7 Best Ways to Fix Taskbar Disappeared or Missing on Windows 11

Windows 11 changed the position of the Taskbar, but it still houses your favorite apps and Start menu. And despite its criticism from users, the Taskbar still is an important utility on Windows 11. But what happens when it goes missing? Well, many users are left puzzled by the Taskbar missing after booting their PC.

Whether it’s the case of missing app icons or the entire Taskbar itself, this guide will cover the solutions that should get the Taskbar on Windows 11 to reappear.

1. Unhide Taskbar

While tinkering with the Settings app on Windows 11, you might have set your Taskbar to hide automatically. Move the cursor towards the bottom of the screen, and the Taskbar should appear. If that’s the case, you can try to unhide it by following the steps below.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to quickly launch the Settings app. Now switch to the Personalization tab and click on the Taskbar option.

Step 2: Expand Taskbar behaviors and uncheck the box that reads ‘Automatically hide the taskbar’.

2. Restart the File Explorer

If the Taskbar does not appear even after unhiding it, you can try restarting the File Explorer process on Windows 11. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to quickly launch the Task Manager.

Step 2: In the Task Manager window, click on the More details option to expand it.

Step 3: In the Process tab, scroll down to find Windows Explorer. Select it and then hit the Restart button at the bottom.

3. Change Windows Projection Settings

If you usually connect your PC to an external display, the Taskbar disappearing issue may arise. Thus, you can try changing the Windows Projection Settings to see if it helps. To do that, press Windows key + P on your keyboard and select the PC screen only option from the menu that pops up.

4. Use Command Prompt

When the Taskbar and the Start Menu disappear or become unresponsive, a malfunctioning service could be responsible for fetching Bing wallpapers and providing lock screen suggestions. Here’s how to remove it.

Step 1: Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager on your PC. Expand the ‘More details’ option at the bottom of Task Manager.

Step 2: Go to the File menu and choose Run new task from the list.

Step 3: Type in cmd in the Open field and press Enter.

Step 4: In the console, paste the command given below and press Enter.

reg delete HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService /f && shutdown -r -t 0

Once applied, your PC will reboot and the Taskbar should reappear.

5. Set the Correct Date on Your PC

Sometimes, the Taskbar missing issue can also occur due to an incorrect date set on your PC. To resolve that, you can try correcting the date and time manually by following the steps below.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut to launch the Task Manager on your PC. Expand the ‘More details’ option at the bottom of Task Manager.

Step 2: Go to File and choose Run new task from the list.

Step 3: Type in control.exe in the Open field and press Enter.

Step 4: In the Control Panel window, change the view type to Large icons if it isn’t already. Click on the Date and Time option.

Step 5: Switch to the Internet Time tab and click on the Change settings button.

Step 6: Uncheck the box that reads ‘Synchronize with an Internet time server’ and click on OK.

Step 7: Now switch to the Date and Time tab and click on the Change date and time button to change them manually.

Now reboot your PC and see if the Taskbar appears on Windows 11 now.

6. Run SFC Scan

Another reason for the Taskbar disappearing issue on Windows 11 is the corrupted system files. Fortunately, your Windows 11 PC comes equipped with a healthy System File Checker or SFC scan that can fix such corrupted files on its own. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type in cmd in the search box and press Enter.

Step 2: In the console, paste the command given below and press Enter.

sfc/scannow

Wait for the scan to complete and then reboot your PC to see if that resolves the issue.

7. Update Windows

Microsoft is usually quick when it comes to resolving critical bugs and errors. The newer Windows version might resolve the Taskbar issues. So go ahead and install any pending updates to resolve your current Taskbar-related issues on Windows 11.

See What You’re Missing

All in all, using the Taskbar on Windows 11 hasn’t been a smooth experience. But with future updates, we could see it change. For now, you count on the solutions above to get your Taskbar back and enjoy the best of Windows 11.