Manage the Terminal Icon in Windows Taskbar’s System Tray Managing how the Windows Terminal behaves when minimized can help you streamline your workflow. In this video, we’ll walk through how to control where the Terminal icon appears: either in the Windows taskbar or the system tray on Windows 11 and what to consider before changing it. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Why You Might Want to Minimize to the System Tray Windows Terminal lets you run multiple command-line tools in one place using tabs and panes. But when you’re multitasking or running scripts in the background, keeping Terminal open on the taskbar can clutter your desktop. Minimizing it to the system tray keeps it active while reducing taskbar clutter. Meanwhile, some users prefer seeing it on the taskbar for faster switching between open Terminal instances or sessions. Understanding this difference helps you choose the setup that fits your workflow best. How to Configure Using Terminal Settings The simplest way to manage the terminals minimized state is through the built-in settings. Open Windows Terminal, press Ctrl + , and select Appearance. Then, find Hide terminal in the notification area when minimized. Turn this on to hide the Terminal icon in the system tray when minimized, or off to keep it visible in the taskbar. Press Save to apply the change. This adjustment affects only your user profile and doesn't require administrative privileges. Advanced Configuration Using JSON or PowerShell For admins or power users, the same behavior can be controlled in the settings.json file. Set "minimizeToNotificationArea" to true to hide it in the tray, or false to show it on the taskbar. You can also automate the change using PowerShell scripts, which is ideal for deploying the same configuration across multiple systems. ust remember to back up the settings.json file before editing and restart Windows Terminal after saving to ensure the changes take effect. For more information including prerequisites, risks, and enterprise deployment considerations, check out our official blog post on Managing the Terminal Icon in Windows Taskbar’s System Tray Linked in the description below.