Forum Discussion
How to enable 'Never Combine taskbar buttons'. Windows 11 ?
Hi @all
I did not find this function 'Never Combine taskbar buttons'. How can this function be found and enabled in windows 11?
I can't work with multi-tab on windows 11.
Thank you!
601 Replies
- I asked Chinese and Russian hackers to fix it for me. Secure and fast solution, which vendor cannot provide.
- Was just forced to Windows 11 and wow what a mess. Removing the "never combine taskbar" option is some truly evil stuff as evidenced by the use-cases covered again and again and again in this thread.
Shame on every Microsoft employee. Yall are some evil, hateful, petty simpletons to foist this mess on your users.
And that you did this thing over a year and a half ago and still haven't found the time to fix this idiocy should tell everyone here all they need to know about the people at Microsoft. - When can we expect this to be fixed?
probably in 2025 - then almost everyone will be in the new version of Windows Q 🙂
- still waiting for the update
while "moving cursor over the grouped button, wait for 1 sec until separated samples showed up, looking for the desired display, moving cursor over the it then click on it" are not exactly hard to do. it's still a lot better to "moving cursor over the desired button and click on it"
I can't believe it's over a year and there's still official solution to this Good news people.
There are rumors that "Microsoft plans to bring back the "never combine" option for the Taskbar to ungroup apps and show labels again."
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-might-soon-let-windows-11-users-show-labels-and-ungroup-apps-on-taskbar/
- Read it from other sources in the meantime. Seems to be true! Congratulation Microsoft. You begin to understand what powerusers need. As I'm one of them, have some tips for further improvement:
"Only one click to access" - rule not only for open tasks, also for frequently used apps and ressources is a further boost in productivity. Design trends come and go but if you boil it down to the essentials: Having important ressources right at hand everytime is unbeatable. Scientifically this means "Only one click" is the easiest, most efficient and least annoying way to access frequently used ressources such a new instance of your notes app, your corporate lunch menu and your project folders. Pinned apps at a place where my tasks are supposed to be don't really do the job. But there is good news: You already invented the solution! You just need to bring it back as well! It's called quick launch bar and it's really handy.
Ah and by the way: Why do you prevent me to place my taskbar on top if the screen? All important controls are on top. Window controls, browser tabs, Application Menus (Save as...). Modern screens are huge. What's the point of travelling up and down all the time?
Seriously - I think you guys aren't really aware what you core userbase needs. People who need to work with PCs 8 hours a day. But bringing back the feature is a step in the right direction. Is there any kind of user participation or feedback programme at Microsoft? Would love to participate.Canary channel project - time to implement to the stable version of Windows - it's almost 2 years , but it's a long way - of course I support it :
"Ah and by the way: Why do you prevent me to place my taskbar on top if the screen? All important controls are on top. Window controls, browser tabs, Application Menus (Save as...). Modern screens are huge. What's the point of travelling up and down all the time? "
🙂
- Talk is cheap. I'll believe it when I see it.
NoviceLevelUP Hi,
Yes, this is nonsense - invented to make people click on ads and other add-ons that are on the site - not worth reading!
Best regards
Re: How to let windows 11 "never combine taskbar buttons"? - Page 52 - Microsoft Community Hub
This isn't an "issue" that needs resolving or a "bug" support can help with - it's a design choice. A really, really piss poor design choice that impacts my productivity every day.
Amazing to me that Microsoft are consciously removing critical UI aspects people rely on (and have done for years) in Windows and offering nothing in regard to any actual new useful features.Windows 11 UI is a huge step back requiring third party tools to "fix" and restore look and feel options we've been used to for 20 years - in other words utter garbage.
If I wanted my PC to feel like macOS I'd buy a Mac.- Speaking of third party tools: I now live in the constant fear that a new windows update crashes my PC (due to incompatibility with Explorer Patcher) or that some unpaid guy in Romania (btw.: many thanks Valinet! I donated) stops maintaining the software I desperately need.
Thats exactly the kind of b***s**** because of which I have not been migrating to Linux on desktops for the last 20 years.
Now on one hand important functionality and stability is sacrificed, on the other hand users are forced into dependencies from Microsofts cloud...
Quote "Hey son, please visit me soon. After I booted my PC (It did an Win 11 update without prior notice!!!) it keeps asking me for a strange Microsoft ID and I have no idea what to do here!! Help, I need to use my PC but cannot get around this screen!". Now guess if I created an MS account after I needed to PHYSICALLY travel there...
Think in the long run I'll just get them bluetooth keyboards and tablets and save the time and money for PC's. As the added value of a separate category of devices is systematically reduced by Microsoft itself, it just lacks justification to upkeep it. And I think many users will do the same. Switch everything over to the companies they already have their phones, tablets, photos and personal messages at.
Guys that create content, code etc. will probably go Open Source (as I did with my home PC now) but for most people the only reason for a PC is propably, that office work on a tablet sucks.
Smart move by Microsoft to let their systems suck alike.ChristianG_ I just had the same issue with my laptop, it broke completly after last update.
Now I am forced to use **bleep** grouping!
COME ON MICROSOFT, I AM CLOSER AND CLOSER TO MOVE TO APPLE
hoanglongson Hopefully for Windows 12 they'll improve things even further, by having all applications collapsed under a single taskbar icon. This single intuitive icon will be a massive productivity boost!
 
ergy Hi,
" Hopefully for Windows 12 they'll improve things even further, by having all applications collapsed under a single taskbar icon. This single intuitive icon will be a massive productivity boost!"
But it's a great idea!
One large icon on full screen -> divided into fragments in which the tasks are clearly described and the most frequently used favorites are pinned, 🙂
Finally a creative comment, greetings!
Deleted Heh... such button won't even need a display. Make it mechanical on-off switch. That would lower the power consumption to negligible level.
Single icon Lol :))) Actually grouping icons is default also in Gnome desktop environment in Linux. I was using KDE desktop which had options for both grouping and ungrouping icons in the taskbar. A lot of people say Windows copies KDE in some ways, I hope that they copy giving an option for grouping as KDE does in Linux ..
- Hey Microsoft: Wake up and fix it! I hate to use Windows with a grouped taskbar. It really ruins the experience. This is really stupid!
- I agree and support this reply. Not everyone is allowed by their company to install third party solutions -- most of which don't work anyway.
- Exactly Ken. Luckily I have admin rights on my work PC - otherwise I would have already exchanged in for a Mac, which is a choice at the company. For a customer project I need to use one of their PC which is Win11 w/o admin rights and it really sucks. I'm getting way less done, since fidgeting around with those stupid sub-menus is a constant distraction. Would this be my main job, I'd look for a new one.
- It's a serious REGRESSION from windows 10. I will have to ask my boss if I can install windows 10 at my work's laptop (that came with win11). It seriously slows me down at my work. I literally waste at least 2 seconds every switch from one window to another. At the end of the day it's a lot of time WASTED, that I have to BE PAID FOR by my boss. It's a SERIOUS ISSUE. Remember time is money.
- There is a free third-party solution that I have been using, called "ExplorerPatcher", search for it. Other than that, paid solutions exist also.
explorer patcher has been covered here before and most users no longer recommend it.
It has many issues for many users. I myself have used it and finally deleted it due to repeated issues. It needs updating with every windows update and even then is not always successful in overcoming its issues. The most notable for most being the repeated loss of the start button menu configuration in one way or another.
In the end sorting through its issues caused the loss of more time than the time it saved. This being one of the biggest issues with every new windows incarnation, we have to learn how to do some things differently and it eats up more productivity. It is though the designers do it on purpose to f... with us.
The end result for me has been to pay for Start 11 which has worked for me along with using file explorer tabs. This as close as I have been able to get to win 10 with 7+ Taskbar Tweaker installed.
