How to Show Labels on Taskbar Pins in Windows 11

Windows 11 allows you to show or hide text labels next to the icons pinned to your taskbar. This guide shows you how to adjust these settings to make your desktop look exactly how you want.

Why do this? Some users prefer a clean, minimalist taskbar with only icons. Others prefer seeing text labels so they can quickly identify which open window or app they are clicking on.

What happens when done? Your taskbar will update immediately to show or hide the names of your pinned apps, helping you navigate your open programs more efficiently.

The Taskbar in Windows displays the Start menu, Widgets, Windows Search box, Microsoft Teams Chat, File Explorer, Windows Store app, and a few other apps’ icons. It is also centered in the middle of the screen.

If multiple displays or monitors are connected to Windows, you can show the Taskbar on all your monitors. You can also enable or disable “never combined mode” so that elements on the Taskbar are never combined.

Also, starting with Windows 11 build 23466, you can turn on or off “Show labels on Taskbar pins,” which allows you to control whether labels are displayed on items you pin on the Taskbar.

Turning on “Show labels on Taskbar pins” will override the Combine Taskbar buttons and hide labels settings.

Enable or disable Show labels on Taskbar pins

As described above, starting with Windows 11 build 23466, you can turn on or off “Show labels on Taskbar pins,” which allows you to control whether labels are displayed on items you pin on the Taskbar.

Here is how to change this setting using the Windows app:

1. Open the Windows Settings app. You can do this by clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings, or by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. Click the Personalization button on the left menu.

3. On the right side, click on Taskbar to expand the menu.

4. Find the Taskbar behaviors section and click it to see more options.
5. Look for Show labels on Taskbar pins. Check the box to turn labels on, or uncheck the box to turn them off.

You can close the Settings app when you are finished.

Turn on or off show labels on taskbar pins via the Registry Editor

Note: This method requires admin privileges. Be careful when editing the registry, as incorrect changes can affect system performance.

Another way to change this setting is to use the Windows Registry Editor.

1. Open the Windows Registry.
2. Go to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. If you do not see the Advanced folder, right-click on the Explorer folder and create a new key named Advanced.

4. Right-click in the empty space on the right side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name this new item TaskbarShowLabels.
6. Double-click TaskbarShowLabels, ensure the Base is set to Decimal, and set the Value data:

• Type 1 to turn on labels.
• Type 0 to turn off labels.

Save your changes and restart your computer to apply the new settings.

Summary

You have learned how to manage taskbar labels in Windows 11. By using either the Settings app or the Registry Editor, you can decide whether to show or hide text labels next to your pinned apps to better suit your workflow.