Adapting to new things is irritating sometimes and the same applies to Windows 11 users, who may not like the changes that Microsoft has made to the Taskbar, Start Menu, and File Explorer.
However, a blog shared that they could be fixed and feel much more like Windows 10 with a few tweaks and the help of some add-on tools.
Taskbar Icons
The first and most obvious change when booting up Windows 11 is Microsoft’s decision to center taskbar icons and it could be fixed by right-clicking on the free space on the taskbar and selecting the only option that appears, which will take you to the dedicated page in the Settings app.
After opening the Settings app then navigate to Personalization > Taskbar. From there, click on “Taskbar behaviors” which will reveal several settings, including “Taskbar alignment.” If you change that to “Left,” you’re one step closed to having a Windows 10-like experience.
Now that you have the Start button back into its rightful place, you may also want to get rid of some of the new icons on it. In the same Settings page, at the top, you have a section called “Taskbar items” where you can disable the Search, Task view, Widgets, and Teams Chat buttons.
It should be noted that removing the Search button still allows you to access Windows Search through the Windows + S keyboard shortcut or simply by typing after hitting the Start Menu.
Unfortunately, there’s no official way to customize the taskbar beyond these options. However, you can move the taskbar to the top of the screen and make it smaller or larger using a free portable tool called Taskbar11 developed by Dustin Hendriks. You can download it from his GitHub page.
All you need to do is select the options you want. Pressing “Save” will restart the Explorer process to apply the necessary changes.
If you want to be able to move the taskbar to the left or right edges of the screen, you’ll need a paid tool called StartAllBack.
Read More: MICROSOFT TESTS WINDOWS 11 TASKBAR, START MENU UPDATES
This app also allows you to show labels on task icons and prevent grouping of taskbar buttons, two features that Windows 10 had and aren’t present in Windows 11. But more importantly, this will bring back the taskbar context menu that everyone is familiar with.
StartAllBack isn’t just about the Taskbar, but it also adds customization options for the Start Menu.
You can perform a variety of customizations with it, such as making it look close to the Start Menu in Windows 10 or even Windows 7, changing its general behavior, and more. This tool comes from Stanislav Zinukhov, the same developer that was behind StartIsBack, a similar utility that was used to make Windows 10 and Windows 8 look more like Windows 7.
Context Menu in Windows 11
Microsoft has also changed the right-click context menu in Windows 11 to fit the new aesthetic, but in doing so it buried more advanced options under a new “Show more options” menu.
One way to return the old-style context menu is to use StartAllBack, which comes with some additional Explorer tweaks such as restoring the Windows 10 Ribbon UI or the Windows 7 Command Bar, classic search box, and the Control Panel applet for Personalization.
Another option is to use Stardock Start11 app, which is able to perform many of the same tweaks, for a similar price at $6.
Alternatively, you can use ExplorerPatcher, a free tool developed by Valentin-Gabriel Radu that doesn’t bring back the Windows 10 Start Menu, but does have the ability to perform all the other Taskbar and Explorer tweaks. You shouldn’t try to mix and match these tools as there’s a significant chance of conflicts that could break things.
