Disable Touch Keyboard on Taskbar Using Regedit

This guide explains how to disable and remove the touch keyboard button from the Windows taskbar using the Registry Editor (Regedit). Modifying the Windows Registry allows you to hide the icon permanently or across user profiles where standard taskbar settings might not persist. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to safely configure the necessary registry values and apply the changes.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter or click OK.
3. Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

Step 2: Navigate to the Touch Keyboard Registry Key

In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar to navigate to the following path, or copy and paste it into the address bar at the top:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7

Step 3: Modify the Visibility Value

1. With the 1.7 folder selected in the left pane, look for the DWORD (32-bit) Value named TipbandDesiredVisibility in the right pane.
2. If TipbandDesiredVisibility does not exist:
   • Right-click an empty space in the right pane.
   • Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Name the new value TipbandDesiredVisibility.
3. Double-click TipbandDesiredVisibility to edit it.
4. Set the Value data to 0.
5. Ensure the Base is set to Hexadecimal, then click OK.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

To make the changes take effect immediately without restarting your computer:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Locate Windows Explorer in the list of running processes under the Processes tab.
3. Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.

The touch keyboard icon will now be removed from the taskbar.

How to Re-Enable the Touch Keyboard Button

If you need to restore the touch keyboard button at any point, navigate back to the same registry key (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7), double-click TipbandDesiredVisibility, change its Value data back to 1, and restart Windows Explorer.