The Unnecessary Shortcut
Windows 11 is designed to be highly adaptable to tablet devices like the Microsoft Surface. Because of this, the operating system frequently places a persistent “Touch Keyboard” icon directly in the system tray area of the taskbar (next to the clock). Clicking this icon instantly slides a massive, on-screen digital keyboard up from the bottom of the monitor. If you are using a standard desktop computer or a laptop that does not have a touchscreen, this shortcut is entirely useless. It consumes valuable taskbar real estate and can be incredibly annoying if clicked by accident. You must force Windows to hide the icon.
How to Hide the Touch Keyboard Icon
You can permanently remove the software keyboard shortcut via the Taskbar settings.
- Right-click anywhere on an empty space on your Taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the screen).
- Click on Taskbar settings from the small pop-up menu.
- In the Settings window that opens, scroll down to the “System tray icons” section.
- Locate the option labeled Touch keyboard.
- Click the drop-down menu next to it and change the setting from “When no keyboard attached” (or “Always”) to Never.
A Cleaner System Tray
The change takes effect instantly. Windows 11 will completely terminate the rendering of the Touch Keyboard shortcut. The small keyboard icon will immediately vanish from your system tray, freeing up space for actual background application icons and ensuring you never accidentally trigger the massive on-screen interface while trying to click the volume or network buttons.