ReMOSD

While Microsoft’s latest iteration of Windows improves upon many features that contribute to a better user experience, there is no denying that some elements remained untouched from earlier versions. One of them is the Media On-screen Display menu that appears next to the audio bar when pressing the volume keys while a website or application is playing a song or video.

For those who would rather use the keyboard shortcuts to pause and change the currently playing tracks could use the added screen real estate that a simple volume slider would provide instead of the media on-screen controls. As such, a lightweight utility going by the name of ReMOSD provides the exact functionality you may require.

Hiding the media control buttons is done instantly when firing up the application’s executable, making for a pleasant “fire-and-forget” type of experience, given the fact that it does not work in the background.

In order to give users a certain degree of freedom, the program applies the change to the operating system only for the duration of the current session. As a result, one can firstly test the configuration to see whether they miss the built-in functionality.

Users who wish to permanently hide the media control buttons can do so by placing the executable file inside the Windows Startup folder, thus removing the need to launch the file every time the computer is turned on.

Bringing back the on-screen media controls can be done by opening the Command Prompt, dragging and dropping the program inside the terminal window and adding “--restore” as an argument before running the application.

Overall, the way the application operates allows users to avoid unnecessary graphical users interfaces while also providing sufficient functionality through the use of the Command Prompt and the program’s executable itself.

Whether you find no use in the media control buttons, you dislike their incompatibility with the rest of the modernized Windows elements or you simply find them to be more of a nuisance than a feature, ReMOSD is the right tool for you, thanks to its portable and lightweight nature that does not require running in the background.