Windows 11 doesn't have a configurable taskbar like it used to.
For example, the old and famous Start menu with adjustable live tiles is gone.
Second, the taskbar is now permanently pinned to the bottom of the screen, so if you're
used to placing it at the top of the screen or elsewhere, you'll be happy.
Some of these features may be restored by Microsoft in a future update of the new operating
system.
First, let's focus on how to customize the current taskbar in Windows 11.
I will show you also how to remove the chat icon from the taskbar, how to move the start
menu and icons on the left, and much more.
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The first thing we are going to discuss is how to pin an app to the taskbar on Windows
11
Pinning an app to the taskbar at the bottom can be a little — well, weird.
There are several ways to handle it:
While the program is running, an icon appears on the taskbar and a line below it indicates
that the program is active.
If you want the icon to remain on the taskbar after you close it, right-click the icon and
select Pin to Taskbar.
If the application is not open but the icon is on your desktop, you can also attach it
to the taskbar.
Right-click the icon from the desktop and click Show More Options.
A longer menu opens.
About two-thirds below will say "Pin to taskbar".
You can also click the Start icon, select the All Applications button, and right-click
the application you want.
Click on "Pin to taskbar".
You have added the software to the taskbar.
But how can you remove an app from the taskbar?
Most apps are simple to remove: just right-click on the icon and select “Unpin from taskbar.”
A few of the icons take a little more effort to remove.
The Start menu icon is, as might be expected, unremovable.
But there are four other icons that can’t be removed but can be hidden.
Let's see how you can Remove the Chat Icon From Windows 11 Taskbar.
This option works also for Search, Task view, and Widgets.
Windows 11 taskbar includes a Chat icon by default.
Clicking on the Chat icon brings up the Chat flyout, which shows your recent individual
and group conversations.
The Chat icon can be removed from the taskbar via the Settings app.
In addition to removing the Chat app, you can also completely uninstall the Microsoft
Teams app via the Settings app.
Click on the start menu.
Click on Settings.
On the left side of the Settings window, click Personalization.
On the right side, click Taskbar.
Now, on the right side, in the Taskbar items section, turn off the Chat option to remove
the Chat icon from Windows 11 taskbar immediately.
Now that you have removed the Chat icon from the taskbar, it’s time to uninstall Microsoft
Teams if you want.
Another way to customize your taskbar is to move your icons to the left
Those of us who have been using Windows 10 (or 7 or earlier iterations) are used to accessing
the Start menu from the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
If your muscle memory keeps your hand drifting to that corner, you can move the center app
icons so they are to your left instead.
To do this you will need again to get to the same screen like this one.
So Click on the start menu.
Click on Settings.
On the left side of the Settings window, click Personalization.
On the right side, click Taskbar.
Select “Taskbar behaviors.”
Look for “Taskbar alignment” and click on the button on the right where it says “Center.”
Select “Left” instead.
Close the settings window, and you’ll see that the app icons in the taskbar have moved
to the left, with the Start menu icon in the corner.
Incidentally, the “Taskbar behaviors” section of the settings lets you do more than
move your icons to the left.
It also lets you automatically hide the taskbar (something that’s been a taskbar behavior
for a very long time); show a badge on taskbar apps to let you know if, say, you have any
unread messages; handle how the taskbar works on multiple displays; and show a clean desktop
by clicking on the far right corner of the taskbar.
TASKBAR CORNER ICONS AND OVERFLOW While the taskbar corner icons and the overflow
window aren’t new, I never actually knew what they were called before.
Turns out the corner icons are the icons in the right corner of the taskbar — the ones
that show the time and date, your battery status, your volume level, and your Wi-Fi
status, among other things.
The overflow is the little pop-up menu that appears when you select the arrow to the left
of those corner icons.
For the most part, the icons in the overflow window are meant to notify you when there
is something that needs to be done — messages that have arrived or an update that is needed.
This is also handy for apps, like Discord, that tends to run in the background; you can
shut them down easily from the overflow by right-clicking on the icon and looking for
the “quit” selection.
Most corner icons that come with Windows are permanent, but some (especially the pen menu,
touchpad, and virtual touchpad) can be hidden.
They can be found on the same taskbar settings menu that lets us move the icons to the left;
just click on “Taskbar corner icons” and toggle off the ones you don’t want to see.
An important part of the taskbar is the start menu.
Let's see how we can pin to Start Menu in Windows 11 different apps, folders, and even
files.
What does pin to Start mean in Windows 11?
To answer the question “What is Pin to Start?”, just open the Windows 11 Start Menu.
The Pinned section is shown under the Search field and lets you quickly access your favorite
apps.
In Windows 11, you can add the icons you need to the Pinned section.
When you right-click or press-and-hold on certain items, you can find the Pin to Start
option in the subsequent contextual menu.
You can easily pin any app to the Windows 11 Start Menu, whether it’s one you downloaded
from the internet or the Microsoft Store.
Open the Start Menu and click or tap on the All apps button in the upper-right area.
Then, scroll through the alphabetical list of apps until you find the one you want.
Right-click or press-and-hold on it to open the contextual menu, and click or tap on “Pin
to Start.”
Certain apps create a folder with the same name in the All apps list.
Open the folder, right-click or press-and-hold on the app, and then click or tap on the “Pin
to Start” option.
In Windows 11, some programs, such as Command Prompt, do not appear in all programs.
Search for the program and right-click or hold down the result to see the Start Pin
option.
Another option is to click or tap Start with Pin in the right section.
If you have a desktop shortcut available for your application, you can also right-click
or long-press to open the context menu and click or tap Pin and Start.
You can also do it for the Recycle Bin.
Another way to attach the program to the Start menu is to use the executable context menu.
You can open File Explorer and navigate to the location where the application was installed
or saved.
Then right-click or long-press the EXE file to open the context menu, then click or tap
Pin to Start.
How to pin to Start folders, drives, and other locations from File Explorer
Whether it's a folder, slide, device, or any other location on your Windows 11 computer,
your favorite location is always immediately available.
Find the folder you want to pin, right-click or long-click, and click or tap "Pin to Start".
Any locations in the Quick access menu are just as easily pinned to Start Menu, including
This PC, Network, and even Quick access.
You can also use File Explorer to find and pin network computers, shared folders, devices
and drives, and more.
Just right-click or press-and-hold on the item you want in the Start Menu, and then
click or tap on “Pin to Start” from its contextual menu.
How to pin a file to Start Menu in Windows 11
Most files do not have a "Pin to Start" option in the context menu.
However, there are available solutions that work for other items without pin options.
Find the file you want to pin, right-click or long-press to open the context menu, and
click "Show More Options" at the bottom.
This opens another contextual menu.
Go to Send to and then click or tap on “Desktop (create shortcut).”
A shortcut for that file is added to the Windows 11 desktop.
You can rename it to anything you want.
The next step is navigating to the location where Windows 11 saves Start Menu shortcuts.
You can insert or copy & paste the following into File Explorer’s address bar:
C:\Users\[user account]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
OR %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
Replace [user account] with your Windows 11 account and press Enter.
Next, cut and paste the desktop shortcut you created earlier into the Programs folder.
Open the Start Menu, click or tap on the All apps button (check the previous chapter about
pinning apps for more details), and find your shortcut in the list.
Then, right-click or press-and-hold on it and click or tap on “Pin to Start.”
You can now see your shortcut displayed in the pinned section.
Click or tap on it to open the corresponding file.
Also please remember that you can drag and drop your pinned apps to have first the most
frequently used.
These are a few tips and tricks to use the new Taskbar on Windows 11.
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