Also, the Taskbar is now locked permanently at the bottom, and you cannot place it on either side of the screen or top. The experience only supports the buttons view, and showing apps with labels is no longer an option. In addition, you can not make the icons smaller or bigger, nor can you adjust the experience’s height. Furthermore, you can no longer drag and drop files on top of the running app to open the file in a specific app. You can’t hide the time and date or any of the system icons, and it’s no longer possible to show the clock in all the Taskbars across multiple monitors. However, despite the limitations, it’s still possible to customize various aspects of the experience. You can change the icon’s alignment, decide which apps appear in the Taskbar, change the system tray’s appearance, tweak the settings on multi-monitor setups, and more. In this guide, you will learn the best customization options to get the most out of the Taskbar on Windows 11.
Change Taskbar alignment to the left on Windows 11 Remove apps from Taskbar on Windows 11 Pin apps to Taskbar on Windows 11 Customize Taskbar system tray on Windows 11 Automatically hide Taskbar on Windows 11 Disable app badges in Taskbar on Windows 11 Show Taskbar on all monitors on Windows 11
Change Taskbar alignment to the left on Windows 11
To move the Taskbar icons and Start button to the left, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, the Start button and other icons will align to the left, like in previous versions of Windows.
Remove apps from Taskbar on Windows 11
Windows 11 comes with four new apps buttons in the Taskbar, including Search, Task View, Widgets, and Chat, and if you don’t use these features, you can quickly remove them to make more space for other apps. To remove apps from the Taskbar, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the Taskbar will only show the items you need. However, the features won’t be disabled. You can still access the Search from the Start menu or using the Windows key + S keyboard shortcut. Task View is always accessible using the Windows key + Tab keyboard shortcut. You can continue to open Widgets with the Windows key + W shortcut and Windows key + C to open the Chat app.
Pin apps to Taskbar on Windows 11
To pin apps on the Taskbar, use these steps: Usually, you would search for the app to pin to the Taskbar, but you can technically right-click any app in the “Pinned,” “Recommended,” or in the “All apps” list to find the option.
If the app is already running, right-click the app in the Taskbar, and select the Pin to taskbar option.
If the icon is on the desktop, you can also right-click the items, select Show more options, and select the Pin to taskbar option to make it permanently available in the Taskbar.
If you want to remove the app, right-click the app, and select the Unpin from taskbar option.
Customize Taskbar system tray on Windows 11
You can also customize various aspects of the system tray (bottom-right corner), including what app icons appear in this section and which should stay hidden in the corner overflow. You can also disable the show desktop button. To customize the Taskbar corner, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, the system tray will reflect your customization changes.
Automatically hide Taskbar on Windows 11
To hide the Taskbar automatically when not in focus, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the Taskbar will hide automatically as soon as you move the mouse pointer away from it. You can always move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen to show the Taskbar agan.
Disable app badges in Taskbar on Windows 11
Windows 11 can also show the number of unread messages for specific apps, but if the feature isn’t for you, there’s an option to disable it. To stop seeing badges for unseen messages in the Windows 11 Taskbar, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, apps in the Taskbar will no longer show badge counters for unread messages.
Show Taskbar on all monitors on Windows 11
Although the Taskbar is not as customizable as in previous versions when it comes to multiple displays, you can still decide how the Taskbar should appear across monitors. To show the taskbar on all the displays, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the Windows 11 Taskbar will appear across monitors according to your configuration.
All taskbars. Main taskbar and taskbar where window is open. Taskbar where window is open.
Although some of the old features may return in future updates, you can use third-party tools and Registry to bring some of the old functionalities back. For example, you can use apps to bring back the drag and drop support for files and show the clock on all monitors, and you can change the Taskbar size or change the position to the left, right, or top of the screen using the Registry. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
