Skype is one of the few programs that I use on a regular basis to keep in touch with my family and friends. Although it’s available for mobile operating systems as well, I installed and use it only on my Windows 10 notebook.
Skype icon on the taskbar
By default, the Skype program starts with Windows 10 and sits in the taskbar so that you can quickly start using the program. With default settings, when you close the Skype window hoping to close the program or when you right-click on the Skype icon on the taskbar and click the Close button, Skype simply minimizes itself and doesn’t move away from the taskbar.
Right-clicking on the Skype icon on the taskbar and clicking the Quit option kills the program, meaning it won’t run the background to notify whenever there is a new call or message and hence, quitting is not a good idea.
Millions of PC users happily using Skype and most of them have no issues with the always visible taskbar icon. That said, there are some users, like me, who would like to free up some space on the taskbar.
Move the Skype icon from taskbar to system tray
Wouldn’t it be great if it was possible to remove Skype from the taskbar without actually quitting the program? If you’re in search of a way to remove the Skype icon from the Windows 10 taskbar without quitting it, you will be glad to know that the Skype program can be removed from the taskbar without killing the program. And you can make it happen without the help of third-party tools.
In this guide, we will show how you can remove the Skype icon from Windows 10 taskbar and move it to system tray area (see picture below). This way, you will continue to get notifications and other alerts from your Skype as long as your PC is connected to the internet.
This method simply moves the Skype icon from the taskbar to the system tray.
Remove Skype icon from Windows 10 taskbar
Step 1: Launch Skype. Click on the three vertical dots and then click Settings.
Step 2: Click the General tab.
Step 3: On the right side, turn off the option titled Show Skype in the Windows notification area.
From now onwards, whenever you close the Skype window, the Skype icon will disappear from the taskbar. It will continue running in the background and you can see its icon in the system tray. To open Skype, click on the Skype icon in the system tray. Like before, you will be notified whenever there is a new call or message.
To completely quit Skype, right-click on Skype icon in the system tray and then click the Quit option. If you’re an avid user of Skype, have a loot at Skype for Business free e-book with over 200 pages.
