Microsoft is Working on a Faster Taskbar for Windows 11

Since Windows 95, the taskbar has been a crucial component of the operating system, but with Windows 11, it saw significant alterations. The taskbar in Windows 11 has been completely redesigned, and as a result, it lacks some incredibly helpful functions like drag-and-drop and the ability to shift the taskbar to the top, left, or right side of the screen.

The taskbar in Windows 11 also responds to device bootups needlessly and slowly. The new animations and WinUI integration may cause pinned apps or icons to take a while to load.

The taskbar in Windows 11 appears to have a design flaw because it takes 2-3 seconds, or even up to 5 seconds, to load icons. Older technology makes this process considerably slower. Fortunately, Microsoft is aware of potential taskbar performance problems and is developing a new feature that will integrate the taskbar with the Immersive Shell.

As a result, when you boot your device, restart explorer.exe (the taskbar), and pin/remove apps, the taskbar will be more visible. Microsoft is successfully speeding up the taskbar while maintaining the smooth animations that were promised.

It’s important to note that this initiative is still in its early stages, but Microsoft “in the future” may find and address other taskbar locations that frequently load slowly. The Windows taskbar team is working with other Microsoft departments on the design to create a consistent experience, although this process will take some time.

Other Improvements Coming to the Taskbar

You undoubtedly already know that Windows 11’s upcoming update, “version 22H2,” will bring back drag-and-drop functionality for the taskbar. Microsoft is also working on other OS bug fixes in addition to these quality upgrades.

Microsoft has made various taskbar bug fixes in one of the most recent preview releases. For instance, the business resolved a problem where the upcoming overflow flyout would unexpectedly show up on the opposite side of the screen.

An issue that caused the taskbar animation for the tablet to desktop transition to display erroneously when login in has been resolved.

The business has also resolved a problem that caused File Explorer to fail when it attempted to identify whether the taskbar overflow menu was open.