How to hide the Windows 10 volume pop-up

With Windows 8, Microsoft included a helpful volume popup and media control widget, akin to that on what was then called Windows Phone so that when users pressed the volume keys on their devices, they could also change the media playing as well.

As Windows 10 has become more desktop focused, some users have found it more cumbersome than it is worth. Not to say that the app isn’t useful, that would be untrue, but on a desktop device with dedicated media keys, it simply isn’t necessary. To make matters worse for users who were irritated by what could be perceived as redundancy, Microsoft requires the overlay widget stay on the screen for 5 seconds at a minimum, and mousing over it resets the counter.

So, while you can’t get rid of the overlay directly with built-in Windows tools, there’s a third-party tool that lets you hide it (via Winfuture.de.)

With Hide Volume OSD, you can completely block the Windows Volume overlay from showing up when you press either the volume or media keys on your PC.

When you install the app, it tuns in the background like any other utility and you have the ability to run it either silently in the background or with the system tray which gives you more control.

The app, if you install it won’t let you run it automatically, but you can use this guide on adding Windows apps to autostart to get around that.

It is worth noting that there are some scenarios where you would not want to use this app, for example, users with hybrids like the Surface Pro or Huawei Matepad who may find the touch-friendly volume overlay helpful.

You can download the app here. It’s not a Windows Store app, so all disclaimers apply.