Forum Discussion
Windows 11 taskbar labels
I was eager to install the official Windows 11 release today, however upon reading first I noticed that ungrouping taskbar icons / showing labels is not available anymore in Windows 11.
Why the heck would you remove such a useful feature? This is the only thing preventing me from installing Windows 11. Will this feature come back?
Might as well stick with Windows 10 until it sees its return (if ever). Solving this with third party tools is a no go.
It looks like the perfect way - but it doesn't work here. I set the value to 2 and after restart and then checking it was set to 2 - but still no labels. Do you have any ideas? aBuntobox
My problem is I HATE that the labels are required. And there is no longer an option for small icons. I have had 10 or more windows open at a time and really prefer to hover over the icon to get the one I want.
Not happy you can't make the taskbar taller for two rows.
Not sure why they took away the options and gave us only 3. Still trying to figure out how to make it work. I'm not nearly as savvy as @bentobox to do what they did, so I really want to have more options.
And on top of it, eventually they'll get rid of Windows 10 and I'd have to move forward anyway.
- Completely agree. Windows 11 needs to use taskbar labels like Windows 10 did. We need it for work and private use as well. The above post was dated back to Oct 2021. In Aug 2023 the issue still has not been solved!
Re: How to let windows 11 "never combine taskbar buttons"? - Page 57 - Microsoft Community Hub
Finally - good news for everyone!
- Is this lack been fixed?
I'm used to Win10 in desktop pc but today I bought a laptop with Win11 preinstalled and the second thing after aligning the icons on the left has been trying to read the **bleep** app titles, most of the taskbar is empty with a couple of icons all grouped on the left.
Chrome, I can't read the page title.
PhpStorm sessions, I can't read project titles to fast switch between them.
SublimeText, likewise.
PuTTY sessions, likewise.
This lack is slowing me down terribly, please tell me there is some tweak available.MS will never fix it. You need 3rd party like startallback (a few dollars or a nag screen but does more stuff) or the free classic shell or open shell (can't remember which is the new name), which is totally free but misses out on a few features.
I get a proper start menu and taskbar, the good old days:
Photo insertion is broken in this forum (like everything else), you'll have to click the link.- Ok thanks.
I don't mind the new Start tbh, just the taskbar.
- This is particularly infuriating if you're visually impaired, because I needed that text to see what I was clicking instead of trying to identify the tiny icons. Instead of having the text across the entire bottom, it's all condensed into one corner... and thus it's wasting all the space at the bottom. This is the sort of behavior that makes me start looking into alternative operating systems.
Funny enough, there is now third party software to restore the functionality they stripped out.RobertPatrician Startallback (free but with a minor pestering dialog on startup, and a frowning face on the start menu, or just pay a few dollars) returns the taskbar and start menu to any version of windows you like and puts back in all the customisations. I dislike the modern way. I do things simply. To start a program, I use the most recent apps in the start menu (I set it to 15 of them), anything not on there, I just start typing the name. The taskbar is not for icons, it's for running programs, with labels written in English, why should I remember the icon for every single program I use? Why should I not be able to tell if it's a link or a running program? As for the desktop, just like a real desk, I use that for temporary things only. No icons plastered all over it to start programs, which I can't see if there's a program running full screen!
sunnyrio Difficulty is that I"m on a government laptop. We can't just "go install some software" and it's a very hard sell to get something like StartAllBack installed. I'd gladly pay $20 right now to get my taskbar back, but it's just not an option.
- Start with the most public social media routes first. Below is a list. Feel free to add individual/prominent windows devs if you find them.
Twitter
@Windows
Pernille-Eskebo
@MSFTnews
@MSdev
@WindowsAU
@WindowsCanada
@Windows_Japan
@MicrosoftIPC
@Lurie_MSFT
@WindowsDocs
@WindowsFrance
Instagram
@windows
Pernille-Eskebo
@microsoftanz
microsoftdeveloper
@windowsdeveloper
Facebook
@windowsdeveloper
@WindowsInsiderProgram
@windowsanz
microsoftdeveloper
Would be great to see if Dave Plummer of youtube "dave's garage" fame has much pull or connections still at MS @davepl1968 Why should we use 3rd party stuff?
It's been a feature since 5ever and it is the most liked topic on here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-insider-program/how-to-let-windows-11-quot-never-combine-taskbar-buttons-quot/m-p/2513043
And as Zayshaa mentioned before, the vast majority of business users can't just add 3rd party applications on a whim, they need their IT departments to allow it. It isn't just because some sys admin wants to be a dikk. Licencing, security risk and sometimes simply having to support another application is enough for many IT departments to just not worry about it, it isn't worth the hassle in their eyes.
Tablets, phones and PCs are fundamentally different devices and trying to shoehorn interfaces without opening up the ability to customise things where they don't belong just doesn't work.
Why can't I:
1: change the size of my taskbar tiles?
2: ungroup taskbar tiles?
3: change the look of taskbar tiles so they look like win10 application "bars"Yes it should be part of the OS. No it's not much harder to add a 3rd party program. I've worked as an admin for 11 years and I was never a dikk. Somebody wanted something installed, I installed it, in fact I let most users install their own stuff. Sometimes I'd change everyone's wallpaper to something rude or scary for a laugh. A serious working environment makes people bored and not work so hard - the Google head office has slides between floors! And I customize my phone with 3rd party stuff just as easily.
Right, ya. Dont hold microsoft to any kind of standard where they dont remove productivit and accessibility features arbitrarily forcing people to seek replacement. Also note, not everyone uses computers they own and are at the disposal of their employer. They may not have the option to stick with 10 or install 3rd party utilities and are just forced to take the hit.
I hate MS removing features. But I just add them back with 3rd party programs. If it's not his computer he should have said so, and anyway that would probably prevent changing of Windows settings. Or he could just ask the admin to stop being a dikk.
- I logged a ticket with Microsoft about this problem and being on the spectrum and working with separated taskbar windows now having to change to combined locked in like Apple jail experience is a huighe disorienting experience for me.
I guess Microsoft doesn't care about people with disability because I was listened to for 30 minutes and they said to go back to Win 10 - they cant change or add options in Win 11. I guess Windows just copies MacOS taskbar these days. Total joke
Then if I have to deal with the combined mishmash then at the very least give me a setting in taskbar settings to adjust the font size of the name tags inside the combined group of windows as the text is tiny. And no - I cant increase font for the whole OS because I need it full res for everything else.
Wasted pointless time being pretended to by support team that they care about people with disability and then being told by win 11 development team that its not gonna happen. Apple has gotten into the minds of Windows developers. Windows used to be good now its just copying MacOS.
MacOS is great if you like that style and I support that for those that want it. I personally prefer the Windows productivity experience.
I have also lost the ability to create mini icon group in taskbar from a custom folder. Have to pin everything in start with 4 pages worth of pinned icons. Its nuts and slows me down and hard to adjust. Other aspies out there - are you experiencing similar problems with this changes in Win 11?CyberkiteI've said this several times before so forgive the repeat. In short, **bleep** Microsoft and load Explorer Patcher. Life is good without having to **bleep** to morons like short-sighted Microsoft_shitheads who refuse to even explain their reasoning. Assholes.
