Disable Meet Now on Windows Taskbar Using Regedit

The Meet Now icon on the Windows taskbar provides quick access to Skype-based video calling, but many users find it unnecessary clutter. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to permanently disable the Meet Now icon across your system using the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit).

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit into the field and press Enter or click OK.
  3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

Step 2: Navigate to the Explorer Policy Key

In the Registry Editor address bar at the top, copy and paste the following path, then press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Note: If you want to disable the icon for all users on the computer, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer instead.

If the Explorer key does not exist under Policies: 1. Right-click on the Policies folder. 2. Select New > Key. 3. Name the new key Explorer.

Step 3: Create and Configure the DWORD Value

  1. Right-click on an empty space in the right pane of the Explorer folder.
  2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  3. Name this new value HideSCAMeetNow and press Enter.
  4. Double-click on HideSCAMeetNow to open its properties.
  5. In the Value data field, change the number from 0 to 1.
  6. Ensure the base is set to Hexadecimal and click OK.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

For the changes to take effect, you must restart the Windows Explorer process or restart your computer:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Under the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer.
  3. Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.

The Meet Now icon will no longer appear on your taskbar. To re-enable the feature in the future, return to the same registry location and either change the HideSCAMeetNow value data back to 0 or delete the HideSCAMeetNow entry entirely.