Hide battery, Wi-Fi & volume icons

Short answer: on current Windows 11 there is no built-in setting that removes the battery, Wi-Fi (network) or volume icon from the taskbar. Windows 10 still has one, and on Windows 11 a free taskbar mod such as Windhawk's Taskbar tray system icon tweaks can do it. Icons that belong to apps are different: Windows can tuck them under the ^ arrow, and gohide can hide them on demand with one hotkey.

Next to the clock, Windows 11 shows two kinds of icons, and they follow different rules:

• System icons: network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), volume and battery, grouped into one button that opens Quick Settings. On recent builds the microphone, location and Studio Effects indicators can appear there too. Windows itself draws these.
• App icons: everything else, such as chat clients, cloud sync, launchers and VPNs. Each app adds and removes its own.

Most guides mix the two up. This one covers each separately and is clear about what doesn't work.

Can Windows 11 hide the battery, Wi-Fi or volume icon?

Not from Settings. Settings → Personalization → Taskbar has a System tray icons section, but it only lists the pen menu, touch keyboard and virtual touchpad. The network, volume and battery icons aren't in it and can't be turned off.

Windows 10 had a Turn system icons on or off page for exactly this. Windows 11 dropped it when the tray was redesigned around Quick Settings.

What about Group Policy?

Microsoft still documents three user policies under User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar:

They were written for the Windows 10 taskbar. Users on current Windows 11 builds report that they no longer have any effect on the new tray. They're harmless to try (set the policy back to Not configured to undo it, then sign out and back in), but don't expect them to work.

Ways that do work on Windows 11

1. A taskbar mod. Windhawk is a free, open-source tool for small Windows tweaks. Its Taskbar tray system icon tweaks mod can hide the volume, network, battery, microphone, location and other system indicators one by one, and uninstalling the mod brings them back. Mods hook into Explorer, so a big Windows update can break them until the mod is updated.
2. A replacement taskbar. StartAllBack (paid) and ExplorerPatcher (free) bring back a Windows 10-style taskbar. With it, the old system-icon switches work again. This changes far more than three icons, so it's only worth it if you want the classic taskbar anyway.
3. Auto-hide the taskbar. Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors → Automatically hide the taskbar hides the whole taskbar, system icons included, until the pointer touches the bottom edge. Nothing is removed, so this is the safest option.

Hiding app icons is a different job

If the icon you want gone belongs to an app, for example a chat app, a game launcher or a VPN client, Windows does give you options:

• Drag it onto the ^ arrow, or turn it off under Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Other system tray icons. It moves into the hidden-icons menu.
• Turn off the tray icon in the app's own settings, or stop the app from starting with Windows.

Those are permanent tidy-ups. If you need a few apps to disappear right now, before a screen share or when someone walks up, use a tray icon hider. gohide hides the apps you pick with Ctrl+Alt+H (window, taskbar button and tray icon together, sound optionally muted) and restores them in place with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H. It works on the current Windows 11 notification area. See how to hide tray icons on Windows 11 for the full comparison.

What gohide doesn't do: it doesn't hide Windows' own network, volume or battery icons. Those belong to Explorer, not to an app, so they stay where they are.

Which option should you pick?