The People app works like a friend list in Windows 10, allowing you to add up to 10 contacts to the app. You can quickly Skype or email any of these friends all from a single button on your taskbar, along with interesting features such as the ability to wave hello or send emojis to your friends.
For people who don’t like the app or simply don’t need it, you can remove the People icon from the taskbar to free up some space. Here’s a simple guide on how to remove the People icon from the taskbar in Windows 10.
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Remove the “People” app from the taskbar in Windows 10
The People app is one of the many pre-installed apps that comes with Windows 10 by default. Though we can’t actually uninstall the People app in Windows 10, we can disable it from showing up on the taskbar. Here’s how:
- On your Windows 10 taskbar, left-click on the People icon.
- Click on the triple-dotted icon that reads See more at the bottom of the app.
- Select Settings.
- In Taskbar settings window, scroll down until you see the People section.
- Toggle off the Show contacts on the taskbar option.
The People icon will now be removed from your Windows 10 taskbar. Toggling it off will also switch off the “My People” notifications, meaning that if you have previously added friends to the app, when they are online or trying to reach you, you will no longer see any notifications from the People app.
To re-enable the feature, simply go back to the setting and toggle on the “Show contacts on the taskbar” option.
If you want to just disable the suggestions in the My People app, follow the instructions above until you see the “People” option and disable the “Show My People app suggestions” option.
If you want to reset the People suggestions instead, go to the Start menu, search for “Apps & features” and open it. Scroll down and find “People” from the list of apps. Select it and then click on the “Advanced options” link. In the next window, scroll down until you see “Reset“. Click on the “Reset” button to reset the suggestions in the People app.
If the People app is causing issues to your computer, you can easily terminate it and all its related processes from the same setting page mentioned above.
Generally, for those of us who don’t find the People app useful, we would just hide it from the taskbar and leave it alone. We don’t try to uninstall it. Besides, the “Uninstall” button for the app is always greyed out. Even if you did find a way to uninstall it, it will come right back on your next Windows Update.
Why disable the “People” app in Windows 10?
While the People app can be useful for some users, others may find it unnecessary or even distracting. Disabling the People app can free up space on the taskbar and reduce clutter, making it easier to focus on other apps and tasks. Additionally, disabling the People app can help improve system performance, as it won’t be running in the background and using system resources.
Final thoughts
Removing the People icon from the Windows 10 taskbar or disabling the app entirely is a personal preference, and there’s no right or wrong answer. If you find the app useful, then by all means, keep it enabled. But if you don’t need it or find it distracting, disabling it is a quick and easy process. And if you still want to keep in touch with your contacts, there are plenty of alternative apps and services available to choose from such as Skype, Google Contacts, etc.
