Forum Discussion
How to let windows 11 "never combine taskbar buttons"?
- The November 2023 update added “never combined” mode on the taskbar for Windows 11. To find this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. Set Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels to Never. It also added a separate setting for turning this feature on for other taskbars when you use multiple monitors.
Please bring back never combine option otherwise it is very time consuming while I work with many windows. It is annoying too. It increases steps and decrease working rate.
There are two main ways to prevent Windows 11 from combining taskbar buttons:
User Settings (Recommended)
- Right-click on an empty area of the taskbarhttps://umactrackshipment.com/
- Select Taskbar settings.
- Scroll down to the Taskbar behaviors section.
- Under Taskbar buttons, use the dropdown menu and choose Never.
This is the simplest method and works for most users.
Using Registry Editor (Advanced Users):
This method is for advanced users comfortable editing the registry. Editing the registry can be risky, so proceed with caution.
Back up your registry (important).
Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
Type regedit and press Enter.
Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Look for a value named TaskbarGlomLevel.
If it doesn't exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named TaskbarGlomLevel.
Double-click TaskbarGlomLevel and set its value data to 2.
Open Task Manager.
Find Windows Explorer in the Processes tab.
Right-click Windows Explorer and select Restart.
This will force Windows Explorer to restart with the new setting applied.
Additional Notes:
- The registry method might be required for older versions of Windows 11 that don't have the "Never combine" option in Settings.
- If you use multiple monitors, you can also adjust the combine taskbar buttons setting specifically for those taskbars in the Settings menu.
- Hi everyone: we keep getting these posts about bring it back when as far as I know the latest win11 updates have the never combine option.
Do some versions of Win 11 still not have never combine?
One would think this is now a dead thread except for showing how long MS takes to fix customer concerns.
There is lots more wrong with win 11 go to or start other threads about the other faults.- I just noticed on my PC that I can select "Never" for combining taskbar buttons, but as some other have mentioned, it sure does take up fair amount of space. Either I've gotten used to seeing/working with hidden the taskbar buttons for all this time waiting for this fix, or it really does take up more footprint. I thought I would be overjoyed once this fix came to my device, but I've resorted back to hiding for now as I'm not used to seeing so many taskbar buttons open.
- Normally the tabs will reduce in size when the taskbar is full. Try filling the taskbar and see what happens.
If you want to prevent Windows 11 from combining taskbar buttons, here's how you can do it:
Right-Click on the Taskbar: Find an empty area on the taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen), right-click it.
Select Taskbar Settings: From the context menu that appears, select "Taskbar settings."
Scroll Down to "Taskbar Behaviors": In the Taskbar settings window, scroll down until you find the "Taskbar behaviors" section.
Change Taskbar Buttons Setting: Under "Taskbar buttons," you will see a dropdown menu. By default, it might be set to "Always, hide labels." Click on the dropdown and select "Never combine."
- There are two ways to let Windows 11 "never combine taskbar buttons":
1. **Using a third-party tool:** There are a number of third-party tools that can be used to change the behavior of the Windows 11 taskbar. One such tool is **Vive Tool**. Vive Tool can be used to enable the "never combine taskbar buttons" option. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Download and install Vive Tool.
2. Open Vive Tool.
3. Click on the "Taskbar" tab.
4. Check the box next to "Never combine taskbar buttons".
5. Click on the "Apply" button.
2. **Using the Windows 11 Insider Preview build:** Microsoft is currently testing a new feature in the Windows 11 Insider Preview build that allows users to "never combine taskbar buttons". To enable this feature, follow these steps:
1. Join the Windows 11 Insider Preview program.
2. Install the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build.
3. Open the Taskbar settings.
4. Under "Taskbar behaviors", uncheck the box next to "Combine taskbar buttons".
Once you have enabled the "never combine taskbar buttons" option, the taskbar buttons will no longer be combined into a single button when multiple instances of the same app are open. Instead, each instance of the app will have its own button on the taskbar.
