Add support to minimize any application to the system tray and to override specific applications' title bar window close buttons to minimize to tray instead

[jolsen-mitsu]

Description of the new feature / enhancement

I have an AutoHotKey script called Min2Tray that I use that allows me to middle-click on any window title and send it to the system tray. It would be great if this functionality and its configurable options were built-in features of PowerToys.

Furthermore, an awesome related feature would be to override an application's standard Windows titlebar "close" button (the "X" at the very right of the window title bar) to make it minimize the application to system tray instead, similar to how most communication programs work, like Slack, Discord, and Teams.

I have an AutoHotKey script called Min2Tray that I use that allows me to middle-click on any window title and send it to the system tray. It would be great if this functionality and its configurable options were built-in features of PowerToys.

Furthermore, an awesome related feature would be to override an application's standard Windows title bar "close" button (the "X" at the very right of the window title bar) to make it minimize the application to system tray instead, similar to how most communication programs work, like Slack, Discord, and Teams.

Thank you for a great collection of tools and I hope you'll consider adding this functionality.

Thank you for a great collection of tools and I hope you'll consider adding this functionality.

Scenario when this would be used?

For first part, if you have some windows/applications you want to keep open but need to temporarily hide it away (to prevent a cluttered task bar) you can easily minimize it to the tray.

For the second part, Outlook, despite years of requests to add an option to support this, seems poised to never add this functionality. An effective AutoHotKey script doesn't seem to exist yet, but regardless, I'd like to request this functionality also be added as a PowerToys feature. I, unfortunately, routinely accidentally close Outlook instead of minimizing it because I'm so used to the close button closing the window but keeping communication apps running in the background. It is an problem because when Outlook is closed, you no longer get meeting reminders or notifications of new mail.

Supporting information

Existing tool to minimize any window to the tray for reference: https://junyx.breadfan.de/Min2Tray/ (Does not allow left-clicking the close button to minimize to tray, but has other triggers)

Existing tool (not ideal implementation scanning every .5 seconds, but better than nothing) for changing Outlook's close button to minimize the application to the tray: https://github.com/Palsternakka/OutlookWindowHook

See a number of discussions requesting this functionality to Outlook going back to 2010 https://www.google.com/search?q=outlook+request+close+button+minimize+to+tray