By default, the taskbar is the only place you can minimize software windows within Windows 10 and 11. Neither Windows 11 nor 10 has any built-in feature that enables users to minimize windows to the system tray area.
However, some third-party software packages enable you to minimize windows to the system tray with hotkeys. This is how you can minimize software to the Windows system tray area with keyboard shortcuts.
How to Minimize Windows to the System Tray With Traymond
Traymond is a very basic app for Windows that enables you to minimize windows to the system tray with a non-configurable keyboard shortcut. This software doesn’t have any user interface. However, it still works quite well for what it’s designed to do. You can minimize software windows to the system tray with Traymond like this:
Now you’ll see an icon for the minimized File Explorer window in the system tray area. You can double-click any window minimized to the system tray to view its window again. Or right-click the Traymond system tray icon to select Restore all windows.
Note that Traymond doesn’t minimize UWP apps to the system tray area. This means the software’s hotkey doesn’t work for any Microsoft Store apps.
How to Minimize Windows to the System Tray With MinimizeToTray
MinimizeToTray is another lightweight, relatively simple program that enables you to minimize active software in the system tray area. However, this program also offers settings to customize its hotkeys and works for UWP apps and desktop software.
This is how you’re able to send software to the Windows system tray with MinimizeToTray:
You won’t see any icons for windows minimized within the system tray area. However, the MinimizeToTray menu includes all software minimized to the tray area with theAlt+F1hotkey. you’re able to restore a minimized window by right-clicking the MinimizeToTray system tray icon and selecting a minimized window shown on its context menu. Alternatively, you can pressAlt+F2to restore the last active window.
If you want to change the MinimizeToTray hotkeys, selectConfigson its context menu. That will bring up a window on which you can set the keyboard shortcuts for minimizing and restoring windows. Click inside a hotkey box and press some keys to set a different keyboard shortcut. SelectOKin the Edit Hotkeys window to save your new keyboard shortcuts.
How to Minimize Windows to the System Tray With 4t Tray Minimizer
4t Tray Minimizer is a freely available app, but there’s also a Pro version of the software retailing on the publisher’s website. Aside from enabling you to minimize windows to the system tray with a hotkey, this software also offers some more unique features like additional window title bar options.
You can minimize windows in the system area with 4t Tray Minimizer as follows:
You will now see an icon for the minimized window within the system tray. The 4t Tray Minimizer window also includes a list of all windows minimized to the tray area. you may reopen the minimized window by clicking its icon in the system tray or double-clicking it within the 4t Tray Minimizer window.
Plus, you can minimize windows to the system tray without pressing theShift+Eschotkey. To do so, right-click theirMinimizebuttons.
4t Tray Minimizer has some additional hotkeys you can utilize. Pressing theShift+Ctrl+Mkeyboard shortcut will minimize all windows to the system tray. You can also pressShift+Ctrl+Rto quickly restore all the windows minimized in the tray.
You can reconfigure those keyboard shortcuts from the 4t Tray Minimizer’s settings window. ClickViewandOptionsto bring up that settings window. Select theKeyboardtab to view the default hotkeys. Double-click a hotkey there to bring up aChange Key Sequencewindow that includes settings for changing hotkeys. Select the alternative key combination there and clickOK.
4t Tray Minimizer also adds five new title bar options to software windows. To access them, right-click a window’s title bar to view its context menu. Then you can selectMinimize to tray,Roll up,Stay on top, andMake transparentoptions on the context menu. There’s also a 4t Tray Minimizer submenu from which you can select to add the active window to the exclusion list.
The hotkeys for those title bar options are disabled by default. However, you can enable them by selecting theShow disabledhotkeys checkbox on theKeyboardtab. Select the checkboxes for the active window hotkeys to enable those keyboard shortcuts.
If you want to add even more new options to the window title bar, check out eXtra Buttons and Chameleon Window Manager Lite. This guide aboutadding more buttons to window title barsprovides further details about how to utilize those software packages.
Reduce Taskbar Clutter by Minimizing Software Windows to the System Tray
Traymond, MinimizeToTray, and 4t Tray Minimizer are all useful programs for minimizing windows to the system tray with hotkeys. Doing so will enable you to minimize taskbar clutter whenever you open numerous apps. 4t Tray Minimizer is undoubtedly the best of those three programs in terms of features. However, MinimizeToTray and Traymond are portable alternatives you can utilize on any Windows PC without installing.
