Taskbar disappears when I have apps that go fullscreen in the background

Question

Even when I'm on a non-fullscreen app like chrome, if I have an app that goes fullscreen, for example Rocket League and many other video games, even if it is not open, my taskbar does not appear. By that, I don't mean that chrome fills in the missing space, but it's an empty space where you can see the fullscreen app, which for my example, would be Rocket League. I'm on Windows 10 with a NVIDIA graphics card, and I have NVIDIA shadowplay on constantly, which may be related.

Answer 1

Welcome John Roh!

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A forum.

From what you described, I understand that after running a fullscreen game like Rocket League, your taskbar (on Windows 10) does not reappear when switching to a non‑fullscreen app such as Chrome, leaving an empty space instead.

Since you’re using NVIDIA ShadowPlay, it indicates that NVIDIA GeForce Experience is installed and the In‑Game Overlay may be active, which could be contributing to the issue.

Q&A Assist mentioned this as one of several suggested methods, and I recommend trying it first. Please turn off the In‑Game Overlay using the steps below:

1. Open NVIDIA GeForce Experience
2. Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top‑right corner
3. Toggle In‑Game Overlay off
4. Close any running games
5. Launch Rocket League
6. Switch to a non‑fullscreen app (such as Chrome) and check whether the taskbar now appears normally.

Optional: If you want to keep using ShadowPlay, you can try re‑enabling the In‑Game Overlay after the game is already running, then press Alt + Tab once or twice to allow Windows and the NVIDIA overlay to re‑sync. If the issue returns, it’s best to leave the overlay disabled.

Hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes!

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Answer 2

The behavior is consistent with a full‑screen app (like a game) or an app bar taking focus and visually occupying the screen area where the taskbar should be, so the taskbar cannot draw on top.

Use these steps to mitigate it on Windows 10:

1. Ensure the taskbar is set to stay on top and not auto‑hide
   1. Right‑click the taskbar and select Taskbar settings (or open Taskbar).
   2. Under Taskbar behaviors:
      • Turn Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode Off.
      • Make sure Show badges on taskbar buttons and other options are set as desired.
   3. If using older behavior (Windows 7/8 style), ensure the taskbar is configured to be always on top so full‑screen windows cannot cover it.
2. Check for app bars or overlays that may obscure the taskbar Some custom app bars or overlays (including game overlays or capture tools) can dock near the taskbar and unintentionally cover it.
   • Temporarily disable NVIDIA ShadowPlay/overlay and any other screen‑overlay tools.
   • If a custom app bar is installed, undock or close it and test again.
3. Update Windows and graphics components
   • Install the latest Windows 10 updates.
   • Update NVIDIA graphics drivers and GeForce Experience (including ShadowPlay) to the latest versions.
4. Test with another full‑screen app
   • Run a different game or full‑screen app.
   • Switch back to the desktop and check whether the taskbar behaves correctly. If the issue only happens with specific games, adjust those games’ display mode (e.g., use borderless windowed instead of exclusive full screen).

If the problem persists even after disabling overlays and confirming taskbar settings, it is likely caused by how the specific full‑screen app interacts with the desktop and taskbar; using borderless‑windowed mode or updating/removing the problematic app/overlay is typically required.

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References:

• Customize the Taskbar in Windows
• An app bar may unintentionally obscure items on the Windows task bar in Windows
• Clicking Icon on Taskbar Does Not Switch to Program
• Windows Gaming: Full screen experience
• Make it easier to focus on tasks