Skip to content
LogoTechnipages
LogoTechnipages
  • Topics
        • Android
        • Browsers
        • Gaming
        • Hardware
        • Internet
        • iPhone
        • Linux
        • macOS
        • Office
        • Reviews
        • Software
        • Windows
        • Definitions
        • All Recent Posts
  • Product Reviews
  • About

Windows 10 System Icons in Notification Area Are Grayed Out

Mitch BartlettOctober 15, 2020 Comments (51)
Windows Settings Header

A problem may occur in Microsoft Windows 10 where the system icons such as the Speaker, Network, or Power icons are grayed out or missing from the Taskbar Notification Area (Systray). The options to enable them in the Taskbar Properties screen may also be grayed out. Try the following steps to try to bring the icons back to working as they should.


Fix 1 – Scan for Hardware Changes

  1. Open “Control Panel“.
  2. Choose “Hardware and Sound” > “Device Manager“.
  3. Expand the “Batteries” selection.
  4. Right-click on “Microsoft AC Adapter“, then click “Uninstall“.
  5. Click “OK” when you see the warning message to continue uninstalling the driver.
  6. Right-click any item listed, then choose “Scan for hardware changes“.

Check to see if the icons have returned.


Fix 2 – Registry Fix

  1. Hold down the Windows Key and press the “R” key the bring up the Run window.
  2. Type “regedit“, then select “OK“.
  3. Navigate through the registry to the following location:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER
    • Software
    • Classes
    • Local Settings
    • Software
    • Microsoft
    • Windows
    • CurrentVersion
    • TrayNotify
  4. Look for two values. One named “iconstreams” and “PastIconStream“. Right-click and select “Delete” each value to remove them from the registry.
  5. Close the registry editor and restart the computer. Hopefully, your System icons have reappeared in the Taskbar Notification Area (Systray).
Categories: Windows

Author Mitch Bartlett

Through my career that spans over 20 years I have become an expert in Microsoft Systems Administration, Android, and macOS. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful knowledgebase for everyone.

You Might Also Like

  • Single Click Windows Header

    How to Enable or Disable Single-Clicking Feature in Windows 11

    Mitch BartlettWindows
  • Linksys WUSB54G Drivers For Windows 10 & 8 (64-bit)

    Mitch BartlettHardware
  • The Bible For Making Your Windows 10 Computer Run Faster

    Mitch BartlettWindows
  • authentication-error-function-requested-not-supported-windows-10

    Fix Windows 10 Remote Desktop Authentication Errors

    Madalina DinitaWindows

Comments

  1. shams says:
    November 16, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    Thanks a lot
    it really helped
    trick 2 worked fine
    thanks again

  2. Alec says:
    October 31, 2021 at 12:21 pm

    None worked. Still grayed out. Tried all these and all the obvious from half a dozen other sites. So the computer, hooked up to the internet, is depending on the weakest possible link in the human-computer-internet chain (namely me) to fix it? I never could understand this (meanwhile we have driverless cars on the road). When oh when will my laptop be able to resolve a missing battery icon problem all by iself? 3050? 4050AD?? Ever?

  3. CNote says:
    July 25, 2020 at 1:12 pm

    Thank you all! Not seeing my battery icon was driving me mad(der). When trying to turn on the battery notification in the taskbar on my PC, like many of you, it was grayed out. I used the Device Manager in the Control Panel and disabled and re enabled it and the icon immediately showed back up in the taskbar. Yay technipages.com and the users as well.

  4. Mjrica from Philippines. ? says:
    May 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Disabling and enabling the ACIP-compliant method battery also worked for me. I only found the answer to my problem through this comment section. Thank you guys!!!

  5. pranjal says:
    March 17, 2020 at 5:21 am

    batteries option is not therein my desktop computer

  6. Reed Spencer says:
    December 6, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    I don’t have a battery section in my settings – I have a desktop computer. Can’t toggle notifications on/off because it is grayed out.

  7. Rizwan Khan says:
    October 1, 2019 at 1:20 am

    Disabled the Microsoft APCI-Compliant Control Method Battery and re-enabled it. Worded for me

  8. Sailesh R says:
    September 29, 2019 at 2:06 am

    Thank-you so much, the explanation is clear which helps you solve the issue.

  9. Tyshanta says:
    September 22, 2019 at 10:07 am

    Method 1 did not work. I just disable the Microsoft APCI-Compliant Control Method Battery and enable it again and it works.

  10. geetha says:
    September 4, 2019 at 10:27 am

    i have windows 10. used Device Manager in the Control Panel ACPI compliant ….. disabled and enabled. worked — started to see the battery icon on the tray. thx guys.

  11. Roarshadow says:
    August 31, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Just disabling and enabling acpi compliant control method worked

  12. ankit bajaj says:
    August 11, 2019 at 10:24 am

    Fix2 worked fine.. .. I like the explanation though !!

  13. Tim Ward says:
    July 31, 2019 at 5:15 pm

    I followed the link in the second fix and “Tray Notify” was not there. What can be done in that case?

  14. Maggie says:
    July 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm

    Thanks so much. Used second fix on Windows 7 netbook. Very grateful for your help.

  15. Aanchal says:
    July 16, 2019 at 11:58 am

    yes, it works. Thanks

  16. Peter Bunion says:
    June 27, 2019 at 9:27 am

    The comments came through! I didn’t bother with the article’s suggestions and tried the method in the comments first. Disabled then re-enabled the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery in device manager worked like a charm! Thanks

  17. Emerald says:
    May 29, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    The suggestion of disabling and re-enabling ACPI compliance in device manager worked for me too. No need going through the first steps mentioned. Thanks to Anne and Chris

  18. Anne says:
    May 18, 2019 at 10:41 am

    I disabled/ re-enabled the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery in Device Manager. It works :)

  19. Chris says:
    April 27, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    Disabled then re-enabled the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery worked for me. Thanks!! :)

  20. Makii says:
    March 28, 2019 at 5:32 am

    Sundeep says

    January 20, 2019 at 9:05 am

    Dint have much luck with both the steps mentioned in the article then tried the one mentioned in the comments which is ‘disable/enable Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’ in Device Manager. Worked like charm!!

    Thank you

    _______________________

    Worked for me as well. Thank you!

  21. Sundeep says:
    January 20, 2019 at 9:05 am

    Dint have much luck with both the steps mentioned in the article then tried the one mentioned in the comments which is ‘disable/enable Microsoft ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery’ in Device Manager. Worked like charm!!

    Thank you

  22. Jeannie says:
    January 11, 2019 at 12:55 pm

    Disabled/ re-enabled AC Adapter and ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery as suggested. Worked like a charm.

  23. Shanthan reddy.G says:
    December 15, 2018 at 4:01 am

    disabling ACPI-Compliant control method battery and re-enabling it worked for me thank you very much.

  24. Steve Lomax says:
    November 25, 2018 at 5:18 am

    I disabled/ re-enabled the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery in Device Manager. Worked a treat for me.

  25. Karen says:
    November 18, 2018 at 11:43 am

    Jenna, I was hesitant to try more things, because the first ones didn’t work and I don’t know zip about computers and I’m afraid of really screwing up something. But I followed your advice of disabling the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, crossed my fingers, enabled it back… and it worked, just like you said! Thank you! You have no idea how much time I’ve wasted trying to get my power icon back on my pc’s taskbar.

  26. Paul C says:
    September 11, 2018 at 1:04 am

    Renaming iconstreams worked for me. Thanks

  27. jenna says:
    August 22, 2018 at 7:45 pm

    Uninstalling just the Microsoft AC Adapter did not work for me, but when i also disabled/ re-enabled the ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery, if popped back on. Thanks!

  28. Darren says:
    June 10, 2018 at 9:28 am

    The Device Manager solution worked a treat for me! Thank you loads! :-)

  29. Rick Wingender says:
    March 3, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Q:
    Battery icon missing in Windows 10
    For some reason, when I go to settings, “Turn system icons on or off” and then try to turn ‘power’ on so that I can see how much battery power I have left, it won’t let me change the setting. I am the admin on this computer and don’t know what else to do. I’m afraid that my computer will run out of power without warning and I’ll lose all of my work. Can anyone help me?

    A:
    I had the same issue today, I typed “Device” into Cortana’s search field, found device manager (You can also get to Device Manager by going into Control Panel), clicked the drop down for “batteries”, then disabled/ re-enabled AC Adapter and ACPI Compliant Control Method Battery. The battery icon appeared almost immediately after doing so and it is still there after restarting my computer. It is also no longer greyed out like it was before doing so.

  30. Penelope says:
    February 22, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    The first fix was ineffective for me – didn’t change anything.
    After going through the process of the 2nd fix, when I restarted Microsoft did an update, but my battery icon has been restored, thank you.
    However, I hope it doesn’t disappear again on my next boot, as it did with you, John Marksman and I hope the fix won’t mess up anything else.

  31. John Marksman says:
    January 18, 2018 at 3:21 pm

    Tried both fixes. Both work but until the second boot. No idea why it appears again and again. Please, suggest me a solution to get rid of this issue once and for all

  32. Chris says:
    November 29, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    Thank you sir, Mine turned out to be several unknown devices in device manager. I just picked this up from my companies IT department.

  33. Eric says:
    September 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    Thanks. Fix 2 worked to restore the power icon. I sure would like to know what caused it to disappear in the first place.

  34. Ed D says:
    September 21, 2017 at 4:52 am

    Hey thanks, Fix 2 worked on my Windows 8 as well. Many thanks.

  35. Ab says:
    September 14, 2017 at 1:40 am

    Thank you brother soso much.. “Fix 2” worked like a charm for more… GoD bless.. :)))

  36. swetha says:
    August 31, 2017 at 10:31 am

    The Fix 2 worked ! Thank you :)

  37. Cesindo says:
    June 28, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Thanks, Mitch, Registry Edit worked! you are superb

  38. Paul Fuller says:
    June 11, 2017 at 6:31 am

    Fix 2 worked for me, really clear instructions.
    Cheers

  39. Chris says:
    May 26, 2017 at 4:53 am

    Opt 1 worked for me. Look under “Batteries” in Device Mgr. Easy fix. Thx

  40. Jamie says:
    May 22, 2017 at 7:51 am

    OK I tried way number 2 and I do not have Tray Notify as an option?

  41. Mesfin says:
    May 18, 2017 at 7:22 am

    Fantastic!! Option 2 saved me; I had two frustrating days with the lost battery notification icon.

    Thank you so much!

  42. david kennedy says:
    May 17, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    Another Thank You, Mitch. I am always nervous when editing the registry, but was out of options. The disappearance of the icons followed updating Windows 10, another thing I am always reluctant to do. This is what makes people just “love” Microsoft. Thank goodness for folks like you, Mitch.

  43. Georges says:
    May 2, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    Thanks, Mitch, Registry Edit solution worked. Much obliged.

  44. Noel Chivers says:
    April 20, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    Really helpful and simple instructions that worked. Thank you

  45. Orlando says:
    April 7, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    Fix 2 worked for me. thank you for your assistance. what would happen to those items i have deleted?

  46. Diana says:
    April 7, 2017 at 5:49 am

    Thanks so much! Fix 2 worked out – only power management icon remained grey, but doesn’t matter :)

  47. Ashtonio says:
    April 5, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    Another way that I found that worked for me it too go into the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and to end the task of what ever you needed in the Tray. Then just open the program and the icon should re-appear in the tray.

  48. h says:
    April 1, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    It worked hahahhaa
    Computer gurus

  49. Tim says:
    March 25, 2017 at 8:22 am

    Fix 2 worked like a charm. side note though; I only had the “icon streams” choice available.

  50. Kelly says:
    March 23, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    Thank you! Fix 2 worked for me! :)

  51. Sue says:
    January 17, 2017 at 11:55 am

    Thank you!!! Fix 2 worked perfectly!! My power and volume icons are now in my task bar!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • no graphics signal on first boot

    No Graphics Signal on First Boot – How to Fix

  • system32 folder opens on startup

    System32 Folder Opens on Startup – How to Fix

  • browser keeps opening hp support

    Browser Keeps Opening HP Support Assistant Tabs 

  • camera not working in vmware

    Camera Not Working in VMware – How to Fix

  • browser screen goes black

    Browser Screen Goes Black Intermittently 

profile pic

The Experts Behind Technipages

My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

Learn More

technipages logo white
linkedin icon

Technipages is part of Guiding Tech Media, a leading digital media publisher focused on helping people figure out technology. Learn more about our mission and team here.

© 2026 Guiding Tech Media All Rights Reserved

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 Guiding Tech Media All Rights Reserved

Information from your device can be used to personalize your ad experience.
Do not sell my personal information.

Last Updated on October 15, 2020 by Mitch Bartlett