What is the Task View Button?
In Windows 10, Microsoft placed a small icon on the taskbar right next to the Cortana/Search box. This is the “Task View” button (which looks like a large rectangle with two smaller rectangles behind it). When clicked, it zooms out to show all of your currently open windows across all of your virtual desktops, as well as your “Timeline” history of recently accessed files.
While virtual desktops are a powerful tool for power users, the vast majority of PC users only ever use a single desktop. Furthermore, if you prefer to navigate your open windows using the traditional Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut, the Task View button simply takes up valuable real estate on your taskbar and creates visual clutter. You can easily hide it.
How to Hide the Task View Button
You can completely remove this button with a simple right-click.
- Look down at the bottom of your screen to the Windows Taskbar.
- Find any completely empty, blank space on the taskbar (do not click on an app icon).
- Right-click on that empty space. A tall context menu will appear.
- Look up the list of options until you find Show Task View button.
- If there is a checkmark next to it, click it once to toggle it off.
The Task View button will instantly vanish from your taskbar, giving you more room to pin your favorite applications.
Note: Hiding this button does not disable the Task View feature itself. If you ever need to use virtual desktops in the future, you can simply press the Windows Key + Tab on your keyboard to instantly open the exact same Task View interface without needing the physical button on your screen.