On the right side of the Windows taskbar, between the language area and the clock, there is a notification area, or as it is also called, a tray. There are icons for programs minimized to save space on the main panel space. They can work in the background, that is, without drawing the user's attention to the processes. These can be icons for various media players, file download programs, ICQ clients, etc. As the number of icons increases, the panel may stretch.
Instructions
Step 1
Right-click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner, then, in the next "Properties" menu, open the "Properties of the taskbar and start menu" if you have Windows XP.
Step 2
Go to the "Taskbar" tab, make sure that in the "Notification area" column there is a check mark on the item "Hide unused icons". This feature allows you to remove hidden icons that have not been used for a long period of time.
Step 3
Select "Customize". In the "Notification settings" window that appears, on the "Current items" tab, expand the entire list and select the option that is convenient for you from the proposed ones: hide if it is inactive (the icon will be hidden only if you have not used it for a long time), always hide (the icon will always be hidden) or always show (respectively, will be permanently displayed).
Step 4
Click OK and close all windows. If you are using Windows Vista on your computer, the procedure for removing hidden icons will be slightly different.
Step 5
Right click on the Start menu, select Properties.
Step 6
In the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window that opens, select the "Notification Area" tab.
Step 7
In the "Icons" column, be sure to check the "Hide unused icons" box, if it is not there, and click the "Configure" button.
Step 8
Select the "Current items" section in the "Configure notification icons" window that opens, expand the entire list and select the desired item: hide if inactive (the icon will be removed only if you have not used its program for a long time), always hide (the icon will always be hidden in the taskbar) or always show (respectively, will be permanently displayed in the tray).
Step 9
Click "OK" and close all open windows.
