Note: this tutorial applies to Outlook 2010, 2007, and 2003 - on Windows 7, Vista, and XP.
- Outlook displays a new mail icon in the taskbar whenever new messages are downloaded from the server, in addition to showing a "desktop alert":
- If you don't hide Outlook when minimized, its taskbar button will also change to show a yellow envelope icon in overlay to indicate new, unread emails:
- These are redundant, so you can hide the new mail icon: in Outlook 2010, click on File (top left), and choose "Options". In Outlook 2007 / Outlook 2003, go to "Tools > Options".
- In Outlook 2010 / 2007, select "Mail" on the left: under Message arrival (third section), uncheck the "Show an envelope icon in the taskbar" and click "OK" to apply.
- Outlook 2003: click "E-mail Options" in the Preferences tab, and "Advanced E-mail Options". Uncheck "Show an envelope icon in the notification area" and click "OK" three times.
- You can also hide Outlook icon from the taskbar altogether:
- In Windows 7, click on the arrow button in the notification area, and select "Customize". Select "Hide icon and notifications" from the dropdown next to Outlook and click OK.
- In Windows Vista, right-click on the start button and choose "Properties"; select the "Notification Area" tab and click "Customize" next to Hide inactive icons. Pick "Hide" from the dropdown next to Outlook and click OK twice.
- In Windows XP, right click on the taskbar and choose "Properties"; click "Customize" next to Hide inactive icons. Choose "Always hide" next to Outlook and click OK twice.
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