The hidden icon menu (aka: taskbar corner overflow menu) shows the notification icons you turned off from showing on the system tray.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22572, you can turn on or off showing the hidden icon menu on the taskbar system tray.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22610, there will no longer be an empty show hidden icons arrow showing in your system tray when you’ve set all your icons there to show.
After upgrading to Build 22610, the “Show hidden icons” flyout in the system tray may disappear completely for some Insiders, even though it shows as “on”. Microsoft is investigating the issue. As a workaround if you need access to the icons that would show in the “Show hidden icons” flyout, you can go right-click on taskbar to open the Taskbar settings page, navigate to the “Other system tray icons” and individuals toggle specific apps to “On” until the issue is resolved.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22616, the Hidden icon menu setting has been removed.
Microsoft decided to disable the changes to the system tray introduced in Build 22581 for now. The system tray and specifically the “Show hidden icons” flyout will now function the same way it did with the original release of Windows 11, including the ability to rearrange icons in the flyout. Microsoft hopes to bring these changes back in the future after further refinement of the experience by addressing some of the feedback Microsoft received. Features we try out in the Dev or Beta Channels may not always ship.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off the hidden icon menu for your account in Windows 11.
- Option One: Turn On or Off Hidden Icon Menu on Taskbar System Tray in Settings
- Option Two: Turn On or Off Hidden Icon Menu on Taskbar System Tray using REG file
EXAMPLE: Hidden icon menu (chevron) on taskbar corner system tray
1 Open Settings (WIn+I).
2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and click/tap on Taskbar on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Other system tray icons on the right side to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 4)
4 Turn On (default) or Off Hidden icon menu for what you want. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close Settings if you like.
1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you would like to do.
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify]
"SystemTrayChevronVisibility"=dword:00000001
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify]
"SystemTrayChevronVisibility"=dword:00000000
4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink