Windows 11 may finally allow users to move the taskbar to different orientations on the desktop – as you can in Windows 10 – instead of it being locked at the bottom of the screen, when a new indicator found- an in the preview anything that goes through.
The famous Microsoft leaker Albacore posted on Twitter to show that in Windows 11 preview build 25309 it is possible to make a small tweak and remove the taskbar that appears at the top of the screen.
You can position the full XAML taskbar at the top, the experience is not very good though 😅 pic.twitter.com/NmGjOVK0gRMarch 6, 2023
As the tweet clip shows, however, you end up with a broken taskbar implementation. Yes, it’s at the top, but if you click on the bar icons, their functions appear floating at the bottom of the screen (where they usually are with the taskbar in its default position at the bottom).
In short, it seems that Microsoft has laid the initial foundation for a movable taskbar in the preview today, but it is very early stages in fact. Whatever comes of it, well, we have to keep our eyes and fingers pointed – or those who want to have the ability to move the taskbar around, whatever.
Analysis: A challenging change for Microsoft?
You might have people yelling at their monitors – why do you want the taskbar at the top? However, this is actually a commonly requested addition about Windows 11, with many users voting for the functionality to be brought to the desktop.
And the choice is not a bad thing – some people want a vertical taskbar, which runs along the side of the screen, too, as well as the potential of slinging the bar at the top. It is actually in allowing for more customization of the core desktop UI, and keeping the same features offered by Windows 10, which allows the bar to be moved as you wish.
As MS Power User (Opens in a new tab) – who saw Albacore’s tweet – observed, however, that this is something that Microsoft has shown that it will not continue. Despite the clamor for a more mobile taskbar, Microsoft says there are a “number of challenges” wrapped up in its implementation, and that the percentage of users who want this change is small if compared to other parts. The latter assertion is certainly debatable from what we’ve seen, but there you go…
The long and short of the previous statements, then, is that Microsoft thinks it’s a lot of effort for not much return – but seeing the ability to move the taskbar to the top, regardless of the trend way, sure. gives hope to the idea that a movable taskbar is coming.
Until then, if you want to mess with the Windows 11 environment in this kind of way, you’ll need to use a third-party customization app. (It’s worth noting, however, that these apps caused a lot of trouble in the latest major Windows update, ‘Moment 2’).
In the meantime, Microsoft recently introduced a great taskbar ability (in testing), which is the ability to kill a process right there in the bar (instead of bothering to take a trip to in Task Manager).