Customize notification icons in Windows Vista

Some programs show their icon in the system tray – called notification icons. For example, almost all antivirus software show their icon in the system tray. Windows Vista automatically decides to hide an icon if its not active or used often. You can manually change this behavior for any icon you like. Here is how :

  1. Right click on the system tray clock in the bottom-right of your screen, and select Customize Notification Icons.. from the menu

  2. In the list, select any icon and you would see a dropdown list on the right. Choose Hide when inactive, Hide or Show from the options. If you choose Hide when inactive the icon would be hidden if not used. If you choose Hide, then the icon would always be hidden. If you choose Show, then the icon would always be shown.

  3. If you click on Default Settings button, then all the icons will be set to Hide when inactive.
  4. Click OK to save the settings when you are done.