Windows 11 taskbar "Combine when taskbar is full"

Question

Hi,

I have accidently upgraded my working windows 10 PC to Windows 11. My workflow has been frustratingly impeded by this new minimalistic aesthetic plaguing the Windows 11 taskbar. I prefer to set my taskbar to "Combine when taskbar is full" as it is better for large projects such as research. With the taskbar icons in a stack I have to guess which word document/pdf/chrome window I would like to be in focus... this is a frustrating time suck.

Where has the "Combine when taskbar is full" option been hidden? I am getting the impression Window's 11 was never designed for desktops.

Answer 1

Yes, please reinstate the "never combine taskbar buttons" option! Thanks

Answer 2

Any word on when Windows will release this?

I find it VERY arrogant/presumptuous that windows is forcing me to spend my morning on this just to achieve the same level of productivity as yesterday.

Answer 3

Is there a release date for this? I will NOT being going to Win 11 until we are allowed to customize our experience. If I wanted zero control of my taskbar, I would buy a MAC LOL.

Answer 4

Hi Ario,

I am Dave, I will help you with this.

The Taskbar in Windows 11 is very limited compared to the one in Windows 10, currently there is no native way to ungroup the taskbar icons.

The good news is, Microsoft have listened to the Insiders that tested Windows 11 and they are now testing that functionality and so we should receive that in an upcoming update to Windows 11.

In the meantime, please open the feedback hub (Windows Key + F) and provide your feedback on the lack of functionality on the taskbar in Windows 11 to the developers there.

Answer 5

This is the same thought that was running through my head as I was searching for a way to expand the taskbar to multiple rows and uncombine the taskbar buttons. If I wanted Playskool, I would have bought a Mac. So far, there hasn't been a single thing in this 'upgrade' that has helped me be more productive.

1. Need to buy new hardware. The MoBo I bought doesn't have a built-in TPM module because (until this crippled OS release) there was never any use for it.
2. Much of the functionality that was built into the taskbar has been removed. Who was the learning-disabled cretin that decided that having fewer options equates to higher productivity? Have to actually hover over the buttons and wait for a beat to see what's open? Fail. Can you really call this an upgrade? It's more like 'Windows 10 Lite'.
3. Much of the functionality that was built into explorer has been removed. How about some labels on the ribbon buttons? How about pulling the files closer together, vertically? In previous versions, I could see 36 items per page with the ribbon fully expanded. Now I can see 25 items. Not everything needs to look like a web page.
4. Much of the functionality that was built into the context menu now has an extra step added. I don't want an extra click to see 'Add to Archive'.
5. Maybe I'm just missing it, but I have been using the quick-launch toolbar since it was included. Single-click to open an app? Yes! Clicking multiple times to open that same app? Fail.

It's like they started redesigning explorer and the taskbar from scratch, and then stopped a quarter of the way through development. I'm glad I have only installed this on a VM. I'd be very upset if I was stuck using this as a daily driver.