How to Customize Windows 11 Taskbar Settings
Taskbar customization in Windows 11 changes how the main navigation bar at the bottom of your screen looks and behaves. You can move your app icons back to the left side, hide the bar automatically when you do not need it, and turn off system tray items you never use.
Adjust taskbar alignment by going to Settings Personalization Taskbar Taskbar behaviors, then select Left or Center for Taskbar alignment. You can also hide or show taskbar items like Search and Widgets from this same menu.
Taskbar Alignment: Left vs. Center
By default, Windows 11 centers your taskbar icons. Classic layouts require moving them back to the left.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Personalization > Taskbar.
- Click Taskbar behaviors.
- Find Taskbar alignment and choose Left or Center.
Managing Taskbar Behaviors and Buttons
Windows 11 taskbar settings let you change how your app buttons behave, including whether icons combine into a single button or show text labels. You can adjust these options by opening Settings, clicking Personalization, and choosing Taskbar. Expanding the Taskbar behaviors menu lets you control icon grouping and notification badges to fit how you work.
- Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
- Select Taskbar behaviors.
- Always: Icons are grouped together to save space.
- When taskbar is full: Icons group only when you have many apps open.
- Never: Each window shows its own label, making it easy to see every open app.
System Tray and Notification Area
The Windows 11 system tray sits at the bottom right of your screen to show the clock, battery, volume, and background app icons. You can manage which icons appear here by going to Settings, selecting Personalization, and clicking Taskbar. From that menu, you can toggle specific app icons on or off so your taskbar stays clean and uncluttered.
- Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
- Click Other system tray icons to toggle specific apps on or off.
- Use the System tray icons menu to hide or show the volume, network, or input indicators.
Widgets and Search Customization
Redundant elements like the Search , Widgets, or Chat buttons hide away if unused, clearing clutter from the interface.
- Open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.
- Under Taskbar items, toggle the switches for Search, Widgets, and Chat to Off.
Advanced Registry Tweaks
Advanced Windows 11 taskbar settings can be changed using the Registry Editor (a hierarchical database for storing system settings) when standard menus do not offer the options you need. You can open this tool by pressing the Win plus R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. This lets you target specific database values to force custom layouts that are normally hidden.
Target specific values within the database to force custom layouts.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named `TaskbarSi`. Set its value to 0, 1, or 2 to control button grouping.
Summary
Tweaking these preferences tailors the workspace to personal preference.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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