Windows 11 - Taskbar does not pop up when auto hide is on.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I have Windows 11 25H2 on a Dell 3680 Precision Workstation (tower), which is the subject of my original post. After being at wits end without a viable solution, I focused on services (tried everything else first).

Long, long story short...Dell installed two (2) "services" that were each individually causing the problem. With these two services disbled, everything "works fine". Of course I don't have the "value" of the services.

The two Dell services are: 1) Dell TechHub & 2) Dell Trusted Device.

If you are having this taskbar issue and running a Dell, you might try disabling these two services. Your milage may vary, but you can always put them back to "enabled".

I have had the same problem for a while now. I'm using Windows 11 Pro 25H2 build 26200.7705. I have tried every suggestion from reputable sources without effect. My windows 11 used to have the taskbar correctly pop-up when I hovered the mouse, and the auto‑hide feature was enabled. Nothing has changed except for Microsoft updates., but now it does not pop-up.

Any ideas?

Hi @Ken Miller

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.    

Based on what you’re describing, this appears to be inconsistent taskbar behavior in Windows 11, where the auto‑hide feature does not always respond correctly to mouse movement when apps are active on the screen. 

Here are a few steps you can try: 

1. Restart Windows Explorer 

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. 
• Click the Processes tab. 
• Scroll down to the bottom to find Windows Explorer. 
• Right-click it and select Restart. Your screen will flicker for a second, and the taskbar should behave again. 

2. Disable Taskbar Transparency/Effects 

• Go to Settings > Personalization > Colors. 
• Toggle Transparency effects to Off. 
• Also uncheck Show badges on taskbar apps (the little number counts like "5 unread emails") for the smoothest experience. 
• Test if the hover behavior improves. 

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.  

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".      

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

If your taskbar is not popping up when auto-hide is enabled in Windows 11, it could be due to a few reasons. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Check Taskbar Settings: Ensure that the auto-hide feature is still enabled. You can do this by right-clicking on the taskbar, selecting "Taskbar settings," and confirming that "Automatically hide the taskbar" is turned on.
2. Restart Windows Explorer: Sometimes, restarting Windows Explorer can resolve taskbar issues. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, finding "Windows Explorer" in the list, right-clicking it, and selecting "Restart."
3. Update Windows: Make sure your Windows 11 is up to date. Go to Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.
4. Check for Conflicting Applications: Some applications may interfere with the taskbar's functionality. Try closing any unnecessary applications to see if that resolves the issue.
5. Feedback Hub: If the problem persists, consider reporting it through the Feedback Hub (WIN + F) so that Microsoft can track and address the issue in future updates.

If none of these steps resolve the problem, it may indeed be a bug that needs to be addressed in a future update.