The Task bar is missing on Windows 8

Anonymous
2013-02-09T15:56:41+00:00

Old Title: where the heck is the task bar?

I just want the task/tool bar to show on top of my screen,, any way to do that?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Email and communications

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Anonymous
2013-02-10T09:45:23+00:00

Hi L Jensen,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community Forums. We are here to assist you with your Windows related issues.

It seems that you have recently installed Windows 8 and you are unable to find the taskbar on your computer. I would like to have some information regarding this issue.

1.       Are you referring to the taskbar on the desktop interface on Windows 8?

2.       Have you made any recent changes on the computer prior to this issue?

If you are referring to the Modern User Interface, then I am sorry to inform you that we do not have any options to display the taskbar in the Modern User Interface of Windows 8 and it is by the new Windows 8 design.

However, if you are referring to the desktop interface, then the reason why the taskbar is not shown on the screen may be because the taskbar is set to automatically hide or it might be some issues with the “explorer.exe” service or it might be stopped manually.

Method 1: Disable the Auto-hide feature of the Taskbar.

If the task bar appears on the desktop interface, when you move the mouse pointer towards the bottom of the screen, then the auto-hide option of the taskbar might have enabled on the computer.

To disable this option follow these instructions and check the issue:

a)       Right click on the taskbar from the Desktop Interface of Windows 8.

b)        Select “Properties” to open the “Taskbar Properties” window.

c)       On the “Taskbar Properties” window and under the “Taskbar” tab, uncheck the second option which says “Auto-hide the Taskbar”.

You will also have the option to change the position of the taskbar on the same window. You can change it to top,  left or right.

Check if you are able to view the taskbar. If it is not visible at all from the desktop interface, then there might be some issues with the explorer.exe or its service might be stopped manually.

To start the “explorer.exe” service on the computer, try the next method:

Method 2: Check the “Explorer.exe” service and start it if it is “Stopped”.

a)       Press “Alt” + “Ctrl” + “Del” keys on the keyboard and select “Task Manager” to open it.

b)       On the “Task Manager” window, click on “File” menu and select “Create a new task”.

c)       Type “explorer.exe” in the “Open” box.

d)       Click on “OK” and check if you are able to find the taskbar now.

Hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to get back to us for any further queries or issues related to Windows.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-04-08T14:19:51+00:00

    Hi David,

    Thank you for your post on this forum.

    If the Internet Explorer browser is in Full-Screen Mode, then you may press "F11" key on the keyboard to exit from the Full-Screen Mode.

    Hope this is helpful. If you need any further assistance with Windows Operating System, please post your query on Microsoft Community Forums and we’ll be glad to assist you with it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-04-05T13:57:46+00:00

    So, how do you disable full screen mode?

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-03-21T18:07:23+00:00

    Hi Francis,

    You are most welcome and thank you so much for posting on this forum. I believe that the suggestions given on this forum were helpful to you. Hope they are helpful for all the others as well.

    If you need any further assistance with Windows Operating System, please post your query on Microsoft Community Forums and we’ll be glad to assist you with it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-03-21T18:03:30+00:00

    Hi Annie,

    Thank you for posting your query on this forum and I apologize for the delay in responding to this thread.

    Are you using Internet Explorer desktop version in Full Screen Mode?

    When Internet Explorer browser is set to full screen, then the task bar at the bottom disappears and when you disable the full screen mode, it would be shown again.

    Hope this is helpful. Please get back to us with the updates.

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