It might be "hiding." Using the mouse, pull the mouse pointer (the arrow) as far down to the bottom of the screen as it will go, pushing it out of sight off the bottom of the screen if possible. Usually this will make the Taskbar reappear. If it wasn't hiding, it may have been pushed down almost off the screen. Go as far down as possible with the mouse pointer, press and hold down the left button and try to drag it back up on screen again. If you've previously moved the taskbar from the bottom of the screen to the top or one of the sides, take the mouse pointer as far to that edge as possible, instead of to the bottom. If it frequently goes away and you wish it would always be there, change the settings by right-clicking on it and then choosing Properties. Put a checkmark in the box that says "Always on Top," and make sure there's no checkmark in the box "Autohide." (You can insert or remove a checkmark from any checkbox by clicking on it.) If you want the Taskbar out of the way when you're not using it, but always available, put a check in the Autohide box, and the Taskbar will stay hidden except when you point to where it's supposed to be. Microsoft Word has been known to cover up the Taskbar even when it is Always On Top and not Autohidden. If you're in Word, and pointing where the Taskbar should be doesn't make the Taskbar show, minimize Word to be able to see it again. Or, press and hold the Alt key and hit Tab, which will bring up a list of all the programs you have open and cycle through them; continue to hit Tab until the program you want is selected and then let go – that program's window will pop to the front.
