Microsoft has already confirmed it’s working on a movable taskbar for Windows 11, and it will be similar to what we had on Windows 10. Now, some users argued that the feature would take months to ship, largely because of the company’s reputation. But as I reported, Microsoft is serious about meeting deadlines, and the movable taskbar is finally here.
Microsoft is internally testing the movable taskbar, and I’m told that it’s almost ready for Windows Insider rollout. Ahead of the rollout, an engineer at Microsoft shared a video on X showing an early version of the movable taskbar. While the video has already been deleted, I saved a copy, and you can watch it below.
Now, it’s important to note a few things here.
First, this video was captured in a virtual machine running an internal build of Windows 11, so it’s rough, including the animations and how the right-click menu opens. Second, the right-click menu where you see the “move” buttons is only for debugging. You’ll be able to move the taskbar from Windows Settings.
Microsoft told me that the right-click menu looks out of place in this video or other screenshots floating on the internet because it’s used internally to quickly debug the movable taskbar.
Microsoft has promised to ship major improvements for Windows 11 every month throughout the year, and the movable taskbar is the number one priority.
Microsoft is testing a resizable taskbar for Windows 11
Windows 11 is not the best operating system from Microsoft, and there are hundreds of feedback posts or complaints with thousands of upvotes, but two requests stand out the most.
The first is the movable taskbar, which was dropped with the release of Windows 11 in 2021, as Microsoft focused on what truly matters. The second most-requested feature is the ability to resize the taskbar or make it smaller.
Microsoft executives have already confirmed that a smaller taskbar is in the works, and it will be similar to Windows 10’s version.
Now, we’ve seen an internal build where you can resize the taskbar, similar to how you could do it on Windows 10.
For those unaware, Windows 11 already has a smaller taskbar buttons feature, but it doesn’t work in the same way as it did on Windows 10.
If you go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and expand Taskbar behaviors, you will notice a toggle “Show smaller taskbar buttons,” but it only makes the icons smaller, not the taskbar.
Right now, you can only make the icons smaller. Now, Microsoft will let you change the size of the taskbar as well. This feature is being internally tested.
Moreover, we’ve heard that Microsoft is looking into feedback that demands the ability to change the size of the Start menu. After recent Windows updates, the Start menu has a new layout, which is mostly fine, but our only complaint is that it looks huge on PCs with low resolution. If the feedback is approved, you may be able to resize the Start UI, too.
As part of a major Windows release in 2026, Microsoft has already confirmed that it plans to move the Start menu to WinUI from React Native, upgrade dark mode, replace legacy dialogs with WinUI, make File Explorer faster, and even let you pause Windows updates for longer than five weeks.
All these improvements will begin shipping soon and continue to roll out throughout the year.
What is your wishlist for Windows 11? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll forward everything to Microsoft.
