App hider for PC
"Hide an app on my PC" can mean four different things, and each one has a different answer. Most people mean the first: an app is running and they want it off the screen, the taskbar and the tray for a while, without closing it. Windows has no switch for that, and it's what gohide does. The other three are covered further down, because for those you don't need gohide at all.
Which kind of hiding do you need?
| You want to… | Built into Windows? | What to use |
|---|---|---|
| Hide a running app (window, taskbar button, tray icon) and bring it back later | No | An app hider such as gohide |
| Keep an app out of the Start menu or off the desktop | Yes | Windows settings (see below) |
| Stop other people from opening an app on a shared PC | Yes | A separate Windows account or Family Safety |
| Use an app while screen recording or monitoring software can't see it | No | Not possible with an app hider, gohide included |
1. Hide a running app (the common case)
Minimizing leaves the taskbar button. Win+D leaves the taskbar buttons and the tray icons. A second virtual desktop hides windows and taskbar buttons, but the tray is shared by every desktop and sound keeps playing. None of them hides one app completely and brings it back with one key.
With gohide:
- Download gohide: free for up to 3 apps, Windows 10 and 11, also on the Microsoft Store.
- Tick the apps you want to hide, for example a chat app, a game launcher and a browser.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+H. Their windows, taskbar buttons, Alt+Tab entries and tray icons disappear together. The apps keep running.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H and everything comes back in the same place and size.
You can give each app its own hotkey, mute apps while they're hidden, and set a hotkey that locks the screen. Apps you've hidden stay hidden even if they open a new window. Pro adds unlimited apps, suspending a hidden game so it stops using CPU and GPU, a privacy cover screen, hot corners and mouse buttons and a PIN lock for gohide's settings.
Typical uses: before a screen share, when someone walks up to your desk, pausing a game, or just clearing the taskbar while you focus.
2. Keep an app out of the Start menu or off the desktop
You don't need extra software for this:
- Desktop icons: right-click the desktop → View → untick Show desktop icons (hides all of them), or delete just the shortcut you don't want. Deleting a shortcut doesn't uninstall the app.
- Start menu: right-click the app → Unpin from Start. To hide the recently added and most used lists, go to Settings → Personalization → Start.
- Taskbar pins: right-click the icon → Unpin from taskbar.
- Tray icons, long-term: Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Other system tray icons. See how to hide tray icons on Windows 11.
3. Stop other people from opening an app
If someone else uses your PC, hiding an icon isn't protection: they can still search for the app. Give them their own Windows account (Settings → Accounts → Other users), or use Microsoft Family Safety for a child's account. gohide's PIN protects gohide's own settings and hidden apps; it doesn't password-protect other apps.
4. Hiding from recording or monitoring software
An app gohide hides is off the screen entirely, so it doesn't show up in a screen recording or a stream either (see hiding windows while streaming). What it can't do is keep an app you are using out of a recording, or hide from monitoring software that the app is running. No honest app hider can promise that.
Free vs Pro
Everything in section 1 works in the free edition for up to 3 apps, with no time limit, no account and no telemetry. Pro is a one-time purchase with free updates. See pricing. If you're comparing tools, see the best boss key apps for Windows 11.