Windows 11 includes a feature called the “Virtual Touchpad.” Designed primarily for tablets connected to external monitors, it places a tiny touchpad icon on your taskbar near the clock. When clicked, it summons a massive black rectangle onto your screen that acts exactly like a laptop trackpad, allowing you to control the mouse cursor using your touchscreen.
If you are using a standard desktop computer or a laptop that already has a physical trackpad, this icon is completely useless and only serves to clutter your taskbar. Worse, accidentally clicking it throws a giant obtrusive box over your work. You can easily remove the virtual touchpad icon from your system tray.
How to Remove the Virtual Touchpad Icon in Windows 11
You can hide this icon directly from the Taskbar personalization settings.
- Right-click on any empty space on your Windows 11 Taskbar.
- Select Taskbar settings from the small pop-up menu.
- The Settings app will open directly to the Personalization > Taskbar page.
- Look for the section titled System tray icons and click on it to expand the menu.
- Locate the setting labelled Virtual touchpad.
- Click the toggle switch next to it to turn it Off.
The tiny touchpad icon will instantly vanish from the bottom-right corner of your screen, freeing up space next to your clock and volume controls. Because you only disabled the shortcut icon, you can always re-enable it in the future if you ever buy a touchscreen monitor for your setup.