The taskbar is an essential component of the Windows interface, offering quick access to programs, notifications, and system functionalities. Among the numerous customization features that Windows provides, the “auto-hide taskbar” option is a useful one. By default, you can toggle this feature from the built-in Settings app. However, if you frequently adjust this setting, navigating to the Settings app each time can be a bit tedious. What if there was a quicker way? Imagine if you could simply right-click on your desktop and find an option to “Automatically hide taskbar.” This not only saves time but also enhances the user experience by providing more direct control right from the desktop context menu. Fortunately, there’s a way to achieve this on your Windows 11 or 10 PCs. In this risewindows article, we’ll be walking you through the steps to add “Automatically hide taskbar” to the context menu, allowing for a more streamlined access to this feature.
How to Include “Automatically Hide Taskbar” to Context Menu in Windows 11 or 10?
Follow these steps to add the “Automatically hide taskbar” option to the context menu in Windows 11 or 10:-
Step 1. Open Registry Editor.
Step 2. Browse to the following key in the left sidebar of the Registry Editor window:-
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell
Step 3. Right-click on the Shell key and pick New > Key.
Step 4. Name the new key to HideTaskbar.
Step 5. Right-click on the HideTaskbar folder and pick New > String Value.
Step 6. Name the newly created REG_SZ to Icon.
Step 7. Similarly, create three more String Values under this HideTaskbar key and rename them as MUIVerb, Position, and SubCommands.
After it is done, it will look like the below screenshot:-
Step 8. Next, double-click on the Icon REG_SZ and set its “Value data” to imageres.dll,-80.
Step 9. Hit OK.
Step 10. Double-click on MUIVerb REG_SZ to set its “Value data” to Automatically hide taskbar.
Step 11. Click on the OK button.
Step 12. Double-click on the Position REG_SZ to set its “Value data” to Bottom or Up.
Step 13. Press the OK button.
Step 14. Leave the SubCommands “Value data” blank. You don’t need to set its “Value data.”
Step 15. Now, right-click on the HideTaskbar folder and choose New > Key.
Step 16. Name the new key as a shell.
Step 17. Right-click on the shell key to pick New > Key. Name this new key 001flyout.
Step 18. Right-click on the 001flyout folder and pick New > String Value.
Step 19. Name this newly created REG_SZ to MUIVerb.
Step 20. Double-click the MUIVerb REG_SZ to set its “Value data” to Enable.
Step 21. Pick the OK button.
Step 22. Right-click on the 001flyout REG_SZ and select New > Key.
Step 23. Name the newly created key as the command.
Step 24. On the right side of the command key, you will find the (Default) string. Double-click on the (Default) REG_SZ and set its “Value data” to the following:-
powershell -command "&{$p='HKCU:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3';$v=(Get-ItemProperty -Path $p).Settings;$v[8]=3;&Set-ItemProperty -Path $p -Name Settings -Value $v;&Stop-Process -f -ProcessName explorer}"
Step 25. Choose the OK button.
Step 26. Again, right-click the shell key under “HideTaskbar” in the left sidebar to select New > Key.
Step 27. Name this key to 002flyout.
Step 28. Right-click on the 002flyout key to choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Step 29. Name this new REG_DWORD to CommandFlags.
Step 30. Double-click the CommandFlags REG_DWORD and set its “Value data” to 20.
Step 31. Hit the OK button.
Step 32. Again, right-click on the 002flyout key to select New > String Value.
Step 33. Name this newly created REG_SZ to MUIVerb.
Step 34. Double-click the MUIVerb REG_SZ to set its “Value data” to Disable.
Step 35. Click on the OK button.
Step 36. Right-click the 002flyout key in the left sidebar to pick the New > Key option.
Step 37. Name this newly created key as the command.
Step 38. On the right sidebar, you will see a (Default) REG_SZ. Double-click on the (Default) REG_SZ and set its “Value data” to the following:-
powershell -command "&{$p= 'HKCU:SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3' ;$v=(Get-ItemProperty -Path $p).Settings;$v[8]=2;&Set-ItemProperty -Path $p -Name Settings -Value $v;&Stop-Process -f -ProcessName explorer}"
Step 39. Hit the OK button.
Step 40. After that, reboot your PC to apply the changes.
After finishing the above steps, right-click on the free space on the Desktop. Click “Show more options” (in Windows 11). You will see a new context menu Automatically hide taskbar. Accessing that option, you will find Enable and Disable options that you can use as per your necessities.
Conclusion
Adding the “Automatically hide taskbar” option to the desktop context menu in Windows 11 or 10 streamlines your user experience, granting quicker access to this handy feature. Instead of diving deep into the Settings app, you can now easily toggle this setting right from your desktop. This guide provides a detailed step-by-step procedure to enhance the efficiency and ease-of-use of your Windows interface.
