How to enable new System Tray in Taskbar menu on Windows 11

Here are the steps to try an early preview of the new Taskbar System Tray experience on Windows 11.

Windows 11 enable new System Tray
Windows 11 enable new System Tray

On Windows 11 build 25211, you can now enable the new System Tray that includes a new modern design with the ability to drag and drop items. The new design includes a wider interface with mica material and rounded corners, a modern tooltip for items, and the ability to drag and drop icons in the System Tray.

If you want to get hands-on with the new feature, you can use a third-party tool called “ViVeTool” created by Rafael Rivera and Lucas on GitHub, to enable the option on your computer.

This guide will teach you the steps to turn on the new System Tray feature on Windows 11.

Enable new System Tray in Taskbar on Windows 11

To enable the new System Tray and drag and drop feature for the Taskbar, use these steps:

  1. Open GitHub website.

  2. Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to enable the System Tray option.

  3. Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.

  4. Click the Extract all button.

    Extract ViveTool files

  5. Click the Extract button.

  6. Copy the path to the folder.

  7. Open Start.

  8. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  9. Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter:

    cd c:\folder\path\ViveTool-v0.3.1

    In the command, remember to change the path to the folder with your path.

  10. Type the following command to enable the new System Tray and drag-and-drop feature and press Enter:

    vivetool /enable /id:26008830
    vivetool /enable /id:38764045
  11. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the new System Tray will enable, and you will be able to drag and drop icons using the new experience.

If you change your mind, you can revert the changes with the same instructions, but on step No. 10, make sure to use these commands: vivetool /disable /id:26008830, vivetool /disable /id:38764045, and then restart the device.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].