The latest Windows 11 update bug is making the taskbar vanish for some users

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A steady stream of problems seems to be trickling in after the latest Windows 11 update, with the newest issue appearing to mess up the taskbar auto-hide functionality for some people. Aside from the taskbar simply vanishing, some users are experiencing a completely ‘broken’ taskbar.

Several users have taken to Reddit to report the bug and its impact on the taskbar's functionality when it comes to the autohide feature. Windows 11's taskbar can be set to automatically hide in desktop and tablet use, so as to not distract from whatever apps or programs users have up on their display.

Users can enable the feature by heading to the ‘Taskbar’ section of their settings and once enabled you can view the taskbar by hovering your mouse over the bottom edge of the screen (or touching the bottom of the screen on a tablet).

Cumulative Updates: April 11th, 2023 from r/Windows11

After the update, however, some have said that the feature is now less efficient, either staying up more often or getting stuck. The bug is rather inconvenient, particularly when users are faced with stuck taskbars in workspaces that would benefit from a hidden one (such as if you are using an OLED display that can suffer from burn-in on static visual elements). At least it does not seem like a widespread issue at this time.

Windows Latest notes that in a support document for the update, Microsoft explains that installing the Windows 11 April update may result in issues with File Explorer, which shows that it is aware of similar issues that come with the update. Though, we are yet to hear any resolution from Microsoft at this time.

The only solution we could suggest for the File Explorer bug was to uninstall the update completely, and while it may seem drastic, it may seem like the better choice if more bugs creep up in the coming weeks after the update.

It's clear that users should brace themselves for more disappearing features and buggy software if they choose to keep the update installed on their PC.

Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison.

Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she's joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you've got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you're in the right place.

Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook's Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).