Surface Pro Touch Taskbar keeps hiding

Question

I bought a surface pro last week and everything worked fine. Now the touch taskbar keeps minimizing even though the "hide taskbar" option is turned off. This wasn't the case until today.

Answer 1

Hello Felix,

Thank you for your question and for reaching out with your question today.

If your touch taskbar on the Surface Pro keeps minimizing, even though the "hide taskbar" option is turned off, it can be frustrating. This issue may have various causes, and you can try these troubleshooting steps to resolve the problem:

1. Restart the Device: Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary glitches. Try restarting your Surface Pro and see if the touch taskbar behavior returns to normal.
2. Check Taskbar Settings: Double-check the taskbar settings to ensure that the "hide taskbar" option is indeed turned off. Right-click on the taskbar, select "Taskbar settings," and under "Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode," make sure it is set to "Off."
3. Disable Tablet Mode: If your device is in tablet mode, try disabling it. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen to open the Action Center, and then tap the Tablet mode button to turn it off. In tablet mode, the taskbar may behave differently to optimize touch interactions.
4. Check Touch and Pen Settings: Ensure that the touch and pen settings are configured correctly. Go to "Settings" > "Devices" > "Touchpad" (or "Pen & Windows Ink" if you're using a pen) and review the settings related to touch or pen input.
5. Check for Windows Updates: Make sure your Surface Pro is up to date with the latest Windows updates and driver updates. Sometimes, Microsoft releases fixes for known issues through Windows updates.
6. Check for Driver Issues: Faulty or outdated drivers can cause various problems, including issues with the touch taskbar. Go to "Device Manager" (right-click on the Start button and select "Device Manager") and check if there are any driver-related warning signs. If so, update the drivers or reinstall them.
7. Scan for Malware: Run a malware scan on your Surface Pro to rule out any potential malware-related issues that might be affecting the taskbar behavior.
8. Create a New User Profile: Sometimes, user profile corruption can lead to unexpected behavior. Create a new user profile and see if the touch taskbar works fine in the new profile. If it does, you can consider using the new profile or troubleshoot the original profile further.
9. Perform System Restore: If the issue started occurring after a recent update or installation of software, you can try using System Restore to revert your Surface Pro to a previous state when the taskbar was working correctly.

Remember to back up your important files before performing major troubleshooting steps, such as System Restore, to avoid data loss.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

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