Windows 11 Taskbar Tricks: Learn the Full Customization Guide

About the Taskbar in Windows 11

The Windows taskbar is a core element of the operating system, typically located at the bottom of the screen. It includes the Start menu, search bar, and system tray, making it a central hub for navigation, multitasking, and basic system control.

Taskbar allows you to quickly access apps and system notifications, switch between open windows, and manage clock, volume, & network.

If you don’t prefer the default settings, customize the taskbar according to your preferences.

You can pin frequently used apps, change an alignment option, manage system tray icons, and customize the taskbar behaviours to enhance productivity and user experience.

The following are tricks and methods to customize Windows 11 taskbar.

Top Windows 11 Taskbar Tricks

These tricks involve appearance & layout customization, taskbar behaviour configurations, system tray management, and functional enhancements.

#1. Appearance & Layout Customization

Option 1: Align the Taskbar to the Left

Windows 11 offers a centered taskbar to improve accessibility on modern, large, and touch-enabled screens. If you prefer a traditional, Windows 10-style layout, it is easy to revert it to a left-aligned configuration.

Here is how to align the taskbar to the left:

Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.

Step 2: Choose Taskbar behaviours and select Left from the drop-down menu of Taskbar alignment.

Can’t Move Taskbar On Windows 11? Here’s How To Fix It

You may disappointedly find that Windows 11 can’t move taskbar as you expect, but there are indeed solutions to troubleshoot.

Read More

Option 2: Make Taskbar Smaller or Bigger

Adjusting the taskbar size can improve screen real estate & visual comfort, enhance workflow efficiency, and allow for better app management.

What’s more, smaller icons reduce clutter and help free up vertical space for applications, ideal for smaller monitors or laptops. Large icons aid visibility, especially on high-resolution displays.

To adjust the size, you need to modify specific registry settings.

If you run a new Windows version, use a third-party tool such as Explorerpatcher. It claims to be able to resize the taskbar.

If you run an old Windows 11 version, follow the steps:

Step 1: Type registry in the search box and press Enter to open Registry Editor.

Step 2: Head to the path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Step 3: Right-click on the Advanced folder and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4: Name it TaskbarSi. Then, double-click on this key, modify its value data to:

• 0: A small size
• 2: A large size

Step 5: Click OK to save the change and restart the computer.

After the restart, the taskbar size and app icons will be updated.

How to Change the Taskbar Size and Alignment in Windows 11?

This post will show you how to change the taskbar size and how to move the taskbar to the left or center in Windows 11.

Read More

Option 3: Change Taskbar Color

One useful Windows 11 taskbar customization option is changing the taskbar color. You can customize colors to match desktop wallpapers, improve visibility, make active apps more distinguishable, and apply a darker color to reduce eye strain.

See how to change the taskbar color:

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Personalisation > Colours.

Step 2: Set Choose your mode to Custom, then Choose your default Windows mode to Dark.

Step 3: Under Accent colour, choose Manual and select your desired accent color from the palette.

Step 4: Enable Show accent colour on Start and taskbar.

The new selected taskbar color will be applied immediately.

Option 4: Hide Unused Icons

Windows 11 allows you to hide unused taskbar icons, such as taskbar view and widgets. This action can create a cleaner user interface, increase usable screen space, and reduce visual clutter.

Step 1: Head to Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar.

Step 2: Under Taskbar items, select Hide for Search and disable Task view & Widgets.

Step 3: In the System tray icons section, turn off the pen menu icon and touch keyboard icon.

Step 4: Expand Other system tray icons and toggle off icons you don’t want in the corner.

Option 5: Show Seconds in Clock

Showing seconds on the Windows taskbar clock offers precise time tracking for workflows requiring high precision.

This feature is available starting with Windows 11 version 22H2.

To enable seconds:

Step 1: Go to Settings > Time & language.

Step 2: Click Date & time, expand Show time and date in the System tray, and select Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power).

The taskbar clock will display seconds.

#2. Taskbar Behaviour Configurations

Windows 11 offers an area to configure some taskbar behaviours, allowing you to customize how the taskbar functions and appears.

Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.

Step 2: Expand Taskbar behaviours.

Step 3: Customize Windows 11 taskbar through the following settings:

• Automatically hide the taskbar: Enable this feature to hide the taskbar when it is not in use, offering more screen space.
• Show badges on taskbar apps: Enable or disable alert badges (notification counts) on app icons. A badge on a taskbar button is an alert, indicating activity, status, or a need for attention within a specific app. For example, a bell icon on the Clock app shows that an alarm is currently active.
• Show flashing on taskbar apps: This feature controls whether the app icons flash to draw your attention. By default, an icon flashes multiple times and stays highlighted until you open this app.
• Show my taskbar on all displays: After enabling this option, your taskbar appears on all connected monitors. It offers a consistent taskbar experience across displays.
• Share any window from my taskbar: During a Teams meeting, hover your mouse over any app icon on the taskbar. Then, a button appears to allow you to share a window with the meeting attendees, without switching apps back and forth.
• Optimize taskbar for touch interactions when this device is used as a tablet: This option is only available on 2-in-1 devices with tablet functionality. It offers two states: collapsed (taskbar is minimized) and expanded (shows larger icons).
• Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop: There is a small area on the side of the taskbar, allowing for quick access to the desktop. Also, pressing Win + D helps show the desktop.
• Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels: This option allows you to group multiple windows from the same app into one taskbar icon and hide text labels. Configure the value to Always, When taskbar is full, or Never.

#3. Functional and Productivity Enhancements

In terms of Windows 11 taskbar tricks, you should consider some advanced and hidden features to enhance productivity.

Option 1: Pin Apps to Taskbar

To quickly access frequently used apps, pinning them is an effective method. This can significantly improve workflow and reduce time spent searching for items.

Follow these steps to pin apps:

• Via the Start menu: Click the Start button, search for an app, right-click on it, and choose Pin to taskbar.
• Via the running app: If the application is running, right-click on it from the taskbar, and select Pin to taskbar.

Option 2: Force-Quit Frozen Apps

If an app gets stuck or freezes for some reason, in addition to ending it in Task Manager, you can close it directly from the taskbar.

To enable this feature:

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > System > For developers.

Step 2: Enable End Task.

Now, it is possible to right-click on the frozen app and end it without opening Task Manager.

Option 3: Quick Launch Apps

Windows 11 provides several methods using keyboard shortcuts to optimize the taskbar for rapid access to apps.

The following are key shortcuts:

• Win + Number: Open apps pinned to the taskbar based on their positions (from left to right). For example, press Win + 1 to open the first app, Win + 2 to launch the second app, and so on.
• Win + Shift + Number: Use these shortcut keys to open a new window or instance. Alternatively, you can hold the Shift key and click the app icon from the taskbar to open a new window.
• Win + Ctrl + Shift + Number: Use this shortcut to open an app as an administrator. Or, press Ctrl + Shift and click an app icon to run the pinned app with admin rights.
• Win + Alt + Number: Open the jump list for the target app (similar to right-click).
• Win + T: Focus on the taskbar. Then, use the arrow keys to navigate to the app icon and press Enter to open it.

Option 4: Show Jump Lists

Jump lists display frequently used files, folders, or app-specific tasks, enabling rapid access.

Activate this feature through these steps:

Step 1: Go to Settings > Personalisation.

Step 2: Click Start and enable Show recommended files in Start, recent files in File Explorer, and items in Jump Lists.

Then, you can right-click on an icon in the taskbar to see the jump list and quickly open a recently used item.

#4. System Tray & Quick Settings

Option 1: Customize Quick Settings

The Quick Settings panel is a hub that helps manage system controls and toggles, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, volume, Accessibility, Energy saver, and so on.

The following are key features:

• Open Quick Settings/Notification Center: Press Win + A to open Quick Settings or Win + N to access Notification Center/Calendar.
• Select an audio output: Click the volume icon and then the icon next to the volume slider to select a sound output.
• Access accessibility features: Click Accessibility and rapidly access Magnifier, Narrator, and Live Captions.

Option 2: Manage Hidden Icons

In the system tray, directly drag and drop icons from the overflow menu (up arrow) to the taskbar for easier access.

#5. Third-Party Customization (For Advanced Users)

In addition to these tricks that can be accomplished through native settings, some third-party software can effectively customize Windows 11 taskbar.

Windhawk, StartAllBack, and ExplorerPatcher are recommended. If you want to restore a Windows 10-style taskbar, they can help.

How to Hide Running Apps from the Taskbar in Windows 11

Aside from these Windows 11 taskbar tricks, it is essential to learn how to hide running apps from the taskbar.

Here are 2 approaches.

Option 1: Use Virtual Desktops

Step 1: Go to Settings > System > Multi-tasking.

Step 2: In the Desktops section, select Only on the desktop I’m using under On the taskbar, show all the open windows.

Step 3: Press Win + Tab to open Task View and create a new desktop.

Step 4: Move the running app to the new virtual desktop.

As a result, the app will no longer appear on the current taskbar.

How To Use And Customize Virtual Desktops In Windows 11

This is the right place for you to learn how to create, use, and customize (manage) virtual desktops on your Windows 11 device.

Read More

Option 2: Drag Icons to System Tray

Dragging the icon of a running app into the overflow menu of the system tray can keep the taskbar clean.

Bottom Line

This post explains many Windows 11 taskbar tricks to optimize the user experience.

You can align the taskbar to the left, change its color, hide unused icons, configure the taskbar behaviours, pin apps to the taskbar, and so forth. Follow the instructions to tweak Windows 11 taskbar according to your preferences.

Windows 11 Taskbar Tricks FAQ