Ever since Microsoft decided to go all on AI and seemingly let it the bulk of their coding, there have been a lot of dumb problems popping up on WIndows 11. Once of the dumbest and most annoying has been the start menu randomly popping up when you're playing a game in full screen mode. One minute your playing the game without any issues, then all of a sudden the start menu pops up at the bottom of the screen. Since this is super annoying we're going to show you how to fix it.
Takeaways:
- What's the best way to stop the taskbar from popping up while playing games on Windows 11?
- Learn how to stop the taskbar popping up all the time while playing games.
Table of Contents
How to Fix Taskbar Keeps Popping Up While Playing Games on Windows 11
Since this issue is pretty much linked to Microsoft AI coding or Vibe coding in a recent update, all you have to do is uninstall the latest update and keep it off your system for a while. Before to long a new update will come around that should fix the issue. If you aren't sure how to uninstall a Windows update, check out the guide below. How to uninstall a bad Windows 11 update. Rollback a Windows 11 update.
If it turns out it wasn't one of the recent updates, work your way through the other solutions below.
Restart Windows Explorer
It's not that likely but perhaps it's a temporary glitch in the user interface so try Restarting Windows Explorer.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Go to the Processes tab and locate Windows Explorer.
- Right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart.
This will refresh the interface and may stop the Taskbar from appearing unexpectedly.
Enable Auto Hide Taskbar
Windows 11 includes a feature that automatically hides the Taskbar when not in use. Enabling this option might stop the Taskbar from popping up randomly while you're playing games. This isn't something most people want to keep on all the time because it's also a little annoying. But it might come in handy if none of the other steps shown here help.
- Right-click on the Taskbar and select Taskbar Settings.
- Turn on the Auto Hide Taskbar option.
- Launch your game and see if the Taskbar remains hidden.
Disable Game Mode & Overlays
Sometimes Windows Game Mode can cause conflicts, even though it is designed to optimize your system for gaming.
- Open Settings and navigate to Gaming > Game Mode.
- Toggle Game Mode off.
If you use software overlays for streaming or other purposes, consider disabling them temporarily to see if they are causing the issue. Overlays are the source of a lot of problems!
Repair System Image Files (SFC & DISM)
While I doubt it is the cause but you might have corrupted something in your system files without knowing so run run an SFC and DISM check to set things straight.
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Run the System File Checker by typing sfc /scannow and press Enter.
- Run the Deployment Imaging Service and Management Tool with DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth.
Note: Do not interrupt the process, as it may take several minutes to complete.
Uninstall or Disable Copilot
Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot can run in the background and sometimes interfere with full-screen applications:
- Open Task Manager and search for Copilot.
- Right-click and select End Task.
If you want to get rid of all the AI slop on Windows 11 check out this guide: Remove AI From Windows 11: Disable Copilot and Every AI Feature
Disable Notifications
Random notifications can also cause the Taskbar to pop up while gaming, so you might want to turn them off.
- Go to Settings > System > Notifications.
- Turn off the Notifications switch or enable Do Not Disturb mode while gaming.
