Microsoft engineers are working on more customization options for Windows 11.
For years, many Windows users have been asking for a little more control over the operating system, and it seems that Microsoft has finally listened. " Seems " because with Microsoft, we're never safe from a dance step that gives the impression of one step forward for two steps back. Instead, let's see the glass half-full and congratulate ourselves on this latest message published on the official Windows blogs. Published on May 15 by Diego Baca, it focuses on two key elements of the system: the taskbar on the one hand, and the Start menu on the other.
For the taskbar first of all, there are two major new features. Firstly, it will finally be possible to change its position on the screen. Until now, to avoid having it systematically at the bottom of the screen, you had to use third-party programs. Microsoft will now include an option to place it on any side of the screen: top, bottom, left or right. What's more, while it is currently possible to place the bar's icons on the left or center, it will be possible to position them at the top or center when the taskbar is placed on the left/right of the screen.
Windows 11 taskbar customization © Microsoft
Another option presented by Diego Baca: modifying the "thickness" of the taskbar, or its height, as you prefer to call it. The fact is, this new option will save a lot of space, especially on small-definition screens: in the taskbar settings, simply choose smaller buttons and the bar will automatically be made thinner. However, this is not the only customization option put forward by Microsoft, which is proving to be delightfully open-minded.
Windows 11 Start menu customization © Microsoft
Indeed, alongside these various settings, other options, this time targeting the Start menu, have begun to be deployed by Windows engineers. Nothing as stunning as the taskbar, but new settings to make it easier to read. Here, Diego Baca mentions the presence of buttons to show or hide entire sections, such as the part used to pin applications or the one displaying the complete list of installed programs. The engineer also explains that Microsoft has modified certain terms to make them clearer: Recommended becomes Recent. Finally, the size of the menu as a whole can be modified. All these options will arrive gradually, first for members of the Windows Insider program, then, later, on the public version of Windows 11.
