One of the new things after moving to Windows 8.1 Update is the ability to display the running Windows App right on the Taskbar on desktop. You can see what are the apps that are currently running without opening up Task Manager or App List, as well as kill them right there. However, it can also be overwhelming and get your Taskbar space crowded as well.
So, if you don’t like the idea having running App showing on your Taskbar, you can disable it. And it’s very easy to do.
Go to your desktop, right-click the Taskbar and choose Properties to open Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog box. And clear the checkbox “Show Windows Store apps on the taskbar” option.
Click OK to save the setting. And that’s it. Later on, if you want to turn the feature back on, just go to the same properties screen and check the option back on.