XBOX App Autopinning to Taskbar Every Time I boot Up.

Neo Blakkrstal 0 Reputation points
2026-05-23T17:23:29.7233333+00:00

This is very intrusive, I remove the pinned app, and there it is again next boot up. Went through the Q&A, I should not have to edit a hidden XML file in order to stop an app from auto pinning itself to MY taskbar. I went through the settings for the APP and there is nothing to turn that on or off. This is ridiculous, and yet another reason why I will NEVER install Win 11. I will be going Linux once my extended update period for Win 10 is over. You are doing this to yourself Microsoft, with your intrusive spyware and bloatware that you have insisted on putting in your products. It is MY PC, I bought it, it belongs to me, it is not some node for Microsoft to continually abuse. Good job guys, you are driving away your customer base.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Desktop
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  1. Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-24T00:54:31.1533333+00:00

    Hi Neo Blakkrstal,

    Thank you for posting your question. I understand how frustrating it is when the Xbox app keeps reappearing on the taskbar after every reboot.

    This behavior is typically related to Windows reapplying a predefined taskbar layout or a startup trigger that pins the app again. Here are some checking steps that you can try at this point:

    1, Check and remove from Startup

    • Press Win + R > type shell:startup > Enter
    • Delete any Xbox-related shortcut if present

    2, Remove persistent taskbar entry

    • Open File Explorer and go to: C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
    • Enable Hidden items
    • Open LayoutModification.xml (or DefaultLayouts.xml)
    • Find and delete any line containing: Microsoft.Xbox.App
    • Save > restart your PC

    You can also disable auto‑pinning via Group Policy if you're on Pro version

    • Press Win + R > gpedit.msc > Enter
    • Go to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
    • Enable “Do not allow pinning programs to the taskbar”

    As an optional last step, please reinstall Xbox app

    • Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps
    • Uninstall Xbox > restart > reinstall from Microsoft Store

    Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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