How to Show or Hide Status Bar in File Explorer in Windows 11

Option 1Use Folder Options

Folder Options is the easiest way to show or hide the status bar. It is a normal settings window, so you do not need to touch the registry. It works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.

1. Open File Explorer 📁, then click the See more button (the three dots) in the toolbar and choose Options. The Folder Options window opens.
2. Click the View tab. You will see a list called Advanced settings.
3. Scroll down the list until you find Show status bar.
4. To show the status bar, put a checkmark in the box next to Show status bar. This is the default setting. To hide it, clear the checkmark.
5. Click OK. The window closes and the change applies to your File Explorer 📁 windows.

If you hid the bar, the strip at the bottom of the window is gone and the file list reaches the bottom edge. If you showed it, the item count appears again at the bottom left. To undo the change, open Folder Options again and set the checkbox back.

Windows that were already open may not update right away.

Option 2Use Registry Editor

You can also change the status bar by editing the registry directly. Use this method if the Folder Options setting is missing or does not seem to take effect. It writes the same setting that Folder Options changes, so you are setting the value by hand instead of through the checkbox.

If you want a safety net, click File › Export in Registry Editor before you start and save a backup copy. First, locate the correct entry.

1. Type regedit.exe in the Windows search bar and press Enter to open Registry Editor. You may need administrator permission for this step. If Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes, click Yes.
2. In Registry Editor, go to this location in the left-hand list. You can expand each folder in turn, or paste the path into the address bar at the top of the window:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
   
3. In the right-hand side of the window, find an item named ShowStatusBar. Double-click on it.
4. A small window will appear. It has a Value data box showing the current value.
5. To show the status bar, type 1 and click OK.
6. To hide the status bar, type 0 and click OK.

Close Registry Editor. Then close any open File Explorer windows and open a new one so it reads the new value. If the bar still does not change, sign out of Windows and sign back in.

You have now updated the status bar setting. To reverse it, open the same value again and enter the opposite number.

Summary

In short, turn the status bar on or off using Folder Options. This is the quickest method and the one to try first. If you prefer advanced settings, or Folder Options does not work for you, change the ShowStatusBar value in the Windows Registry Editor.