System Tray
Tex installs a system tray icon using H.NotifyIcon 2.3.0 (the modern Windows 11-compatible tray API). Right-click the icon for a context menu, left-click to toggle window visibility.
Context Menu
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Show / Hide | Toggle MainWindow visibility. |
| Region Capture | Run CaptureRegionCommand — opens the region overlay. |
| Fullscreen Capture | Run CaptureFullscreenCommand — captures all monitors immediately. |
| Settings | Open the Settings window. |
| Exit | Fully quit Tex — the tray icon is removed. |
Warning — Exit is a hard quit. The tray icon disappears and global hotkeys stop working until Tex is relaunched. If you just want to get the window out of the way, use Show / Hide or the minimise button instead.
Tray-Related Settings
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
UI.MinimizeToTray | true | When true, the MainWindow close button hides to tray instead of exiting. When false, close quits Tex. |
UI.StartMinimized | false | When true, Tex boots straight to tray — no MainWindow, no dock pill. |
UI.ShowNotifications | true | Controls whether balloon toasts appear (update notifications, recording complete, etc.). |
Tray-Only Mode
Setting UI.StartMinimized = true on its own boots Tex with MainWindow hidden. Combine it with UI.DockToBottom = true for a completely invisible launch — no window, no pill, only the tray icon and global hotkeys.
DockToBottom | StartMinimized | Result at launch |
|---|---|---|
false | false | MainWindow visible. |
false | true | Tray only. |
true | false | Dock pill visible. |
true | true | Tray only (pill hidden too). |
Tip — tray-only mode is ideal for laptops or always-on screens where you only want Tex to appear when you explicitly press Ctrl+Shift+S. Right-click the tray icon whenever you need to get back to the full UI.
Notifications
When UI.ShowNotifications == true, balloon toasts appear for:
- Post-update notifications (new version installed).
- Update check outcomes (up to date / update available).
- Update install failures (with error code if available).
Turn them off via Settings → UI → Show Notifications if you prefer silent operation. The tray icon itself is always shown regardless of this setting.
Related
- Dock pill: see 09.1.
- Update notifications: see 11 - Licensing and Updates.
- Global hotkeys: see 10 - Settings and Preferences.