There are numerous settings that you can configure through Group Policy. One of the available settings is “Hide the notification area.” When you enable this setting, the entire notification area, previously known as the system tray, is hidden. The only thing that will be displayed is the Start button, taskbar buttons, and the system clock. By default, this setting is not configured. If you leave the default setting or change it to disabled, the notification area will remain visible on the user’s desktop.

You can enable this setting by opening the Group Policy Object Editor. Under User Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, and click Start Menu and Taskbar. Scroll through the list of available settings and double click Hide the notification area. Click Enable. You can select the Explain tab for further information about this particular setting. Click OK.