How to Enable or Disable “Show Hover Cards for Inactive and Pinned Taskbar Apps” in Windows 11

Show or hide hover cards for inactive and pinned taskbar apps

The Settings ⚙️ app is the easiest method. Hover cards appear when you point at an open or pinned icon on the taskbar 🖥️, and one toggle in the Taskbar settings controls them. Here’s how to change it.

1. Open Settings ⚙️. Click Start ⊞ and select Settings, or press the Win+I.
2. In the Settings app, click Personalization in the left pane. The personalization options appear on the right.

3. On the right, select the Taskbar tile. The taskbar 🖥️ settings page opens.

4. On the Personalization › Taskbar page, scroll down and expand Taskbar behaviors.
5. Find Show hover cards for inactive and pinned taskbar apps and switch it On or Off. The change applies right away, so you can test it by pointing at an icon on the taskbar 🖥️.

If you don’t see this option, your build probably doesn’t include the feature yet. It first appeared in build 22635.4000 (Beta). Check Settings › Windows Update 🔃 for newer builds, or use the registry method below if your build supports the value. The Settings ⚙️ method works the same on Home and Pro. To undo the change, flip the toggle back.

6. Close the Settings ⚙️ app to finish.

Turn on or off hover cards for inactive and pinned taskbar apps using the Windows Registry Editor

Registry Editor is a tool for changing advanced system settings. Use it if the Settings ⚙️ app doesn’t work for you or the toggle is missing. You open the program, browse to the right key in the left pane, and edit a value in the right pane. Registry changes can affect how Windows behaves, so export the key first (File › Export) so you can restore it if something goes wrong.

1. Open Registry Editor. Press the Win, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission.
2. Browse to the key path shown below. You can paste it into the address bar at the top of the window.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

3. In the right pane of the Advanced key, find the REG_DWORD value named “JumplistOnHover” and double-click it. The Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value box opens.
4. In the Value data box, enter 1 to turn hover cards on for inactive and pinned apps on the taskbar 🖥️, or 0 to turn them off.
5. Click OK.

If the “JumplistOnHover” value is missing, create it:

1. Right-click an empty space in the right pane and select New › DWORD (32-bit) Value.
2. Name it “JumplistOnHover” and press Enter.
3. Double-click the new value and enter 1 to enable the feature or 0 to disable it. Click OK.

1. Close Registry Editor. The change is saved as soon as you click OK.
2. Restart the computer so the new setting takes effect.

To undo the change later, set the value back to its previous number, or delete the value you created.

That completes the process.

Conclusion:

• You can enable or disable hover cards for inactive and pinned taskbar apps in Windows 11 through the Settings app or the Registry Editor.
• The feature appeared in Windows 11 build 22635.4000 (Beta). It gives quicker access to jump lists when you hover over an app on the taskbar.
• The "Show hover cards for inactive and pinned taskbar apps" setting lets you tailor taskbar behavior to your preference.
• For advanced users, the Registry Editor offers another method, using the "JumplistOnHover" REG_DWORD value.