How to move Taskbar with native position controls on Windows 11 (top, left, right, bottom)

• Windows 11 introduces native Taskbar position controls after years of being locked to the bottom.
• Users can now move the Taskbar to the top, left, right, or bottom directly from Settings.
• The feature is part of the Windows K2 initiative but is still rolling out in preview builds.

One of the features I missed most after switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11 was the ability to move the Taskbar to different sides of the screen. I’ve always preferred placing it at the top on laptops and ultrawide monitors, but Windows 11 originally locked the Taskbar to the bottom edge only.

Now, as part of the Windows K2 initiative to improve Windows 11 and regain users’ trust, the company is finally adding native Taskbar position controls. This means you can move the Taskbar to the top, left, or right, or keep it at the bottom, without resorting to unsupported tweaks.

Related

How to enable new Taskbar positioning and resizing settings on Windows 11

In this guide, I’ll show you how to change the Taskbar position using the new built-in settings on Windows 11.

Change Taskbar position on Windows 11

To change the Taskbar position (top, left, right, or bottom) on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on Personalization.

3. Click the Taskbar page.

4. Click the Taskbar behaviors settings.

5. Select the Taskbar position, including Left, Top, Right, or Bottom.

   

Once you complete the steps, the Taskbar will appear in the position you selected on Windows 11.

It’s important to note that, at the time of this writing, the new version of the experience is still under development and incomplete. For example, features such as auto-hide and the touch-optimized Taskbar are not yet supported in these new positions.

The changes are available starting with build 26300.8493 and newer releases, but it’s still unclear when the company plans to roll out this and other Taskbar improvements more broadly. As a result, accessing the new Taskbar positioning settings currently requires enrolling your device in the Experimental Channel for version 25H2.

Pureinfotech’s Take

I think Microsoft should have brought Taskbar positioning back much earlier. The ability to position the Taskbar at the top or sides of the screen may seem like a small customization feature, but for many users, it’s part of how they’ve used the desktop for years. Windows 11 removed that flexibility in the name of simplification, and I’ve never felt that decision improved the experience in any meaningful way.

Personally, I still prefer the Taskbar at the top because it keeps controls closer to eye level and frees up vertical space a bit more naturally. So seeing the company finally add native controls instead of forcing people to rely on third-party tools feels long overdue.

At the same time, I’m not surprised the feature is arriving in stages with limitations. That has been a recurring pattern on Windows 11. Microsoft often ships redesigned experiences first and then spends the next few years restoring functionality that existed on Windows 10 from day one. The good news is that the company finally seems more willing to listen to feedback instead of treating customization as a niche request.

Right now, I probably wouldn’t recommend jumping into the Experimental channel just for this feature alone, especially since some Taskbar functions still don’t work correctly in the new positions. However, once this experience becomes stable, I can easily see it becoming one of those quality-of-life improvements many people enable immediately and never change again.