- Click on the "Show hidden icons" arrow next to the clock (formerly "system tray"), and choose "Customize": Windows 7 will open the "Notification Area Icons" screen in the Control Panel.
- The scrollable box shows recent program icons in the notification area of the taskbar. Find the icon to hide, and click on the dropdown. All applications have the same three choices:
- "Show icon and notifications" (default) - icons are always visible next to the system clock, and show tooltip balloon messages whenever needed (more on taskbar notifications).
- "Only show notifications" hides the icon under the arrow you clicked earlier: it is invisible, but accessible with a click - ideal setting for programs whose icon doesn't need to be seen, but has some usefulness (either a tooltip message or a context menu with core functionality).
- "Hide icon and notifications" essentially mutes that program, preventing it from showing its icon or to display taskbar notifications of any kind. Reserve that setting for annoying (read "chatty") programs that constantly interrupt your workflow.
Caution: only hide icon and disable notifications for non-essential programs. Online security software (firewall, antivirus software...) should be able to "talk" to you at any time.
- Click "Turn system icons on or off" (bottom left) to show/hide core Windows icons. Except for the clock, all these have a special value - recommendation: leave them all visible. ⇒ "Clock": set to "
Off" to hide the system clock.
⇒ "Volume": the speaker icon that lets you change volume on-the-fly and access the Volume Mixer.
⇒ "Network": notifies you of connectivity changes, available wireless networks, etc.
⇒ "Power": battery life information - definitely leave on for a laptop.
⇒ "Action Center" one-click access to program stability and some Windows security issues.
- Clicking "Restore default icon behaviors" will erase all your customizations and reset icon / notification status to their "factory settings" (which can vary from one app to the other).
- The "Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar" checkbox is a nice option: it lets you override your settings without erasing them (uncheck to revert to your configuration!)
- Once you've changed these behaviors, click "OK" to apply.
Note: though Windows remembers your settings (on a user account basis), these might be reset after you upgrade an application to a different version - typically not the case.
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