Microsoft is finally bringing back one of the Windows features many users have been asking for since Windows 11 launched, which is the ability to move and resize the Taskbar. The updated Taskbar and Start menu have been available to Windows Insiders for months, but Microsoft has now moved them into the Release Preview Channel. That is essentially the final testing stage before a feature reaches regular Windows users.
The new Taskbar is more flexible, allowing users to change its position and size instead of being stuck with Microsoft’s default layout. The Start menu is getting a similar makeover, with options to resize it and decide which sections are displayed.
If Microsoft’s rollout schedule stays on track, the changes could start reaching ordinary users later this month, with a broader rollout expected next month. Microsoft is likely to release them gradually, so two PCs on the same version of Windows may not necessarily receive the features at the same time.
For longtime Windows users, this is more than cosmetic tinkering. The inability to move the Taskbar was one of the surprisingly common complaints about Windows 11, particularly among people coming from Windows 10. Microsoft has spent years removing some of the flexibility Windows users were accustomed to, and is now slowly putting parts of it back.
The Taskbar and Start menu changes are part of a broader effort to make Windows 11 feel faster, more flexible and less frustrating. More improvements to the responsiveness of menus and apps are already in development.