Remove items from system tray (aka Navigation Area)

Posted by Ed on Sep 16, 2009 in Windows XP | 0 comments

Many programs will have the option to remove the icon from the system tray, so try finding that option within each program before attempting the following. The systems tray is at the bottom right of your task bar. This tutorial is for use with Windows XP or Vista however the steps should be the same for Windows 95 and above. A picture of a system tray in Windows XP:

Now many of you may have a HUGE number of icons in your systems tray. And you might be wondering how you could get rid of a few things. Well there are two ways I'll cover. First click on Start then All Programs (in Vista this will be called Programs) then go to Startup. Now there should be a list of shortcuts in the startup folder like so:

Right click on an icon that you want remove then select delete like so:

Repeat for any other shortcuts you want removed. This method will NOT remove all of the icons in your system tray. Only a few. If you wish to remove more continue with the next step.

If you are using Windows 95/2000 you will need to download one of these to make the next step work. If you are using 2000 you will need to install it into the C:\WINNT\system32 directory or in the case of Windows 95 the C:\Windows\System folder. Go to Start then Run... like so:

When the Window appears type in msconfig then press okay. The System Configuration window should popup. Select the Startup tab. Select and uncheck the shortcuts you wish to remove the icons (You can recheck them later on if you want them back).

Press the Apply Button Then select Close. You will be prompted to restart your computer you can do so now or chose to do so later, but it must be done to apply the settings.