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Is the Windows 11 taskbar too hard to use? Here's how to stop combining icons and show labels
Windows 11 is arguably the best version of Microsoft's operating system yet, but it isn't without its flaws. One such issue at launch was the lack of an option to not combine taskbar icons (also called ungrouping) and show labels for each window. Thankfully, starting with Windows 11 version 23H2, this capability has been brought back.
If you want to enable taskbar ungrouping but you're not sure where to go, we're here to help.
Enable taskbar ungrouping and labels
The process of enabling taskbar ungrouping in the Settings app is a straightforward process once you know where to look. Here's what you need to do:
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.
- Expand the Taskbar behaviors section at the bottom.
- Look for an option called Combine Taskbar buttons and hide labels. You can choose one of three options, though you'll want the last one:
- Always (default) - Always combines icons for the same app on the taskbar
- When taskbar is full - Combines icons for the same app when there's no space on the taskbar to separate them. If there's space, each window is labeled and shown separately.
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Never - Always shows labels for each app window, and they're always shown separately.
- If you have multiple monitors, look for Combine Taskbar buttons and hide labels on other taskbars to apply the same setting to the taskbar on all your monitors.
- You can now close the Settings app.
Changes are applied automatically, and you should see them in real time. You can always head back to this page to change the behavior again.
What to do if you don't see taskbar ungrouping in Settings
That's pretty much all you should need to do in order to enable taskbar regrouping and labels. Anyone on the latest version of Windows should see this option, so if you don't have it, your solution should be to look for updates in the Windows Update section of the Settings app. Otherwise, you're good to go.
How to show seconds on the Windows 11 clock
Want to keep track of time more accurately? The Windows 11 Moment 3 update makes it easy.
Microsoft's is still more limited than previous versions in terms of customization, but you can still customize Windows 11 in many ways, especially if you use third-party apps such as Start11. Your PC doesn't have to be devoid of personality.
