How to Disable Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11

The Xbox Game Bar is a gaming overlay that comes pre-installed with Windows 11. It offers a range of features that allow gamers to capture videos, record gameplay, take screenshots, share content, and chat with friends without leaving their game. The overlay is accessible by pressing the Windows + G shortcut on your keyboard, and it includes various widgets designed to make gaming more immersive.

However, not all users find the Xbox Game Bar useful. Some gamers have reported experiencing glitches, unresponsiveness, game crashes, and slowdowns, which can be frustrating. If you are not a gamer or have better alternatives to this tool, you may want to disable or remove the Xbox Game Bar to prevent it from consuming system resources in the background.

Fortunately, disabling or removing the Xbox Game Bar is a straightforward process. In this guide, we will walk you through the necessary steps to disable or remove the Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11.

Disable the Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11 using Settings App

If you don’t want to use the Xbox Game bar anymore, the easiest way to disable it is through the Windows 11 settings app. Here’s how you do this:

First, right-click the Start menu (Windows logo) and select ‘Settings’ or press Windows + I to launch the Settings app.

In the Settings app, go to the ‘Gaming’ tab on the left pane and click on the ‘Xbox Game Bar’ setting on the right.

On the Xbox Game Bar page, turn Off the toggle next to the ‘Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller’ option. This will only disable the launch shortcut for the Game Bar from your Xbox controller if you use one.

To make sure Game Bar doesn’t run any background processes, go to the ‘Apps’ tab on the Settings and click ‘Apps & features’.

On the ‘Apps & features’ page, scroll down the App list and find ‘Xbox Game Bar’ or you can type ‘Xbox’ in the search bar to bring up the app in the search result.

Then, click the three vertical dots (vertical ellipsis) next to ‘Xbox Game Bar’ and select ‘Advanced options’.

On the next page, scroll down to the ‘Background app permissions’ section and choose ‘Never’ from the drop-down below it.

Then, scroll further down the page, and click the ‘Terminate’ button to immediately stop the app and its related processes.

Remove Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11 via Windows PowerShell

If you are not a gamer or don’t see yourself using Xbox Game Bar ever, then you can completely remove the Xbox Game Bar feature from your system to preserve system resources. Windows Settings doesn’t give options to uninstall the Xbox Game Bar app, so you have to use this indirect method to remove Xbox Game Bar. Here’s how you do this:

First, look for ‘PowerShell’ in Windows Search and click ‘Run as administrator’ on the right side for the top result.

For the current user:

In the PowerShell window, enter the following two commands one after the other:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage

The above commands will completely remove Xbox Game Bar for the current user only.

For all users:

If you want to remove the Game bar from all users accounts, then use these commands instead:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage

Besides, Xbox Game bar, there are a few other Xbox apps that come pre-installed with Windows 11 such as:

• Xbox App
• Xbox Gaming Services
• Xbox Identify Provider
• Xbox Speech To Text Overlay

To uninstall these apps use the below codes:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxApp* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.GamingServices* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider* | Remove-AppxPackage

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage

Re-installing Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11

If removed or uninstalled the Xbox game bar or any other app using the above method or the settings app, you can re-install it at any time.

To re-install the Xbox Game bar app only, enter the following command in the PowerShell and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

To re-install all other Xbox related apps and services, type the below command:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Xbox* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

You can also re-install the Xbox Game bar from the Microsoft Store app.

The Xbox Game Bar is a useful tool for gamers on Windows 11, but it may not be for everyone. If you find it unresponsive or causing issues with your games, disabling or removing it is an option. Using the Windows 11 settings app or PowerShell, you can easily turn off the Game Bar or completely remove it from your system. And if you change your mind later, you can also re-install it just as easily. With these steps, you can customize your Windows 11 experience to suit your needs and preferences.