How to Change Which Taskbar Shows Apps on Multiple Screens in Windows 11

What is the Taskbar?

The taskbar is the bar usually at the bottom of your screen. It has important icons like the Start menu, Search, Task View, Widgets, Chat, File Explorer, and your web browser. By default, these icons are centered on the taskbar.

Multiple Displays and Taskbars

If you have more than one monitor connected, Windows can show a taskbar on each screen, not just the main one.

• Main display: This is where the clock and special icons appear 🖥️ on the taskbar.
• Other displays: They can also show taskbars, but these usually don’t have the clock or corner icons.

You can choose exactly how the taskbar shows your apps on multiple screens.

How to Choose Where Your Taskbar Shows Apps

You have three main choices:

• All taskbars: Apps you pinned or opened appear on every taskbar on all screens.
• Main taskbar and taskbar where the app is open: Pinned apps only show on the main taskbar. Open apps show on the main taskbar and also on the screen where the app is open.
• Taskbar where the app is open: Pinned apps only show on the main taskbar. Open apps only show on the screen where the app is open.

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Option 1Change Taskbar App Display Using ⚙️ Windows Settings

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Click Personalization on the left menu, then select Taskbar on the right.
3. Scroll down and click on Taskbar behaviors to expand it.
4. Find the dropdown next to When using multiple displays, show my taskbar apps on.
5. Choose one of the three options mentioned above:
   
   All taskbars, Main taskbar and taskbar where window is open, or Taskbar where window is open.
   
6. Close Settings when done.

Note: If the option to choose where apps show is greyed out, make sure that Show my taskbar on all displays is turned on.

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Option 2Change Taskbar App Display Using a Batch File

If you like, you can use a small script (batch file) to quickly change these settings without going through menus.

Here are three options you can use. Each one changes the setting to one of the ways 🖥️ the taskbar shows your apps.

Show apps on All taskbars:

REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarMode /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

Show pinned apps on main taskbar, open apps on main and open window taskbar:

REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarMode /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

Show pinned apps on main taskbar, open apps only on taskbar where window is open:

REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /V MMTaskbarMode /T REG_DWORD /D 2 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

How to use these scripts:

1. Open Notepad on your PC.
2. Copy one of the code blocks and paste it into Notepad.
3. Save the file with a .bat extension, like change_taskbar.bat. Make sure “Save as type” is set to “All files”.
4. Right-click the saved file and choose Run as administrator.
5. 🖥️ Your taskbar will restart, and the new setting will apply.

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Summary

• Multiple Display Options: You can pick how and where taskbar apps show when using more than one screen.
• Easy Settings: Change this anytime in the ⚙️ Windows Settings under Personalization > Taskbar.
• Quick Changes with Scripts: Use batch files to switch settings fast if you prefer.
• Better Workflow: Adjusting taskbar behavior helps keep your workspace organized and easy to use.
• Consistent Look: Make sure your taskbars look and act the way you want on all screens.

By following these simple steps, you can make your Windows 11 setup work better for you when using multiple monitors.