Windows 11 just randomly decided to forget my pinned taskbar apps

Losing every taskbar pin at once suggests that the taskbar layout was reset or overwritten, not that each application was uninstalled. First confirm the applications launch from Start, pin one test application, and sign out and back in. If it disappears, check Settings, Accounts, Access work or school and ask whether Intune, Group Policy, or a provisioning package deploys a taskbar layout. Microsoft documents that some deployment methods reapply the layout at policy refresh or whenever Explorer restarts, which can overwrite user changes. On an unmanaged PC, install Windows updates, run DISM followed by SFC, and test a new local user profile. If pins persist there, the original profile is damaged; migrate user data rather than deleting taskbar registry or cache data. If this happened only once after an update, re-pinning is reasonable. If it recurs, report the build, update history, and time through Feedback Hub.