How to Show All System Tray Icons on Windows 10

To show all eligible notification area icons on a Windows 10 taskbar, open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, select Select which icons appear on the taskbar, and turn on Always show all icons in the notification area. Windows will place the enabled app icons directly on the taskbar instead of keeping extra icons behind the hidden-icons arrow.

Windows 10 calls this area the notification area; many people call it the system tray. It sits near the clock and can contain status icons from Windows and apps. The steps below apply to the Windows 10 Settings layout. Individual app icons appear only when the app is running and has a notification area icon.

Show all app icons in the notification area

1. Open Taskbar settings

Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. On the desktop, you can also right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. If you do not see the notification area options right away, scroll down the Taskbar page.

2. Open the app icon list

Under Notification area, select Select which icons appear on the taskbar. This opens a list of notification area icons and the setting that controls whether Windows keeps them all visible.

3. Turn on the all-icons option

Switch on Always show all icons in the notification area. When the option is enabled, the notification area expands to show the icons that are allowed to appear there, including icons that would otherwise be in the hidden-icons flyout. The available app rows vary with the software installed on your PC.

4. Check the taskbar

Close Settings and look beside the clock. The icons that were previously behind the Show hidden icons arrow should now be visible in the notification area. If you still see the arrow, it may be holding icons from a different area or the setting may not have applied; reopen the icon list and check the switch.

System icons have a separate switch

The all-icons option is for notification area icons, but it does not turn on every Windows system icon. If the clock, volume, network, power, or another built-in icon is missing, return to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and select Turn system icons on or off. Switch on the item you need. The choices depend on the device and Windows configuration. Microsoft documents the two notification area controls separately in its taskbar customization guidance.

If an icon is still missing

• Check whether the app is running. The setting cannot create an icon for an app that is closed or does not provide a notification area icon. Open the app and check its own settings for a tray or status-icon option.
• Check the app’s individual toggle. In Select which icons appear on the taskbar, make sure the app is allowed to appear. Microsoft’s Windows 10 guidance uses this page for individual notification icons, including the location notification icon.
• Distinguish hiding from disabling. With the all-icons option off, Windows can place eligible icons in the hidden-icons flyout. If an individual icon is turned off in its own control, it may not appear in the notification area at all.
• Check management restrictions. If a setting is unavailable on a work or school PC, an administrator may control it. Microsoft notes that some device settings can be managed by an organization.

If you prefer a compact taskbar, turn off Always show all icons in the notification area and use the arrow to open the hidden-icons flyout when needed. You can also drag an icon between the visible area and the flyout. Showing everything saves a click, but takes space away from taskbar buttons, especially on a small display.

Windows 10 support note: Windows 10 continues to run, but Microsoft ended support on October 14, 2025. That does not change these taskbar steps; it does mean standard security and feature updates are no longer provided. See Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support information.

For another Windows 10 example of the app-level control, see Microsoft’s instructions to show or hide the location icon in the notification area.