Forum Discussion
Windows 11 Start and Taskbar feedback
Got nothing against that the start menu is simplified, but I still dislike to be forced scrolling trough app pages like on an iPad/Chromebook.
On Windows 10 all pins could be displayed on a glance and sorted into groups, now the same amount of apps take 3 pages, not very desktop friendly.
Big tiles like on the Windows 10 start menu also work better for people who are visually and fine-motor control challenged.
Small stuff is hard to select with a Tobii and hands that are very hard to control.
Does Microsoft even know that Windows is used on communication devices for people with disabilities?
Making the taskbar unmovable is another minus.
We got an 85" CTOUCH display where it the taskbar is moved to the top of the screen, that to prevent that certain kids (with disabilities) can mess around with it.
Not quite sure why Microsoft felt the need to dictate where the taskbar should be either.
I would like to see that such features are optional, at least to meet accessibility.
- Another big issue is the lack of application titles. Having 4 screens, it's impossible to work things anymore. All I see is an icon with a barely visible dash at the bottom to indicate the app is open. Why on earth remove the app titles? I work with 4-5 VS projects open at once, as well as multiple other apps open at once, and it's a complete pain to track them in W11. That alone was enough to revert to W10
- Unmovable taskbar is not just a minus in my opinion but it's a huge leap backwards. Overall the discrepancy with the customizations and flexibility when using the taskbar is a disaster...
Microsoft absolutely must make quick changes on the Taskbar and Start to give people the ability to use it as it suits them best.
I personally find the new Start fine. I never did quite use it as much, but the Taskbar locked at the bottom is just breaking my heart! Is it just me that finds the idea of opening some useable space from vertically? Most webpages have a huge blank spaces on the left and right side and some content in the middle and if you put the Taskbar on the sides you just get to view a few inches more content than you would if you keep it at the bottom or top.
Also I can't find a way to stop the taskbar from stacking windows together. It's much harder to find what I'm trying to open and so annoying to have to hover the mouse and than wait for it to show the windows than to hover on top of each one to see what they are and the titles of the windows are just too small on the preview. If I have them all shown on the task bar separately I can find what I need faster and it's much easier...
Bring back the options that we have in windows 10... These things are just basic necessities that everyone is used to using more or less.- I've been a Microsoft user since the days of MS-DOS 5.0 and have witnessed the company's evolution firsthand. Lately, though, with the advent of Windows 10 and 11, I've noticed a troubling pattern: the move towards an interface that emphasizes more whitespace, larger icons, and less customization. It seems there's a push to align Windows with the aesthetics of macOS, which is puzzling to me.
As someone deeply experienced in end-user interface design, I'm genuinely surprised by Microsoft's recent UI changes, which often disregard user preferences and remove established functionalities. It appears that changes are being made for the sake of change, rather than necessity or user demand. The old adage of "if it's not broken, don't fix it" comes to mind – users should be given choices, not have them taken away.
Take the Windows 11 taskbar, for example. It used to offer features like quick launch and multiple lines, all within a simple and efficient layout. Now, it's been stripped down to an unrecognizable state, filled with unused space and unnecessarily large icons. To make matters worse, even the latest Canary build seems to block third-party modifications that could restore its utility. This move away from a functional design is disappointing and, frankly, inexplicable.
Here are some suggestions in the Feedback Hub for people for people who prefer the Windows 10 start menu to upvote:
I agree with your opinion and upvote this.
some additions from my side
I feel there should be an option for customization as you suggested earlier because I feel that the windows community is the one that wants things to be customized according to the user and not the tech giants as seen in other OS apart from windows. secondly I would like that the resizing of the task bar should be brought back as it was something that helps us personalise the whole desktop as it was a very personal thing to do according to preference Joerg_Baermann
Using Start11 does allow some customization that should be there by default, how hard can it be for Microsoft to have default options like that or better?
Heck, even Linux is way more flexible when it comes to GUI options.
- Microsoft, why did you not include showing the clock and former action center on all monitors? Gggrrrr!
Please add this back. - Just updated my PCs to Windows 11 and already regret it. I think it's fine to try new things when creating a new OS, but I don't see why it's so hard to leave the old options available to users. I set up some PCs in recent years and really learned to love the Windows 10 start menu. Why is there no oprtion to go back to that? Widgets is no alternative, as it seems impossible to deactivate the "Headlines" spam, which IMO shouldn't be part of a OS UI at all. If I need news from the web, I use a browser...
All that said, a new OS in 2021 should make a high degree of UI individualisation possible. Windows 10 does the opposite at the moment. Hope Microsoft alleviates this, and fast. - I think resizable taskbar and resizable start menu are a must have on every windows version. After experiencing this I absolutely love windows 10 if windows 11 doesnt add these features I dont see myself updating to windows 11
- I agree with the comments about the taskbar. I will go further to say that the ability to re-locate the taskbar is an essential part of my screen organization for work and home. In fact, this was so important that it is the first item I tried to reset when I installed Windows 11. Also, when I saw there was no way to adjust the taskbar location, I almost reversed the installation right then. If Microsoft is going to continue going down the path of having utilities that have been on their OS for many flavors and removing them with no warning or easy setting adjustment, it may be time to go to a different OS. It will be inconvenient, but this approach of just getting rid of apps that have become almost indispensable is heavy-handed and not acceptable to me.
Biggest drawback for me is that in Windows 11 you can't drag file over app icon on taskbar which bring that app window in front (if app was running).
It was one of my crucial tasbar functions for my workflow since windows 7 and now its gone which makes me frustrated each time I still try to do it.
