Until now, the only way to remove the bell icon from the taskbar was through third-party apps or complex workarounds. The bell icon, which notifies users of unread notifications, was present all the time, even when the notification queue was emptied.
Also read – Windows 11 gets a vertical taskbar… Finally!
Windows 11 24H2 adds a button to turn off the notification bell
With Windows 11 Build 26236, available in the Canary Channel, Microsoft is testing a new button that will finally allow users to disable the notification bell icon. In addition to the notification bell, Microsoft is also introducing another handy feature: an option to shorten the time and date display in the taskbar. This option will allow users to hide unnecessary information, such as year, which is will result in a more compact and minimalist clock display.
These improvements are a continuation of Microsoft’s efforts to improve the Settings app in Windows 11. The software giant is gradually transitioning the old Control Panel pages to the modern Settings interface to provide a more unified experience. For example, the next 24H2 update will also introduce a new “Color Profile” section under display settingsreplacing the old Control Panel page for managing color profiles.
Finally, the company is also introducing new features and settings to improve user control and privacy. For example, the 24H2 update will include a new button to manage device encryption for Windows 11 Pro editions, as well as settings to manage AI components and AI privacy controls, such as blocking applications accessing the NPU (Neural Processing Unit).
