Windows 11 is testing a new “Show taskbar previews as” option that swaps the thumbnail you see when hovering over a taskbar app for a compact list of window titles, an idea Windows XP used more than two decades ago. The Experimental build also adds a Mobile devices tile to Quick Settings, so you can turn on Do Not Disturb, silence, or ring a linked Android phone from your PC without opening Phone Link.
Both features are hidden in the Windows Insider Experimental channel for now, and I turned them on in Build 26340.9596 on my test PC, linked my Android phone, and switched between the old and new views. As someone who regularly keeps many apps open, the taskbar change is the one I wanted to try first.
Windows 11 tests a list view for taskbar previews
The first feature is a welcome addition to Microsoft’s taskbar improvements by giving you more control over what appears when you hover over an app icon. As you’d know, Windows 11 normally shows thumbnail previews of the windows associated with that app, but the new option will let you replace those previews with a compact list of window titles.
You will be able to choose the layout in Taskbar settings under the “Show taskbar previews as” option. I wish we had a flyout menu to directly view Taskbar settings by right-clicking the taskbar. That said, the ability to choose the view that best suits the way you work can make you feel more productive, just like vertical taskbars.
The option appears under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, between “Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels” and “Show smaller app icons.” The dropdown has Thumbnail and List, with the former being the default. A few rows above is the toggle Microsoft added earlier this year to let AI assistants see your open apps.
Taskbar list view vs thumbnail previews
With List selected, hovering over an open window on the taskbar shows a slim row with the app icon and the window title. To test it, I opened the About Windows dialog (winver), and the hover card just showed “About Windows.” When I switched back to Thumbnail, hovering over it brought up the usual live preview of the dialog with its title on top.
As you might’ve guessed, the choice could be useful when you have several windows open in one app. Thumbnail previews show a visual snapshot and work well when each window looks noticeably different, while a text-based list can make better use of space and may be easier to scan when many windows are open. Instead of moving across several large previews, you can use the window titles to identify the one you need.
I also like that the list hides what’s inside a window. If you hover over the taskbar while presenting your screen in a meeting, a title gives away far less than a live preview of your inbox.
Windows XP showed grouped windows as a list first
If the list looks familiar, Windows XP did it first. XP introduced taskbar grouping, which combined buttons from one app into a single button when the taskbar got crowded, and clicking that grouped button opened a menu listing every window by its title. There were no previews back then, as live taskbar thumbnails only arrived with Windows Vista and its Aero look.
Windows 7 kept the list as a fallback. Its taskbar showed thumbnails by default but switched to a list when an app had too many windows to fit on screen, or when you used a Basic or High Contrast theme. Power users could even force list mode with a NumThumbnails registry value, but the trick stopped working in Windows 11 version 24H2.
Ironically, Microsoft seems to be having a Windows XP moment lately. Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri recently said 3D Pinball is on the list of things Microsoft will think about for Windows 11, and the company has also explained how Windows XP tricked broken apps into working. If you think about it, the return of the movable taskbar and now a list view, it looks like Windows 11 keeps bringing back options older versions already had.
Windows 11 Quick Settings gets a Mobile devices tile for your phone
The second feature adds a Mobile devices control to Windows 11 Quick Settings, giving you faster access to a linked Android phone from the taskbar. It shows up in the Windows key + A panel, so you can use common phone controls without opening Phone Link or searching through the Settings app.
Once a phone is linked, the tile takes the phone’s name, which is “Gareth’s A26” in my case. Clicking the arrow opens a Mobile devices page that lists your linked phones, with a “More mobile device settings” link and a plus button at the bottom.
Ring your phone or turn on Do Not Disturb from the PC
Selecting the phone expands three buttons: Do Not Disturb, Volume and Play sound, along with an On toggle and a shortcut icon next to the phone’s name. In the current preview, you can turn Do Not Disturb on or off, control the phone’s ringer, and play a sound to help find a misplaced phone. I can see myself using these controls on a busy workday, as they can silence or locate my phone in only a couple of clicks.
Phone Link already offers these controls, but you have to open the app first. Putting them in Quick Settings makes more sense to me, because the PC’s own volume slider and Do Not Disturb are in that panel too. I expect Play sound to get the most use, because phones have a habit of slipping between sofa cushions or under paperwork!
Microsoft is also working the other way around, with Link to Windows set to shut down or restart your PC from your phone.
What you see when no phone is linked or Mobile devices is off
Without a linked phone, the tile simply shows “Mobile devices,” and the page shows “No mobile devices” with a note to connect one in Settings.
If you have not already connected a phone, the Quick Settings experience also lets you add one by opening the Add device dialog. It includes a link to the Mobile devices page in Settings as well, making it easy to move from the compact controls to the full set of device-management options.
The “Add a device” window asks you to choose between Android and iPhone. Mobile devices work with both, but I tested the controls with an Android phone, so I can’t confirm if iPhone owners get them too.
If you’ve turned off Mobile devices on the PC, the tile turns grey, and the page shows “Mobile devices is turned off,” with a prompt to switch it back on in Settings. It tells you why cross-device features stopped working instead of leaving you to guess.
How to enable the taskbar list view and Mobile devices tile
The features are currently hidden in Windows 11 build 26340.9577 in the Experimental channel. Microsoft didn’t list either of them in the release notes for build 26340.9577 on September 25 or build 26340.9596 on October 2. As with other experimental Windows features, Microsoft may change their design or capabilities.
If you’re on one of those builds, you can turn them on with ViveTool:
- Download ViveTool from its GitHub page and extract it to a folder.
- Open Command Prompt as administrator and go to that folder.
- Run vivetool /enable /id:62932453 for the taskbar list view.
- Run vivetool /enable /id:62103454 for the Mobile devices tile.
- Restart your PC, then pick List under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Show taskbar previews as.
Hidden features can be buggy, so I’d only try them on a test PC.
Small changes Windows 11 should have had earlier
These two features may get dismissed for not being revolutionary in any way. However, my take is that both show Microsoft focusing on the small frustrations that can interrupt a busy workflow. Also, Microsoft clearly wants you to use your PC for “phone tasks” instead of reaching for that distraction slab.
Of the two features, the Mobile devices Quick Setting is the one I am most looking forward to. Being able to manage my linked phone from almost anywhere in Windows should make the connection feel more convenient and useful in everyday use.
Still, a list of window titles was a standard part of Windows XP, and it took Windows 11 five years to offer it as a choice. I hope both features reach everyone instead of quietly disappearing from the Experimental channel, as some Experimental features have done before.
