Microsoft is Making Taskbar and Start more personal in Windows 11

Microsoft is making your Windows 11 experience more personal. They are improving the Start menu and the taskbar. This means you can set them up just the way you like them.

Making the Taskbar More Personal

The taskbar is the bar at the bottom of your screen. It’s where you see your open apps and shortcuts. Microsoft wants to give you more control over how it looks and works.

Taskbar Positions

You can now move your taskbar to any edge of the screen. This is something many people have asked for.

Starting now, you can:

• Put the taskbar on the top, bottom, left, or right side of your screen. (See Figure 1).
• Choose how icons line up on the taskbar. When the taskbar is on the left or right, icons can be on the top or in the center. When the taskbar is on the top or bottom, icons can be on the left or in the center.
• Have Start, Search, and other menus open near the taskbar. For example, if the taskbar is at the top, the Start menu will open from the top. (See Figure 2).
• See every window clearly. If you have the taskbar on the side and choose “Never combine” for taskbar buttons, each app window will show up as its own button. This makes it easier to find and switch between apps. (See Figure 3).

Why is this useful? If you like to see more of your code, moving the taskbar to the side can give you more space. If it’s easier for you to reach the top of the screen, you can put the taskbar there. If you use the taskbar to keep track of your work, a side taskbar with separate buttons can help you stay organized.

(Figure 1) This picture shows the taskbar on the left side of the screen.

(Figure 2) This picture shows the taskbar at the top of the screen, and the Start menu opening from the top.

(Figure 3) This picture shows the taskbar on the left side with separate buttons for each app window.

To change where your taskbar is, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. You will see new options for taskbar position and how icons line up.

(Figure 4) This picture shows the new settings page for the taskbar.

Microsoft is still working on making these features look even better and work faster. Some things are not ready yet, but they are coming soon:

• The taskbar automatically hiding and how it works with touch screens are not ready for these new positions.
• Touch gestures for these new positions are still being worked on.
• Search boxes are not ready for these new positions. For now, you will see a search icon instead.

Microsoft is also thinking about other features like having different taskbar positions on different monitors and letting you drag and drop items onto the taskbar. They want to make sure the main features work well and that the experience is simple and easy to use.

Smaller Taskbar

Windows 11 has a taskbar that takes up a bit more space. This is good for touch screens. But on smaller screens, this extra space can take away from your work area. Microsoft is adding an option to make the taskbar more compact.

With this update, you can choose a smaller taskbar. This means smaller icons and a shorter taskbar. This gives you more space for your apps. You don’t need to restart your computer for this change to take effect.

This feature is available now for people testing Windows. To make your taskbar smaller, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > Show smaller taskbar buttons. When you choose “Always,” both the icons and the taskbar height get smaller.

Putting You in Control of Start

Everyone uses the Start menu differently. Some people like it simple with just their favorite apps. Others want quick access to recent files or everything all in one place. Microsoft is making changes to give you more control.

More Control Over Your Layout

Right now, changing the Start menu can be complicated. You might have to go to different settings menus. Turning off the “Recommended” section can involve changing several settings. To remove pinned apps, you have to unpin them one by one.

Microsoft is making this easier. Soon, you will be able to:

• Independently show or hide sections like Pinned apps, Recommended items, and All apps. There will be one simple setting for each section.
• Have a separate setting for file recommendations. Right now, turning off “Recommended” in Start also turns off recent files in other places like File Explorer. With this change, you can stop seeing file recommendations in Start without affecting recent files elsewhere.
• Choose the size of your Start menu. You can pick Small or Large. This will help your Start menu look the same size on different screens.
• Hide your name and profile picture in Start. This is good for privacy when you are sharing your screen or streaming.

(Figure 5) This picture shows the updated Start settings with new options to control different sections.

These settings are designed to work together. If you only want to see your pinned apps, you can turn off “Recommended” and “All apps.” If you want to see everything, you can leave all the options on. The goal is to give you an easy way to make Start work the way you want it to.

(Figure 6) This picture shows the Start menu with only pinned apps and the name and profile picture hidden.

Reference:

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/05/15/improving-windows-quality-making-taskbar-and-start-more-personal

Summary

Microsoft is adding new ways to personalize your Windows 11 taskbar and Start menu. You can now move the taskbar to any edge of the screen and choose how icons are aligned. You can also choose a smaller taskbar size. For the Start menu, you will get more control over which sections are displayed, how recommendations work, and the overall size of the menu. You can also hide your name and profile picture for privacy.