It’s taken almost five years, but Microsoft is finally bringing back the ability to move the Windows taskbar to the top or sides of your screen. The movable taskbar is part of some much bigger changes coming to Windows 11 this year in response to growing criticism of the operating system’s performance, reliability, and user experience.
“Repositioning the taskbar is one of the top asks we’ve heard from you,” says Windows chief Pavan Davuluri. “We are introducing the ability to reposition it to the top or sides of your screen, making it easier to personalize your workspace.”
This taskbar change will be available to Windows Insiders in the coming weeks, before rolling out to all Windows 11 users later this year. Microsoft is also working on a smaller taskbar that will be available as an option later this year.
Windows has had a movable taskbar for decades, but Windows 11 removed this functionality at launch in 2021. I initially hated the new Windows 11 taskbar because it lacked functionality like displaying the time and date on multiple monitors, small icons, or the ability to move the taskbar around. The taskbar was so bad because Microsoft rebuilt it for Windows 10X, which was originally going to run on dual-screen devices before being reworked into Windows 11 for laptops.
Microsoft has been steadily bringing back most of the good parts of the Windows 10 taskbar, and it also recently started testing an agenda calendar view in the Windows 11 notification center. This was also removed from Windows 11, despite being part of Windows 10.