Microsoft Finally Backs Down: The Windows 11 Taskbar Update You've Been Waiting For

When Microsoft removed the option to move the taskbar with the release of  Windows 11 , that decision became a symbol of its refusal to listen to enthusiast feedback. Now, the company is reversing that stance. Next Tuesday, a movable taskbar is arriving on a PC near you, though the rollout may be a little messy. Once you get the update, you can also turn off Bing search results in the Start menu, effectively restricting searches to your files. This option addresses yet another major complaint I've heard about Windows.

I watched from the audience at Build a few months ago as Satya Nadella proudly showed off the movable taskbar. Most Windows users will likely never move their taskbars, but Microsoft wants you to know you now have that freedom. As I've previously written, the Windows team is focusing heavily on feedback this year.

I've been testing the taskbar and Start Menu features for months, so read on for everything you need to know about September's forthcoming update, an easy-to-overlook update that makes OneDrive less annoying, and a convenient new keyboard shortcut tool you can download today.

New Taskbar, Start Menu, and Search Options for the Masses (Eventually)

Windows 11's upgraded taskbar, Start menu, and search tools are available now in preview as part of the optional KB5120998 update, but Microsoft is likely to fully release them as part of a stable update on the next Patch Tuesday (Sept. 8). The preview update reportedly causes some glitches with mouse cursors , but I expect Microsoft to fix this issue before the final rollout.

Once you install this update, you can move the taskbar to the left, right, or top edge of the screen. You can also shrink the taskbar to get more screen real estate. These options are under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. The Start menu also gains toggles that hide the All, Pinned, and Recommended sections. Naturally, these options are accessible via Settings > Personalize > Start. Finally, you can turn off search results from Bing and the Store if you want to limit searches to just your files. Search options are under Settings > Privacy & Security > Search. I've been testing these features in Insider builds for a while, and they work so well that I no longer feel the need to use  third-party tools  like Start11 and ExplorerPatcher.

Unfortunately, you might not immediately see these new features on your PC, since Microsoft's patch notes indicate a "gradual rollout." This means Microsoft will activate them on PCs over the coming weeks or months. You might not see them for a long time, or you might see them immediately. It's unfortunately random.

OneDrive Becomes Slightly Less Annoying

In more good news, Microsoft is backing off on pushy OneDrive prompts . Windows 11 still offers to back up your files to OneDrive, but a new "Opt out of backup" option lets you decline the offer indefinitely. Previously, Windows presented options, such as "Remind me in 3 days."

Although OneDrive is a high-quality cloud storage service, it's a perpetual annoyance in Windows. I've heard many user complaints about pop-ups, and I've even caught OneDrive silently enabling folder backup without asking first. The process of disabling OneDrive and getting your files back on your PC is often confusing, too.

This change feels particularly welcome after a mysterious OneDrive Photos app appeared on many Windows PCs. Microsoft's Jeff Teper, executive vice president of Microsoft apps and agents, says the company released the app by mistake, but it wouldn't shock me to see it resurface at some point.

Window Hopper Brings a macOS-Style Shortcut to Windows

Microsoft's free PowerToys package has a new utility called Window Hopper , which brings a popular macOS-style keyboard shortcut to Windows. Window Hopper lets you switch between windows within your current app with the Alt+` keyboard shortcut. (That's a grave accent symbol, which is located above the Tab key on your keyboard.)

In other words, if you have five Chrome browser windows open, you can press Alt+`to switch between them. It's a more focused alternative to the Alt+Tabshortcut, which shows open windows from all applications and can be quite cluttered.

The Window Hopper utility is part of PowerToys version 0.101 , which launched a few days ago. After installing the latest version, simply open PowerToys and toggle the Window Hopper option. You can customize Window Hopper's keyboard shortcut, too.

Ask Our Expert: How Do I Stop Windows From Pushing Microsoft Apps?

Do you have a question about Windows? I'm here to share my knowledge! You can submit your question here , and I may answer it in an upcoming Windows Guide newsletter. If you're not subscribed to the newsletter, head here to sign up , and check your inbox each week for the latest Windows updates from me. Now, on to this week's question! 

Anita P. asks: "I understand why Microsoft wants me to use their products, but intrusively forcing their software on me only makes me mad. I am an old woman and set in my ways. I was perfectly happy with Windows 10. Now I have to deal with Edge, Bing, and OneDrive. Microsoft saves my passwords without my permission and didn't tell me it was doing so. What can I do about this?"

Hi Anita, thanks for writing in! Your concerns match how a lot of people feel about Windows. You might prefer Windows, but that doesn't mean you want to use Microsoft's entire product line. Microsoft definitely uses Windows as a platform to promote its other applications and services, often in very pushy ways. Ultimately, you can bend Windows 11 to your needs (and feel more like Windows 10), but it might take a bit of work.

While you can't uninstall Edge ( unless you live in Europe ), you can set another browser as your default . As I mentioned above, Windows 11's September update will let you turn off Bing search results in your Start menu. And Windows 11 also lets you uninstall OneDrive completely. You can remove it from the Settings > Apps > Installed Appspane, just like you'd uninstall any other app.

As far as passwords, Microsoft Edge and other modern web browsers are aggressive about saving personal details. If you stop using Edge, Windows shouldn't automatically save any of your passwords. You can also stop your browser from automatically saving your passwords via the app's settings page. For example, if you use Chrome, go to Settings > Autofill and passwords > Google Password Manager > Settings, then turn off the  Offer to save passwords and passkeysoption. I recommend using a dedicated password manager instead. The process for disabling Chrome's autofill for addresses and payment methods is similar.

In addition, you can delete many of Microsoft's preinstalled apps from the Start menu: Just right-click their shortcuts and select Uninstall. Finally, we have a great guide to turning off the ads in Windows , which might help make the OS feel less annoying.

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