How to Move the Taskbar in Windows 11

As one of the UI changes to the home screen in Windows 11, Microsoft has made the taskbar icons centered by default. The centered alignment of the “Start” button and taskbar icons addresses a design problem for large monitor and tablet users. The previous layout meant they needed to “travel” to interact with the start button.

Luckily, it doesn’t need to stay in the middle. If you prefer to have the icons on the far left, read on to learn how to reposition them.

As for moving the entire Start Menu to the right, left, or top, it is not possible, at least not directly.

Note: There currently is no built-in way to move the taskbar icons to the right within the bottom area. Any registry hacks or other methods to do it render the taskbar unreliable or partially unusable.

How to Move the Taskbar Icons to the Left

Follow these steps to move the taskbar icons to the bottom left:

1. Launch Windows 11 and right-click on the taskbar.
   
2. From the pop-up menu, select Taskbar Settings.
   
3. Locate the Taskbar behaviors section and choose Taskbar alignment.
   
4. Set the alignment to Left.
   

How to Move the Taskbar to the Top, Left, or Right of the Screen

As previously mentioned, there is no direct way in Windows 11 to move the entire taskbar. There was a registry hack that let you change the taskbar’s location, but it got removed in the 2022 Windows 22H2 build. You can also move the taskbar to the top of the screen. Here’s how:

1. Hit the Windows +R keys and type regedit in the search box.
   
2. In the location address field, enter the following:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3
   
3. Double-click on Settings, then double-click on the 03 cell and change it to 01, then click OK.
   
4. Once you restart Windows, your taskbar will be at the top of the screen.

How to Move the Taskbar to a Second Monitor

Using multiple monitors lets you decide which one to position your taskbar on. Here are the steps:

1. Hit the Windows + I keys to launch Settings.
   
2. Navigate to System and Display.
   
3. From the Settings panel, select the second monitor.
4. Next, expand the Multiple displays section.
5. Check the Make this my main display checkbox.
6. Then back on the home screen, right-click the taskbar to uncheck the Lock the taskbar option.
7. Lastly, select and hold the taskbar to drag it to your second monitor.

Windows 11 How to Change the Background

You can customize the background by setting a different background image, choosing a solid color, or configuring a sideshow; next up are the steps:

To change your desktop wallpaper:

1. Choose Settings then Personalization.
   
2. On the right, select the Background page.
   
3. Then from the Personalize your background option, choose Picture.
   
4. Click on the Browse photos button.
   
5. Choose the image you wish to use as your desktop background.
   
6. Click Choose picture, and it will be displayed as your background.
   

To set up a solid desktop color:

1. Go to Settings, Personalization, then choose the Background page.
   
2. At the Personalize your background setting, select the Solid color option.
   
3. Choose your background color.
   
4. Alternatively, to create your shade of color, select Custom colors and click the View colors button.
   
5. Create a custom color, then hit Done. The solid color you choose will display.
   

To set up a desktop slideshow:

1. Go to Settings and select Personalization.
   
2. Choose Background on the right.
   
3. At Personalize your background, choose the Slideshow option, then Browse.
   
4. Choose the folder with the images you want to show in your slide show, and select the Choose this folder button.
   
5. Then decide how often the pictures should rotate by choosing an option from the Change picture every setting.
   
6. Once you’re happy with your settings, the desktop will rotate your images on the desktop using your chosen intervals.

FAQs

How do I change the size of the desktop icons in Windows 11?

Here are the steps to resize your desktop icons in Windows 11:

1. Click anywhere on your desktop, then select View.

2. Select the size from the View menu, which will be applied immediately.

How do I pin an icon to the taskbar?

Follow these steps to pin an icon to your taskbar:

1. Right-click on the app before launching it, then select Pin to taskbar.

2. After launching the app, right-click on it via the taskbar.

3. Select Pin to taskbar from the options.

4. To unpin it, right-click the app via the taskbar, then select Unpin from the taskbar.

How do I hide buttons on the taskbar?

Follow these steps if you want to hide default taskbar buttons such as Search, Task View, Widgets, and Chats:.

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings.

2. From Taskbar items, beside a taskbar button, you can toggle the slider on or off to show or hide the button.

To customize which icons appear in the taskbar corner and which are hidden in the taskbar overflow menu:

1. Head to the Taskbar corner overflow section.

2. Then toggle the slider beside the icon you want to show or hide, on or off.

How do I customize how the taskbar behaves?

There are many options in the “Taskbar behaviors” section to customize how your taskbar behaves. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click on the taskbar, select Taskbar, and then Settings from the pop-up menu.

2. Find the Taskbar behaviors section, and there you’ll have the following options:

• Taskbar alignment

• Automatically hide the taskbar

• Show badges (unread messages counter) on taskbar apps

• Show my taskbar on all displays

• Select the far corner of the taskbar to show the desktop

3. Use the toggle slider beside a behavior to enable or disable it.

How do I change the color of the taskbar?

Follow these steps to change the color of the taskbar:

1. Navigate to Start, Settings, Personalization, then Colors.

2. Choose Accent color, then activate Show accent color on Start and taskbar.

3. If that option is grayed out, go to Choose your mode and use the drop-down menu to change it to Dark.

4. Alternatively, change the mode to Custom and then at Choose your default Windows mode set to Dark.

Personalizing Windows 11

Microsoft’s latest OS resembles the Apple home screen with its center-aligned taskbar. Luckily, if you prefer the taskbar on the left of the screen, you can move it there. However, changing the size of your taskbar icons is not as straightforward as Windows 10, and you’ll need to change them in the Registry. Windows 11 offers many customization options, so hopefully, you’ll have fun trying out different UI looks.

How are you finding Windows 11 so far? What do you like and dislike about it? Tell us all about your Windows 11 experience in the comments section below.