Forum Discussion
Windows 11 - Can't Change The Order Of Taskbar Icons
This is by design in Windows 11, not a system issue.
Microsoft removed the “Lock taskbar” option and also removed drag-and-drop reordering of taskbar icons. That’s why you can’t find the setting and why DISM/SFC report no problems. Nothing is missing or broken.
How icon order works now
The only supported way to control icon order is:
- Unpin taskbar apps
- Re-pin them in the order you want
Windows 11 keeps icons in the order they were pinned.
Important notes
- This affects both upgrades and clean installs
- System Restore or reinstalling Windows will not change this
- Microsoft has not restored manual reordering so far
If you need Windows 10–style behavior, a third-party taskbar tool is currently the only workaround.
I have just finished a windows 11 pro 64 bit clean installation (20 July 2026) and there is not an issue with 'drag-and-drop' icons on my taskbar. So your information about that is obviously wrong.
I am going to check the taskbar after every software re-install to see if that has affected the taskbar dra-and-drop. This is why I re-installed windows - to try and find out what (nasty) piece of software is causing that issue. And if i discover it, I'll post an update on here.
Regards.