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Windows Vista - Start Menu - Taskbar - Toolbars

Automatically Hide the Windows Vista Taskbar

SUMMARY: Hide the Windows Vista Taskbar when not in use to provide more room for your opened windows.

By default the Windows Vista Taskbar is displayed on the bottom of your Desktop and remains there as you open new windows and software. This provides one-click access to the Start Menu while working in virtually any Windows application that is not running in full-screen.

If you require more room onscreen for your running applications you can force the Taskbar to "hide" when not in use. When the Taskbar is hidden, merely moving your mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen (or the side where your taskbar is placed) displays it again.

1. Right-click an empty area of the Windows Taskbar and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, make sure the "Taskbar" tab is selected.

3. Check "Auto-hide the taskbar".

4. Click "OK" to close the dialog box.

Configuring Windows Vista's Taskbar to auto-hide when not in use