Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

The taskbar is a crucial element of Windows. Users can pin their frequently used applications on it, access the start menu and search bar etc. It automatically disappears when full-screen content such as games or a video file is being played for a much more immersive experience. However, several users have been reporting Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding in fullscreen on YouTube. If you are also dealing with the same problem, you are at the right place. We bring to you a perfect guide that will help you to fix Taskbar showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10 issue.

Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

Restarting the File Explorer (explorer.exe) process, enabling the auto-hide feature and turning off notification badges for the Taskbar, disabling hardware acceleration in Chrome are a couple of ways to resolve Taskbar not hiding in full screen problem permanently. Follow these preliminary steps:

  • Before going into the methods try restarting your PC. Minor issues like the one at hand usually occur due to faulty/glitched instances of background Windows services and restarting the system is an easy way to fix them.
  • If you are looking for a quick workaround to the issue, simply press the F11 key (Fn + F11 on some computers) to enter full-screen application mode. The taskbar disappears in full-screen mode and thus, won’t interfere with your viewing experience..

Method 1: Restart Windows Explorer Process

The taskbar is a part of the explorer.exe process along with other visual components such as the desktop, start menu, and the file explorer application. If any of these elements are behaving abnormally, merely restarting the explorer.exe process via the Task Manager helps in bringing them back to a normal state. Follow these steps to do so.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys simultaneously to open Task Manager.

2. Click on More Details to expand the Task Manager and view all background processes.

Task Manager window. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

3. Find the explorer.exe or Windows Explorer process under the Processes tab, right-click on it and select Restart.

Windows Explorer in Task Manager.

Note: If you do not see any explorer.exe process listed in the Task Manager, launch the File Explorer once and then check again.

You can alternatively terminate the process altogether and then start it afresh. To do this, follow the given steps;

1. Right-click on the explorer.exe process and select End Task. The taskbar and desktop will disappear after you terminate explorer.exe. Do not panic as they will be back after you restart the process.

Windows Explorer in Task Manager. End Task Highlighted. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

2. Next, click on File and select Run new task.

Task Manager. File option is open.

3. Type explorer.exe in the text field and click on OK to start the process. The taskbar will be back and the issue of taskbar showing in fullscreen windows 10 should be fixed.

Create new task popup. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

Method 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Chrome

Most users face the ‘taskbar not hiding in fullscreen’ issue when watching a YouTube video on Google’s Chrome browser and the ‘Hardware Acceleration’ feature is the most likely culprit behind it. The feature allows the CPU to delegate some of the processing work to the GPU; while in theory, this should lead to a better browsing and media consumption experience, app crashes, freezes, and other issues are encountered sometimes. Here is how to disable it.

1. Open Chrome Browser and click on the three vertical dots present at the top-right corner.

2. From the drop-down menu, click on Settings.

Google Chrome profile drop-down menu.

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings page and click on Advanced.

Google Chrome Settings page. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

4. Under the System section, toggle off the switch for Use hardware acceleration when available.

Google Chrome Settings page.

A Re-launch button will appear next to the toggle switch, click on it to relaunch and bring the new settings into effect.

If the issue persists, update Chrome to the latest build or switch to another web browser such as Firefox or Opera.

Also Read: Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Icons Missing

Method 3: Auto-hide Taskbar

One of the customization settings included in Windows 10 is the ability to auto-hide the taskbar. When enabled, the taskbar will only appear when the mouse pointer hovers over the bottom of the screen (or wherever the taskbar is placed), thus, bypassing the ‘taskbar not hiding in fullscreen’ issue altogether. Follow these steps to auto-hide taskbar.

1. Press the Windows logo key to activate the Start menu and then click on the cogwheel icon above the power icon to launch Settings application.

Windows Start menu.

2. Click on Personalization.

Windows Settings page. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

3. Switch to the Taskbar settings page using the navigation bar on the left.

4. On the right panel, toggle on the switch for Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode.

Note: If you frequently switch between Desktop and Tablet mode, enable Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode feature too.

Taskbar option in Settings.

While you are on the taskbar settings page, consider disabling the Show badges on taskbar buttons feature. It prevent the taskbar applications from automatically activating it whenever a notification is received.

Taskbar option in Settings.

Method 4: Disable Visual Effects

Windows offers many visual effects to make the interface appear elegant. It makes some visual adjustments in appearance of Windows which can cause the visible taskbar issue in full-screen, you can disable them using the guide below to fix Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding in fullscreen YouTube.

1. Hit the Windows + I keys together to open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Select About and in the right panel select Advanced system settings.

About option in Settings. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

4. Click Settings under Performance.

System Properties window.

5. Select Adjust for best performance option.

Performance options window. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

6. Click on Apply > OK to save changes.

Also Read: Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Flickering

Method 5: Update Windows

The ‘Taskbar not hiding in fullscreen issue could also be a result of a bug present inherently in the system’s Windows build. To rule this out, check for any pending updates and install them as soon as possible. Follow these steps to update windows.

1. Follow Step 1 from Method 3. Click on Update & Security.

2. Click on Check for Updates.

3. If there are any new updates available, click on Download & install to get started.

Windows update option in Settings.

This method may finally fix windows 10 taskbar not hiding issue.

Method 6: Repair Corrupt Files

For the smooth functioning of Windows, it is important that all the system files are intact and none of them are missing or corrupt. The SFC and DISM command-line tools can help you verify the integrity of system files & images and also, repair any damaged ones. Here is how you can run system scans and fix Windows 10 Taskbar not hiding in fullscreen YouTube issue.

1. Hit the Windows key, type Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator.

Open Start menu, type Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator on the right pane.

2. Click on Yes in the User Account Control prompt.

3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter key to run System File Checker scan.

Type the below command line and hit Enter to execute it. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

Note: A system scan will be initiated and it will take a couple of minutes to finish. Meanwhile, you can continue performing other activities but be mindful of not accidentally closing the window.

After completing the scan, it will show either of these messages:

  • Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
  • Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.
  • Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
  • Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

4. Once the scan is finished, restart your PC.

5. Again, launch Command Prompt as administrator and execute the given commands one after the other:

dism.exe /Online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
dism.exe /Online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
dism.exe /Online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

Note: You must have a working internet connection to execute DISM commands properly.

scan health command in Command Prompt. How to Fix Taskbar Showing in Fullscreen on Windows 10

Recommended:

If you are also dealing with the same problem, you are at the right place. We bring to you a perfect guide that will help you fix Taskbar showing in fullscreen Windows 10 issue. Let us and other readers know which one of the above-explained solutions work for you. For any further assistance, feel free to get in touch with us in the comments section.

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