Unless you want to use at least two 3rd party apps, you can't... Microsoft Windows is not for power users anymore! I have 2 (VERY old) Linux machines and bought a new laptop with Windows 11... I used to prefer Windows for 99% of what I do... The Linux machines were for very technical tasks only.
I'll hold on to Windows 11 on my new laptop for another month or 2 in hopes that they AT LEAST fix the taskbar icon grouping issue, and hope they return more user options/settings to tweak the GUI, but for me, this is a deal-breaker and it seems likely I will be removing Windows from my new machine and installing Linux. Windows 7 was terrible in look and many functions but usable, 8 was quirky and not very good either - a slight improvement over 7, 10 was usable but oversimplified - fixed many of 8's issues but still very few user options, 11 is so oversimplified that it is nearly unusable... I would rather use Windows 98's OS/GUI or even XP/NT/2000 if it was compatible with my new hardware than Windows 11. There are many good reasons Apple isn't used for productivity, I would highly suggest Microsoft NOT imitate them.
I have already had to enter about 20 registry keys just to get back a few features that you should be able to turn on by simply going into Control Panel or Settings... nobody says you have to MAKE people turn these options on, but PLEASE, at least give them/us the OPTION to do so! Having to enter these has actually managed to make Windows LESS user friendly than Linux!!! Something I thought was impossible!
...Not to mention Windows 11 STILL feels Bulky/Heavy/Slow (just slightly faster than previous versions) and although my hardware is not a gaming machine, it is FAR from slow... but Windows 11 is like a heavy anchor, and it's lack user interface customization is like attaching a very short chain to that anchor... you can try, but you're not getting anywhere with this software!
Dear Microsoft,
Without the ability to UNGROUP taskbar icons/tasks even a Chromebook is just as good for productivity, and in the professional world, using a Chromebook for work is still a joke, but it and Google Docs are gaining ground... If you want to loose market-share to Android/Chromebook, Apple, Linux, and any other competition, this is how you do it... this is how you GIVE them (your competition) that ground, this is how you give away your user base to your competition, this is how you turn a versatile OS and an great GUI that works for average Joes AND power-users too into unproductive garbage. This is how you loose the tech race.
