If an unneeded app also appears on the Taskbar, you can right-click again and select Unpin from Taskbar.

Removing an App from the Taskbar You can also remove apps from your taskbar. Right-click on the icon and choose "unpin from taskbar." ...

If an unneeded app also appears on the Taskbar, you can right-click again and select Unpin from taskbar.

This is a free third-party application that barely uses any system resources at all, but makes your taskbar mostly transparent aside from on-screen icons.

Some other tricks: You can unpin some of the programs you’ve permanently pinned to the taskbar. Right-click the icon on the taskbar and select Unpin this program from taskbar.

Once you're in there, you can customize the icon to something else—though you'll sometimes need to unpin and re-pin the shortcut to get it to work. How to Customize Your Windows 7 Taskbar Icons ...