Taskbar Search box or icons missing on Windows 11? Get them back

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 8 steps · Published 6 October 2026

Device

Windows

Shown on

Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457), Microsoft Cloud PC

App

Settings

Real screenshots

8 of 8 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open the Taskbar settings

   Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Or open Start, Settings, Personalization and click Taskbar.

   Done

2. 

   Bring back the Search box

   The Search row under Taskbar items shows what the taskbar has now. Ours says Search box. Click the box on the right to change it.

   Done

3. 

   Choose how Search looks

   Hide removes it completely. Search icon only shows a magnifying glass, Search icon and label adds the word Search, and Search box shows the full typing box.

   Done

4. 

   Switch Task view and Widgets back on

   Task view is the button for your open windows and desktops; Widgets shows news and weather. Each has its own switch. On our Cloud PC both are On.

   Done

5. 

   Icons next to the clock missing

   Open Other system tray icons to choose which app icons show by the clock. Hidden ones sit behind the small arrow on the taskbar.

   Done

6. 

   Taskbar disappears

   Scroll down and open Taskbar behaviors. If Automatically hide the taskbar is ticked, the taskbar only appears when you move the pointer to the bottom edge. Untick it to keep it on screen.

   Done

7. 

   Icons moved to the left or centre

   Taskbar alignment chooses Center, the Windows 11 default, or Left, like older Windows versions.

   Done

8. 

   App names missing from the buttons

   Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels decides whether open windows show their names. Always hides the labels, as on ours. Choose When taskbar is full or Never to see the names.

   Done

About this guide

Most "missing" taskbar parts are switched off, not broken: the Search box, Task view, Widgets, tray icons and the taskbar itself all have a setting on one page. An update or another person using the PC is often what changed them.

The screenshots are our own, taken on Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 (build 26200.9457) running as a Microsoft Cloud PC, a Windows PC that runs in the cloud. The Settings app is the same on Home and Pro PCs; where the Cloud PC shows something different, the step says so.

Good to know

If the taskbar does not respond at all, restart the PC first. If it still fails after a restart, install updates: how to check for updates on Windows 11.

Organisation PCs can lock some of these settings. If a row is grey, your IT department has set it.

In short: Right-click the taskbar, Taskbar settings: Search to Search box, Task view and Widgets on. Taskbar behaviors: untick auto-hide, pick alignment, and choose how buttons combine.