Reports are circulating that Microsoft is working on a fully movable Taskbar, one that can be moved to the top, bottom, left, and right edges. For years, a movable Taskbar has been standard in Windows, but that all changed with the release of Windows 11.
The reason behind the fixed-position Taskbar in Windows 11 is because it was ported over from the scrapped Windows X mobile operating system project. Microsoft invested heavily in Windows X and, when it was scrapped, needed to justify all that expenditure, so certain UI elements from Windows X were ported into Windows 11, including the fixed-position Taskbar.
I must stress that this is all conjecture at the moment; nothing has been definitely confirmed. The story is based on a recent article from Windows Central, which states that the information is coming from “sources who are familiar with Microsoft’s plans“.
That is pretty vague, but I do believe there would be some credence to it. Microsoft has been reeling from the sheer weight of negative feedback, especially since the disastrous quote from a Microsoft exec that Windows 11 would evolve into an “Agentic AI”.
It’s been a horrific period for Microsoft, and the company is badly in need of a win. Considering a moveable Taskbar has been one of the most often requested features, with near enough to 25,000 requests to date, a moveable Taskbar would almost certainly go some way to repairing the damage.
According to Windows Central’s source, Microsoft is already working on the revamped movable Taskbar, and it is expected to be ready sometime over the (US) summer.
Windows 11 New Feature Request
I have a suggestion for Microsoft: if you really want to introduce a useful feature that is likely to find favor with Windows 11 users, you need to consider implementing a native image backup feature.
The Linux distro Bazzite, recently reviewed by Marc Thomas, does include an automatic image backup feature. And, if the comparatively small Bazzite development team can do it, then for Microsoft, with all its resources, it should be a breeze.
I envisage an image backup feature that automatically creates backups at user-defined intervals. Goodness knows, it’s about time the ancient and unreliable System Restore feature was replaced with something far more effective and reliable.
What new feature do you think might help resurrect Microsoft’s and Windows 11’s reputation? Let us know via the comments.
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I don’t need to wait till summer. I already have a movable taskbar – on my Windows 10, which I will not be without..problem solved!
I also use Acronis for image backups. So, don’t need any funky reinvention of the wheel.
Jim, I regularly use my iPhone 13 to read DCT. As you can imagine in portrait mode it’s almost illegible. Turning to landscape and stretching the text helps a bunch. Many times the DCT banner takes up about 20% of my screen. Is there a setting that reduce or eliminate the DCT banner? I know I’m reading a DCT article, I don’t need to be reminded that it’s a DCT article. I have same pet peeve with my TV network news. I’m watching the news and they’re using news time to promote the news anchor! To what purpose? Love your articles and leave to you and yours.
Hey Larry,
By “Banner” I assume you mean the menu across the top of each page. I have no idea how customizable that might be, but I’ll check with the boss (Dave).
Great to hear you enjoy reading our articles, comments like yours make it all worthwhile.
Cheers mate… Jim
Hi Larry,
I think most browsers these days offer a “Reader View”. In Firefox, for example, F9 will eliminate most everything but the article proper, including the banner. I have no idea how to accomplish that on a phone, though.
Otherwise, as Jim said, we will be having ‘tea and biscuits” with Dave soon.
Richard
Most mobile browsers provide a clean reading mode. However, it’s my understanding that the onus is on websites to support that feature, and many don’t. So it’s pretty much hit and miss.
DCT supports it. I tried it and it works. Granted, that’s on my PC and not a phone.
Yes mate, pretty much all websites support the feature in browsers for PC. But we are talking browsers for mobile devices.
Thanks Jim
Pardon me for not getting too excited about the sheer wondrous possibility of a moveable taskbar for Windows 11 – that we used to have anyway in previous Windows versions. Back to the future with Redmond it seems ! Whether we ever do have one or not mine will remain firmly “bottom left” in any case. No doubt it will all be connected to helpful Ai slop thats going to infect our every move – an evil “Clippy” on steroids !
Yes I do agree that a fully functional imaging program built-in would be useful but Negative Ninny here wonders just how long it will take before we could fully place our faith in it. As you said most of us have already learned from past experience from the System Restore “magic” that only works right up until the day you actually need it ! I’ve been paying for a Macrium subscription for my two machines despite my initial reluctance to go down the subscription route on any software. I have to justify it the same way I do my annual insurance premium. So if Microsoft can ever get it together and save me that ongoing cost (and be 100% reliable doing it) then I’ll be in – after I safely put it through it’s paces with a Macrium image standing by. No doubt for a while I’ll be sitting back waiting and watching for the early adopter inevitable horror stories of those who tried to use it, found it didn’t work and lost the lot !
Coming to you from behind a cobbled together, creaking VPN in China with a Canadian IP as Dave’s Computer Tips is clearly a threat to the CCP and would otherwise be blocked and unwatchable here ! I don’t usually type my DCT responses on a phone but yes, like Larry, am fighting the big floating Dave’s Computer Tips banner over my phone screen real estate !
Cheers and may your rice bowls always be full !
Reg
Hey Reg,
Personally, I quite like the Taskbar at center bottom of the screen. However, there are plenty of users, especially those with multi-monitor setups, for whom a moveable Taskbar is an essential feature.
Apparently, the static Taskbar doesn’t function properly across multiple monitors.
Cheers mate, and travel safe.
I use my android cell mainly for calling not data browsing. However I just tried accessing DCT, and the DCT banner is very small on my cell. Do not know why Larry has problems, just wanted to say I do not have problems accessing DCT, Mindblower!