Since the first preview build arrived, users have been asking Microsoft to make it an option to move Windows 11’s taskbar location to the left or right side of the screen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon.
As you probably know, Windows 11’s taskbar is locked in the bottom center of the screen. And while you can move the icons to the bottom-left corner like Windows 10 does, that’s about it. There are several valid arguments as to why your Windows taskbar should be on the left, but Microsoft doesn’t see it that way.
In a recent Reddit AMA (ask me anything), Microsoft’s Windows 11 team answered several questions about the new operating system. As expected, a question quickly arose about the location of the taskbar. If you were hoping for some good news, sorry for bursting your bubble. We didn’t get one.
When asked about the ability to change the location of the Windows 11 taskbar (at 9.50 minutes), Tali Roth, head of Windows Core Experience at Microsoft, gave us a short answer that Windows fans won’t like.
“When we built Windows 11, we rebuilt the taskbar from scratch. That meant choosing which things to put first and which features to add. I As Roth explains the process, she confirms that the team is essentially working on pain points and tweaks to help a wider group of users.
“The goal was to be really data-driven about what should and shouldn’t be included.”
It sounds like being able to move the taskbar isn’t a big request or hasn’t been given enough attention to warrant a change. Instead, Roth quickly jumps to some of the recent tweaks the team has made, such as the collapsed and expanded taskbar for smaller touchscreen devices or tablets.
As the conversation continues, Tali Roth explains: “When it comes to actually being able to move the taskbar to different locations on the screen, there are some challenges. When you think about having the taskbar on the right or left side, the reflow and work that all apps have to do to have a great experience is suddenly huge.”
Going back to her earlier point about making “data-driven decisions,” the subset of users who want to move the taskbar is minimal compared to other people who ask for different features. That said, it sounds like moving the taskbar is one of those things that Microsoft will continue to look at and listen to feedback, but right now they have no plan to build the side taskbar.
While Microsoft doesn’t plan on making this an option anytime soon, there is a registry hack that will allow you to move Windows 11’s taskbar to the left, right, or even the top of the screen, but it’s a bit broken, so don’t expect it. . a perfect experience.
via Reddit