1. Open Taskbar Settings Quickly
2. Change Taskbar Alignment
The first change you may notice after installing Windows 11 is the position of the Start menu and app icons on the taskbar. Everything on the taskbar is centrally located in Windows 11. Thankfully, it’s not an irreversible feature. To move the icons to the left as present in Windows 10 and earlier versions:
3. Pin Apps to Taskbar
Windows 11 doesn’t support dragging and dropping apps to the taskbar. There are three other ways to pin apps to the taskbar in Windows 11.
1. From Taskbar
If an app is open, right-click on its icon in the taskbar and select “Pin to taskbar.”
2. From Desktop
If the app icon is present on the desktop, right-click on its icon. Select “More options” from the menu followed by “Pin to taskbar.”
3. From Start Menu
4. Pin Web Pages to Taskbar
Just as with apps, you can pin web pages and progressive web apps (PWA) to the taskbar. Again, there are multiple ways to do so.
1. From Desktop
First, create a desktop shortcut for the web page. To do so, open the website in Chrome using any browser. Click on the three-dot icon at the top and go to “More tools → Create shortcut.” Once the shortcut appears on the desktop, right-click on it and select “Show more options” followed by “Pin to taskbar.”
2. Using Microsoft Edge
If you are unable to use the above method, you should pin web pages using Microsoft Edge. The drawback is that the pages will open in Microsoft Edge only.
3. Using Apps Folder
4. Using a Browser Icon
Finally, you can keep your favorite web pages pinned under the browser’s icon on the taskbar to access them quickly.
5. Pin Custom Folders to Taskbar
You can pin any folder of your choice, such as your work folder, favorites, downloads, etc., to the taskbar.
6. Reorder Icons in Taskbar
By default, the app icons will show up on the taskbar in the order they were pinned or opened. However, you can change their position to suit your needs. by long-pressing on the app icon with the mouse and dragging it to the new position.
7. Unpin Apps From Taskbar
Right-click on the pinned app in the taskbar and select “Unpin from taskbar.” You can also right-click on the app in Start Menu and choose “Unpin from taskbar.”
8. Open Grouped Apps from Taskbar
Windows 11 took multitasking to a new level using snap layouts. When you snap windows, you can open them quickly from the taskbar. Hover the mouse pointer over either of the app’s icons on the taskbar and click on the grouped apps to view them.
9. Add Apps to Taskbar Corner
In addition to pinning apps to the taskbar, you can add some apps and features in the right corner of the taskbar. Instead of staying in the overflow menu (up arrow), these items can be accessed directly from the taskbar. Tip: pin some apps and add other apps to the taskbar corner if you want many apps on the taskbar. To do so, open Taskbar settings and expand the Taskbar corner overflow section. Enable the toggle next to the items to show them on the taskbar. Note: you cannot hide, rearrange, or ungroup icons like battery, sound, or Wi-Fi from the taskbar corner.
10. Show or Hide Taskbar Items
If you want to add more apps to the taskbar, you should hide items like the Search icon (magnifying glass), Task view, Widgets, and Chat from the taskbar. These are the icons that show up between the Start Menu and pinned items.
11. Show or Hide Taskbar Corner Icons
Another way to increase the space on the taskbar is by hiding the corner icons like Pen menu, Touch keyboard, and Virtual touchpad.
12. Hide Taskbar When Not in Use
If the continuous presence of the taskbar keeps distracting you from your work, enable a setting that will hide the taskbar when it’s not in focus. The taskbar will show up only when you hover your mouse over it.
13. Show Notification Badges on Taskbar
Just like smartphones, you can enable notification badges for supported apps in the taskbar. This makes it simple to determine whether you have a new message.
14. Enable or Disable Desktop View
Just as with previous versions of Windows, you can minimize all apps and open the desktop instantly using the Show desktop button on the extreme right corner of the taskbar.
15. Show Taskbar on All External Monitors
When using multiple displays, you can decide whether the taskbar should show up on other monitors or not. You can also customize how and when the taskbar apps should show up.
16. Make Taskbar Transparent
You can make the taskbar translucent with a default setting present on your computer. However, if you want to make the taskbar completely transparent, you should install TranslucentTB, a third-party app available at the Microsoft Store.
17. Change Color of Taskbar
By default, your taskbar can use either light or dark theme colors. However, with certain modifications, you can apply any color to the taskbar. To do so, follow these steps: Note: the accent color will apply to the Start Menu as well.
18. Open Task Manager from Taskbar
In Windows 10, you would right-click on the taskbar and open Task Manager from the menu. This feature has been removed in Windows 11. However, you can still open Task Manager from the taskbar in Windows 11.
19. Open Last Active Window from Taskbar
When you open multiple instances of the same app, they are grouped together under one icon in Taskbar. You need to hover the mouse over the app icon to select the window to open. An easy way is to directly launch the last active window by clicking the app icon. To do so, you need to make some Registry changes as shown below. However, please back up your registry before following these steps:
20. Show Seconds in Windows 11 Clock
Unlike Windows 10 where you could show seconds on the Windows 10 Taskbar clock using Registry, the same method won’t work in Windows 11. However, you can use a third-party app called ElevenClock to show seconds in the system clock on Windows 11.
21. Ungroup Folders or Apps in Taskbar in Windows 11
Earlier, every instance of an app or folder appeared separately in the taskbar. Now, all items from the same app are grouped. Unfortunately, you cannot ungroup them directly in Windows 11. You will have to install Explorer Patch to achieve this. Do read the instructions on the Github page to install or uninstall the patch.
22. Add Old Volume Mixer to Taskbar
With Windows 11, Microsoft has revamped the Sound shortcuts in the taskbar. you can no longer access Volume Mixer directly from the taskbar. But if you are a fan of the classic Volume Mixer, you can pin it to the taskbar and access it quickly from there. To do so, follow these steps:
23. Make Taskbar Icons Smaller in Windows 11
By changing registry values, you can change the size of the taskbar as shown below: Tip: The Windows 10 taskbar could be easily customized with TaskbarX, a third-party utility. You can use its successor TaskbarXI on Windows 11 to make taskbar icons smaller and change other properties.
24. View Additional Calendars and Clocks
When you click on the date and time in the taskbar, it shows the calendar and notification panel. You can add additional calendars and clocks to this area.
1. How can I lock or unlock the taskbar in Windows 11?
In Windows 11, the taskbar is locked by default. Unfortunately, you cannot unlock it.
2. What is the chat icon on the taskbar?
The chat icon is associated with the Microsoft Teams app, which comes preinstalled on Windows 11. You can message contacts quickly, create a new meeting or start a conversation right from the taskbar.
