How to Remove Items From the Windows Task Bar (6 Steps)
By David A. Wells
Microsoft Windows operating systems, in all of their versions, provide a task bar that typically displays at the bottom of your desktop. The task bar displays the "Start" button on the left, which allows access to your programs and system management tools. Immediately to the right of the "Start" button are your program launch shortcuts, followed by currently open applications. On the right side is your system tray, just to the left of the clock. These icons provide information about system programs that launch on system startup.
Remove Program Shortcuts
Step 1
Right-click the program shortcut icon you wish to remove. An options menu will open.
Step 2
Select "Delete" in Windows versions up to Vista. Select "Unpin This Program From the Taskbar" in Windows 7.
Step 3
Click "Yes" to confirm your desire to delete the shortcut in Windows versions up to Vista. In Windows 7, the shortcut will be removed immediately when you select the unpin option.
Remove Items From System Tray
Step 1
Click the start button. In versions up to Vista, click "Run" and type "msconfig" into the interface, then enter. For Windows 7, type "msconfig" into the search box and enter. A dialog box will open.
Step 2
Select the "Startup" tab. A selection of programs will open, with check boxes next to each. These are the programs that start when you turn on your computer.
Step 3
Uncheck the boxes next to the programs you wish to remove from your system tray within the task bar and click "OK." The programs you unchecked will not load on start, and the icon will be removed from your task bar the next time you start your computer.
References
Writer Bio
David Wells is an information technology, business and marketing writer with a Bachelor of Science in business from Oregon State University. He started writing professionally in 2002 for EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com and his own websites. He also worked for two years as a freelance copywriter for offline book publishers.