or modify the 32-bit DWORD value named EnableAutoTray.

Set it to 0 to show all notification area icons on the taskbar.
A value data of 1 will hide new icons (this is by default).

To make the changes done by the Registry tweak take effect, you need to sign out and sign in to your user account.

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

Share this post

About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

3 thoughts on “ Always Show All Tray Icons in Windows 10 ”

I followed these suggestions and every reboot several icons are missing from the tray, then I force a simple restart of windows explorer from task manager, then all icons appear again, until next reboot. I’ve got a feeling Kaspersky AV doesn’t play fair with WinPatrol icon, BlueTooth Icon, and system volume control icon. Up until last week I had to always reboot twice in order for Windows 10 x64 to recognize my dual monitor. Un F’ing real! I hope the rocket to Mars doesn’t use any computer systems from the planet Earth.

Настройки иконок области уведомлений периодически сбрасывается… Хотелось бы узнать, где они хранятся в реестре, чтобы проще восстанавливать из .reg-файла. Не подскажете? (Найденные в Инете советы для Windows 7 не актуальны.)

i tried the first sugestion. show all icons was already on.
i turned them off—————-no change
turned them back on——–everything started working right

thanks for the guidance to get to the right place

How to Fix System Tray or Icons Missing in Windows 10

Plus what to do as a last resort

The Windows 10 System Tray (Notification area), is located on the right side of the taskbar and provides access to system notifications, functions, and apps.

The system tray also holds shortcuts to some important settings like network, power, volume, and Action Center icons.

If you hover over the system tray and notice that the icons you use are missing, there are several reasons why this happens. You may have installed a Windows Update, which caused a glitch, or there are corrupted Registry entries that seem to conflict with Windows 10, making the system tray or icons disappear.

Here’s how you can fix the system tray or icons missing in windows 10 problem.

How to Fix System Tray or Icons Missing in Windows 10

There are two ways to show hidden icons in the system tray: Using the mouse and using Windows 10 Settings.

Use a Mouse to Show Hidden Icons in the System Tray

To do this using your mouse, select the arrow next to the Notification area to open the system tray and reveal the hidden icons. You can also drag the icons with your cursor and drop them on the taskbar.

Use Windows 10 Settings to Show Hidden Icons in the System Tray

If you want to see all your icons in the system tray all the time, remove the arrow and expandable pane, and enable the Always show all icons in the notification area setting.

1. To do this, right-click your taskbar and select Taskbar Settings.

1. Next, go to the Notificationsarea and click the Select which icons appear on the taskbar option.

1. Toggle the Always show all icons in the notification area setting at the top of the list.

Note: Icons in the system tray only appear when their corresponding apps are running.

Turn System Icons On or Off

If you still don’t see icons on your system tray, use the Turn system icons on or off setting and see if it helps.

1. To do this, right-click the Taskbar > Taskbar Settings.

1. In the Taskbar Settings, go to the Notification area and select Turn system icons on or off.

1. Find the system icons you want to show on the system tray and toggle their sliders to On (if they’re Off).

Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Restart Windows Explorer

Restart Windows Explorer to reload it and restore the missing system tray or icons on your computer.

1. To do this, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.

1. Select explorer.exe under the Processes tab, right-click and select End Task.
2. Next, open the App History tab, click File > Run New Task.

1. Type explorer.exe in the message box that appears and select OK.

Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) will reload and the icons will appear in the system tray. If there’s an icon you don’t see, go back to the Taskbar settings, select Turn system icons on or off and check the box next to the missing icon.

Reset or Delete the IconCache

The icon cache database contains the icons you see on apps and files so that the operating system can display them on your screen. Caching icons keeps your system from slowing down by not having to look up icons every time.

However, as the icon cache database grows, corruption may creep in and the icons may not render correctly, may appear broken, or missing from the system tray.

To resolve this problem, try to reset or delete the IconCache to resolve the problem.

How to Reset the IconCache Database on Windows 10

1. To reset the icon cache database, close all running applications, and then open the command prompt. Type CMD in the search bar and select the Run as administrator option.

1. Type this path in the command prompt window and press Enter:

cd %homepath%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

1. Next, type dir iconcache* and press Enter (a list of database files will appear).

1. Stop File Explorer by typing the command: taskkill /f /im explorer.exe and then press Enter. You’ll notice your taskbar and desktop background disappear after terminating File Explorer, but it’s temporary. Closing File Explorer helps delete the icon cache files.
2. Next, type del iconcache* and press Enter.
3. Type dir iconcache* to confirm that you have deleted the icon cache files, and then press Enter. Start File Explorer by typing explorer.exe and press Enter.

Close Command Prompt to complete the process, and Windows will recreate the database files with new icons.

How to Delete the IconCache Database on Windows 10

1. To delete the IconCache database file, right-click Start > Run and enter %appdata% in the Run window to open the Roaming folder.

1. In the Roaming folder, select Appdata in the address bar.

1. Select the Local folder.

1. Select View and check the Hidden items option.

1. Right-click IconCache in the Local folder, and select Delete.

1. Close Windows Explorer, reboot your PC, and check whether the system tray and icons are visible again.

Disable Controlled Folder Access

Controlled Folder Access is an intrusion prevention feature in Windows 10 that protects your valuable data from modification by threats like malware, viruses, and ransomware. If you find system tray or icons missing in Windows 10, try disabling the Control folder access option and see if they’re restored after that.

1. To disable Control folder access, select Start, type Windows Security in the search box, and select Virus & Threat protection.

1. Scroll down to Ransomware protection and select Manage ransomware protection.

1. Next, toggle the Control folder access option button to turn it off or disable it.

Reinstall the Taskbar

If the system tray or icons are missing on your computer, chances are the taskbar may not be working properly. To resolve this, reinstall the taskbar using Windows PowerShell.

Right-click Start > Windows PowerShell (Admin).

Copy and paste this command and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach

Check if your system tray and icons are back in the notification area.

Edit the Registry

Editing the Windows Registry helps correct errors or corruption, or prevent undesired system activity. The process can be dangerous, especially if you make a wrong edit in the wrong entry, so make sure you backup the registry before proceeding with the steps below.

1. Select Start > Run and type regedit in the Run window to open the Registry Editor.

1. Next, navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\LocalSettings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify key.

1. Select the Tray Notify folder, and then right-click IconStreams and PastIconsStream to delete their values.

If nothing else works, try a System Restore as this protects and repairs your computer’s software. It saves the Windows Registry and some system files as restore points for use in case of data corruption or an install failure.

A System Restore returns the system to working condition by reverting back the settings and files saved to the restore point.

Get Your System Tray and Icons Back

We hope these steps helped you get your missing system tray and icons back. Make sure to search the rest of our site for more troubleshooting tips and tricks to help you fix other issues in different operating systems and devices.

Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media. Read Elsie’s Full Bio

Читайте также:  Linux перезапуск службы по расписанию