Customizing the Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Customizing the Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Customising the Start Menu

1. Pinning apps to the Start menu

1. Open the Start menu.
2. In the “Recommended” or “All apps” section, locate the app you want to pin.
3. Right-click the app and select Pin to Start.

2. Unpinning apps from the Start menu

1. Open the Start menu.
2. In the “Pinned” section, right-click the app you want to remove.
3. Select Unpin from Start.

3. Rearranging and grouping pinned apps

• Rearrange: Click and drag a pinned app icon to the desired position.
• Group: Drag one pinned app icon over another to create a folder, then name the folder.

4. Adjusting the Start menu layout

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Personalisation > Start.
3. Select your preferred layout from the available options, such as Show more pins or Show more recommendations, depending on your Windows 11 build.

5. Showing recently added and most used apps

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to Personalisation > Start.
3. Toggle “Show recently added apps” and “Show most used apps” on or off as required.

6. Adding or removing folders next to the power button

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Personalisation > Start > Folders.
3. Toggle on the folders you want to appear (e.g., Documents, Downloads, Network).

Customising the Taskbar

1. Changing taskbar alignment (centre or left)

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to Personalisation > Taskbar.
3. Expand Taskbar behaviours.
4. Under “Taskbar alignment”, select Centre or Left.

2. Pinning and unpinning apps to the taskbar

Pin to taskbar

1. Find the app in the Start menu, All apps list, or on the desktop.
2. Right-click the app and select Pin to taskbar.
3. Alternatively, open the app, right-click its icon on the taskbar and choose Pin to taskbar.

Unpin from taskbar

1. Right-click the app’s icon on the taskbar.
2. Select Unpin from taskbar.

3. Showing or hiding taskbar icons (Search, Task view, Widgets, Copilot)

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Go to Personalisation > Taskbar.
3. Under “Taskbar items”, toggle the following options:
   • Search – the search icon.
   • Task view – the virtual desktops icon.
   • Widgets – the Widgets panel icon.
   • Copilot – the Copilot icon (replaces the legacy Chat icon in recent builds).

4. Managing system tray icons and corner overflow

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Personalisation > Taskbar > Other system tray icons.
3. Toggle on or off the icons you want to always show (e.g., Pen menu, Touch keyboard, Virtual touchpad).
4. To manage hidden icons in the taskbar corner, go to Personalisation > Taskbar > Taskbar corner overflow and select which app icons should always appear in the system tray rather than being hidden.

5. Auto-hiding the taskbar

1. Open Settings (Win + I).
2. Navigate to Personalisation > Taskbar.
3. Expand Taskbar behaviours.
4. Check the box for Automatically hide the taskbar. The taskbar will disappear when not in use and reappear when you move the mouse to the bottom of the screen.

6. Corporate device restrictions

1. If you cannot change a setting, check if the option is greyed out in the Settings app.
2. Contact your IT support team to request a policy exception or verify if the restriction is intentional.
3. If you are experiencing login issues that may be related to domain policies, see How to reset your Windows password.

Troubleshooting

• Changes not applying: Restart your computer or restart File Explorer (open Task Manager, locate “Windows Explorer” under Processes, right-click and select “Restart”).
• Missing icons: Ensure they are enabled in Taskbar settings. If an app has been uninstalled, its pinned icon will disappear.
• Taskbar frozen: Restart File Explorer as described above. If the problem persists, check for system file corruption by running sfc /scannow in an elevated Command Prompt.
• Settings greyed out: This usually indicates an organisational policy is applied via Group Policy or MDM. See the “Corporate device restrictions” section above.

When to seek further assistance

If you encounter persistent issues with customisation or system stability after making changes, Open a Ticket with IT support.

Still Having Issues?