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

The Windows 11 taskbar is where you can find your favorite apps and the Start menu. But what if the taskbar suddenly disappears from your Windows 11 PC? While the reason behind this could be anything from a glitchy system process to a buggy Windows build, fixing the problem is not too difficult.

When the taskbar goes missing, you may have trouble opening apps or accessing system settings. In this guide, we have listed a few useful solutions that should help restore the missing taskbar in no time.

1. Unhide the Taskbar

While tinkering with the Settings app on Windows 11, you might have set your taskbar to hide automatically. If that’s the case, the taskbar should reappear when you move the cursor towards the bottom of the screen. Here’s how you can unhide the taskbar permanently on Windows.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. 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 Windows Explorer Process

Windows Explorer is a system process responsible for providing the graphical interface for several utilities, including the taskbar. If this process is experiencing problems, the taskbar may disappear randomly. In most cases, you can fix the issues with the Windows Explorer process by restarting it. Here are the steps for the same.

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

Step 2: In the Processes tab, locate the Windows Explorer entry. Right-click on it and select Restart.

3. Re-Register Microsoft Store Apps Using PowerShell

Several users on the Microsoft Community managed to restore the missing taskbar by re-registering the system apps on Windows 11. So, if restarting the Windows Explorer process proves ineffective, you can give this method a try.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type powershell in the Open field and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open PowerShell with admin rights.

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

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Restart your PC after this and check if the issue is still there.

4. Check the Windows Projection Settings

Incorrect projection settings can also cause the taskbar to vanish from your Windows 11 computer. You can try changing the Windows Projection settings to see if it helps. To do so, press the Windows key + P on your keyboard and select the PC screen only option from the menu that pops up.

5. Delete the Iris Service Configurations

Iris service on Windows is responsible for fetching Windows Spotlight wallpapers and providing lock screen suggestions on your computer. If this service is not configured correctly, you could experience issues. Here’s what you can do to fix it.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type cmd in the Open field and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 2: 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 you run the above command, your PC will reboot and the taskbar should reappear after that.

6. Run the SFC Scan

Another reason why the taskbar may disappear or become unresponsive is if some of the system files on your PC have become corrupted. Windows includes a handy SFC (or System File Checker) scan that can help fix any corrupted files automatically. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type 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. After that, the taskbar should appear as before.

7. Install Windows Updates

It’s possible that the missing taskbar issue is due to a bug within the Windows build your PC is running. If that’s the case, installing pending system updates should help.

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Switch to the Windows Update tab and click the Check for updates button to download and install pending updates.

8. Perform a System Restore

If you still can’t get the taskbar back on Windows 11, you can consider performing a system restore. This will allow you to undo any recent changes that may have caused the problem.

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

Step 2: Switch to the System Protection tab and click the System Restore button.

Step 3: Select the Recommended restore option and click Next.

Step 4: Review all the details one more time before hitting Finish.

FAQs on Taskbar Missing or Disappeared on Windows 11

See What You’re Missing

Hopefully, one of the solutions has proven useful and you can now access the taskbar on your Windows PC. As always, let us know which of the solutions worked for you in the comments below.