

These are the kinds of things you’ll want to keep open.


Or some apps may allow you to sync your files in real time, like Dropbox. For example, many hardware drivers include hardware utilities that run in the background and stay in your notification area. Many of these applications are useful for one reason or another. You don’t want to close all the applications running in your notification area. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. In the Change Icon window, you can select any icon you want from the built-in Windows icons, or you can Click Browse to locate your own icons. Updated Heres how to change icons on Windows 10 and 11, including program shortcuts, folders, file types, and much more. In the folder’s properties window, switch to the Customize tab and then click the Change Icon button. If you really want to clean up your notification area, you can close applications entirely and prevent them from automatically starting with your computer–which will free up some system resources, too. To change a folder icon, right-click the folder you want to change and then choose Properties. RELATED: How to Make Your Windows 10 PC Boot Faster By default, your personal Downloads folder is located in your accounts UserProfile (ex: 'C:UsersBrink') folder. Remove Running Programs From the Notification Area Entirely If you set the Volume icon to “On” and set it to “Hide icon and notifications”, it will be hidden behind the up arrow. If you set the Volume icon to “On” here and the Volume icon to “Show icon and notifications” on the first screen, it will appear on your taskbar. For example, if you set the Volume icon to “Off” here, it won’t appear on your taskbar at all.
