Windows 11 25H2 Taskbar Clock and System Tray Icons Disappear

Question

Windows 11 25H2 Taskbar Clock and System Tray Icons Disappear

Hello,

I am experiencing a strange issue on Windows 11 25H2.

After a fresh installation, the taskbar works normally and the clock, date, network, volume, and notification icons are visible in the system tray. However, after completing Windows Updates and restarting the PC, the entire system tray area disappears intermittently.

Symptoms:

• Clock and date are missing from the taskbar.
• Network, volume, and notification icons are also missing.
• Only pinned applications remain visible on the taskbar.
• "Show system tray icons" and taskbar settings are enabled.
• Restarting Windows Explorer does not permanently fix the issue.
• SFC and DISM scans do not resolve the problem.

Has anyone experienced this on Windows 11 25H2? Is this a known bug related to a recent cumulative update, or is there a recommended fix?

Windows Version: Windows 11 25H2

Thank you.

Answer 1

This is a reported problem in the June KB5094126 update and also the May Optional Preview update that was basically a beta version of the June update, however, so far, this is not reported on the Microsoft support web page for that update.

Open the Settings App, then go to Windows Update - Update History and check if that update has been installed on your system after the fresh installation.

Answer 2

I solved it after a month of having a custom clock vibe coded with Claude.. But here's the fix:

Method 1. Re-register the Windows Taskbar

You can use PowerShell to force Windows to rebuild and re-register the taskbar packages.

1. Right-click the Start menu button and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
2. Copy and paste the following command, then press Enter: powershell

      Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
   

3. Ignore any red error text that appears.

Method 2: Run SFC and DISM Repairs

If core system files responsible for the shell are corrupted, Windows built-in repair tools can fix them.

1. Open Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following command to scan system files and press Enter: cmd

      sfc /scannow
   

3. After it completes, type this command to repair the system image and press Enter: cmd

      DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
   

4. Restart your computer.

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So i followed those 2 methods one after another, and restarted my PC after the second one and it just worked.
Ah yes, i also deleted the ''IconCache.db'' file from (Win+R, %localappdata%). idk if that did something but there we are.

Or you can just code a custom clock if you don't need the rest of the icons!
Cheers!

Answer 3

We have the same issue after installing KB5101650. We have also found out that it's a combination of this update and a GPO, because when we disable most GPO's, the issue is solved. We are now investigating which GPO-setting exactly is giving the issue.

Answer 4

Tengo el mismo problema en varios equipos de mi organizacion, todos en 25H2 y problema presente en KB5094126, KB5095093 e incluso en el que salio ayer 14/07/2026 KB5101650, si desinstalo y regreso a KB5089573 (mayo 2026) el problema se resuelve.

Answer 5

This behavior matches taskbar and system tray issues that can be controlled or triggered by taskbar-related policies rather than a general corruption or SFC/DISM issue.

On Windows 11 25H2, several Group Policy / MDM settings directly affect the clock, notification area, and Quick Settings. If any of these are enabled (locally or via an organization policy), the system tray area can appear to “disappear” even though taskbar settings in the UI look correct.

Check the following policy settings on the affected machine:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor:
   • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Verify clock visibility:
   • Go to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
   • Find Remove Clock from the system notification area.
   • Set this policy to Not Configured or Disabled so the clock can appear.
3. Verify Notifications and Action Center:
   • In the same path (User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar), locate Remove Notifications and Action Center.
   • Set it to Not Configured or Disabled so the notification area remains visible.
4. Verify Quick Settings (network/volume area):
   • Still under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar, find Remove Quick Settings.
   • Set it to Not Configured or Disabled. This policy removes the Quick Settings area (which includes network and volume) from the system tray if enabled.
   • Note: A reboot is required for this policy to take effect after changes.
5. Check notification icon promotion behavior (less likely root cause, but related):
   • Under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar, locate Turn off automatic promotion of notification icons to the taskbar.
   • Set to Not Configured if unsure, so new notification icons can appear normally.
6. If the device is managed (work/school):
   • Similar settings might be enforced via MDM/Intune CSPs (for example, DisableControlCenter, AlwaysShowNotificationIcon, TurnOffAbbreviatedDateTimeFormat). In that case, an administrator should review and adjust the applied policies using the documented CSP paths in the taskbar policy settings.

After adjusting these policies, restart the PC and confirm whether the clock, date, network, volume, and notification icons consistently appear.

If all related policies are confirmed as Not Configured/Disabled and the issue persists, collect details on whether the device is enterprise-managed and which cumulative update was last installed, then contact support via the Windows Get Help app or support.microsoft.com for further investigation, as no specific 25H2 release-health issue is currently documented for the system tray disappearing.

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References:

• Taskbar policy settings (windows-11)
• Navigate and explore the Windows taskbar
• Customize the Taskbar in Windows
• Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications
• Resolved issues in Windows 11, version 25H2