How-to: Minimize Windows Live Mail to the “tray”

Are you using Windows Live Mail as your primary e-mail program and thus running it all the time? I bet that its taskbar button will get in your way sometimes. When I played around with Live Mail’s options, I found a way to minimize Windows Live Mail to my system notification area, commonly known as “tray”. Sounds interesting? Here we go.

Start Windows Live Mail.
Right-click on its icon in the notification area.
In the opening context menu, check the item Hide window when minimized.
Now minimize Live Mail’s Inbox window—done!

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Mail clubhouse, Hotmail, How-to, Logo, Mail, minimize, notification area, Taskbar, Windows, Windows Live

Comments (9) Trackbacks (0)

September 21st, 2009 at 21:57 | #1

Craig

This sounds like it should be easy, but I dont get the option ? am I missing something ?

Only options in my context menu is: Contacts, Compose an email, create an event, open windows live mail, and exit.
October 15th, 2009 at 00:43 | #2

Dave

As the above poster mentioned, right clicking does not give you the options they mention above. What almost every user would want to know is to mimimize this program in the task bar tray and also get notifications of new emails? This seems like it should be very straight forward, but Microsoft is Microsoft, so it doesn’t work the way you would expect.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:17 | #3

mynetx

Hello Craig and Dave,
I will have a look into this why this happens. Would you mind telling me what Windows version you are using?
October 16th, 2009 at 11:56 | #4

Dennis

I don’t get that option either, Im running Windows 7 – 64 bit

All that’s in the context menu is
- Contacts
- Compose an Email
- Create an Event
- Open Windows Live Mail
- Exit

(Version 2009, Build 14.0.8089.0726)
October 23rd, 2009 at 19:42 | #5

Mitch

You have to run Live Mail in Vista compatibility mode for this feature to work. Right click on wimail.exe and set the Compatibility to Vista .
October 28th, 2009 at 01:06 | #6

tblount

I have it in Vista compatibility mode and there is still NO option to minimize to tray… or anywhere.
November 15th, 2009 at 13:37 | #7

SnowStar

Right-clicking on C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Mail\wlmail.exe, choosing compatibility mode for Vista SP2 works – after restarting it, the right click on tray icon shows the missed function

Thx so far
November 15th, 2009 at 14:41 | #8

Steve Call

Thanx for very useful article. But I had difficult time navigating around your site because I kept getting 502 bad gateway error. Just thought to let you know.
November 16th, 2009 at 08:15 | #9

mynetx

A 502 Bad Gateway Error usually refers to proxy problems and is not an error caused on our end.