How to Move the System Tray to a Secondary Display in Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can move the taskbar that contains the system tray to a secondary monitor without making that monitor the primary display. Set the screens to Extend, unlock the taskbars, and drag the main taskbar to the other screen. The notification area—often called the system tray—moves with that taskbar.

This drag method is for Windows 10. Windows 11 uses different taskbar controls; see the version note below. The illustrations show Windows 10-style controls, and exact menu wording can vary by build and taskbar settings.

Before you move the system tray

Windows must recognize both displays as separate screens. Press Windows key + P and choose Extend. In extended mode, each display has its own desktop area, so you can move the pointer and windows between screens. Duplicate mode mirrors the same desktop and is not the setup needed here.

If the second monitor is missing, open Settings > System > Display. Check the connections, then select Detect under Multiple displays. Arrange the numbered display boxes to match the physical positions of your monitors; this helps the pointer cross between the screens in the expected direction. Microsoft’s multiple-monitor guide covers display detection, arrangement, and Extend mode.

Move the taskbar and notification area in Windows 10

1. Choose how many taskbars you want. Open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and find Multiple displays. Turn on Show taskbar on all displays if you want a taskbar to remain visible on each screen. Leave it off if you want Windows to show the taskbar only on the display where you place it. This setting controls taskbar visibility; it does not change which monitor is primary.
2. Unlock the taskbar. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar. If Lock all taskbars is checked, select it to clear the check mark. Some setups show Lock the taskbar instead. The taskbar must be unlocked before you can drag it.

3. Drag the main taskbar to the secondary display. Point to a blank section of the taskbar, press and hold the left mouse button, and drag toward the other display’s bottom edge. Release when the taskbar appears on the target monitor. Avoid dragging an app button or a system-tray icon; move the taskbar itself. If the monitors are arranged above or below one another, make sure their layout in Display settings matches their physical placement.
4. Check the result and lock it again if you like. The taskbar and its notification area should now be on the secondary display. The monitor marked as the main display remains primary. To keep the taskbar from moving accidentally, right-click it and select Lock all taskbars (or Lock the taskbar) again.

What changes—and what stays the same

This move changes the taskbar’s location, not the primary-display assignment. Windows will continue to treat the display marked as main as the primary one for system behavior that depends on that setting. Apps may open on the main display or return to the screen where they were last used, depending on the app. If you want the second display to become primary, select it in Settings > System > Display and turn on Make this my main display; that is a separate change.

To return the system tray, unlock the taskbar again and drag it back to the original display. If it will not move, confirm that the desktop is extended, the taskbar is unlocked, and you are dragging a blank section rather than an icon. If the pointer cannot reach the second screen in the direction you expect, correct the monitor arrangement in Display settings.

If you are using Windows 11

Windows 11 does not use the Windows 10 drag-across-displays method. Open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and enable Show my taskbar on all displays to show a taskbar on each connected screen. Microsoft’s current taskbar guide says this also provides the system tray on each display. If you want Windows to treat one particular monitor as the main display, choose it in Settings > System > Display and select Make this my main display. The Windows 11 option shows taskbars across displays; it is not a Windows 10-style way to drag a single tray to one secondary screen.

Windows 10 support note

Windows 10 still works, but Microsoft ended support on October 14, 2025. Unless the device is covered by an applicable Extended Security Updates program, it no longer receives regular security updates or technical support. See Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support notice for details.