For many Windows users, the taskbar in Windows 11 has always felt strangely restrictive. Microsoft redesigned the interface with a cleaner, more modern look, but in the process removed several customization options people had been using for years. One of the biggest complaints? The inability to freely move the taskbar around the screen. Now, Microsoft finally seems ready to loosen things up.
The company has started testing a major overhaul of the taskbar and Start menu for Windows 11 Insiders in its Experimental channel. And honestly, this feels like Microsoft acknowledging that users want their PCs to feel personal again.
Windows 11 could soon feel far more flexible
The biggest change here is the return of a movable taskbar. Instead of being locked to the bottom of the screen, users in the test build can now shift it to the top or even place it vertically along either side of the display. That might sound like a small tweak, but for longtime Windows users, it’s a pretty significant reversal. Earlier versions of Windows allowed this kind of flexibility for years before Windows 11 simplified everything into a more rigid layout.
Microsoft is also testing different taskbar sizes, including a compact version that could be especially useful on smaller laptops and tablets where screen space matters more. Even the Start menu is becoming more adjustable. Users will reportedly be able to resize it and switch between smaller and larger layouts, depending on how they prefer to organize apps and shortcuts.
The company is finally listening
Beyond the visual changes, Microsoft is also trying to clean up parts of the Start menu that many people found cluttered or unnecessary. New controls will let users decide which sections appear inside the menu, including areas for pinned apps, recommendations, and app lists. Interestingly, Microsoft is also renaming the “Recommended” section to “Recent,” which honestly makes the feature easier to understand at a glance. The section mainly surfaces recently used files and newly installed apps anyway, so the older name often felt vague.
There are also smaller but thoughtful privacy-focused touches being added. For example, users can hide their profile photo and account name from the Start menu, which could come in handy during presentations or screen-sharing sessions. Microsoft says these changes will roll out to Insider testers over the next few weeks. More importantly, the company openly admits that the Start menu and taskbar are where users judge Windows the hardest. And after years of complaints about Windows 11’s limited customization, this update feels like Microsoft is finally taking that criticism seriously.