Bringing Ungrouping to the Windows 11 Taskbar is only the Beginning
One Big Challenge for Windows, One Small Step Towards a Better Experience
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 by BradSams | Discussion: Stardock Blog
One of the most popular requests we received when we released Start11 was the ability to ungroup apps on the taskbar. This feature, while present in Windows dating back several decades, was removed from Windows 11.
Bringing this feature to Windows 11 was one of the larger engineering uplifts we have undertaken here at Stardock. While it is possible to enable ungrouping on the taskbar with a registry tweak and a bit of memory patching, that’s not the way we like to approach these challenges.
To support the feature for the life of Windows 11, we need to be responsible for how it is implemented. By flipping registry bits, this means that Microsoft is responsible for its implementation and if they ever remove the Windows 10 legacy code that still is baked into Windows 11, the feature will break.
To accomplish this, we rebuilt the taskbar so that we can control precisely how it functions, which is no small task. Considering how complex Windows 11 is under the hood and all the edge cases that exist for this type of functionality, it took a lot of effort and even more testing to reach the stage where we could release a beta.
Last week, we released a v1.16 beta for Start11 v1.2 (which is still in beta) that provides the ability to ungroup and center icons on the taskbar. This build also includes other features such as the ability to drag a file to the taskbar to open it, resize the taskbar to display more windows, and set a per-monitor style for your taskbar.
While this looks like a small update on the surface, we have actually created a new foundation to continue our work in making Windows more personal and productive through our software.
The taskbar is likely the most critical component of your personal productivity on Windows. Now that we have our own in-house taskbar, this means we can expand its functionality in ways that Microsoft may not. Just because it doesn’t make sense for the more than 1 billion users of Windows, that doesn't mean it can't be useful to a smaller subset of that population.
As we start to explore where to take the taskbar, we would love to know what functionality you would like to see added. While we can’t make any promises about what features will eventually ship, we are always looking for ways to enhance our applications so that they can improve your workflow.
Reply #3 Saturday, April 9, 2022 11:16 AM
I have two monitors. I would love for the task bar for each monitor to only include the windows that were on it, minimized or not. I usually have certain windows open on the left monitor and others on the right. If only left windows appeared on the left task bar it would make it much faster to find the window I'm looking for. I already automatically hunt for windows on the task bar where they should be.
Reply #5 Saturday, April 9, 2022 1:45 PM
Maybe you don't understand what I want? I did not see a way to do what I want yet. Right now I have four windows open, two on each monitor. The task bar on both monitors has all four windows on it. Maybe you are right, and I would love to understand how.
Reply #6 Saturday, April 9, 2022 2:18 PM
Maybe you don't understand what I want? I did not see a way to do what I want yet. Right now I have four windows open, two on each monitor. The task bar on both monitors has all four windows on it. Maybe you are right, and I would love to understand how.
Open Start11 settings, go to taskbar, click on more Start11 taskbar settings and you have a drop down under "Show taskbar buttons on". Set this to Taskbar where window is open.
Reply #7 Saturday, April 9, 2022 3:47 PM
Maybe you don't understand what I want? I did not see a way to do what I want yet. Right now I have four windows open, two on each monitor. The task bar on both monitors has all four windows on it. Maybe you are right, and I would love to understand how.
Open Start11 settings, go to taskbar, click on more Start11 taskbar settings and you have a drop down under "Show taskbar buttons on". Set this to Taskbar where window is open.
See?
Reply #8 Saturday, April 16, 2022 8:46 AM
Features that this program really needs!
Toolbars: Need toolbars support please. I use trulaunchbar all the time. As of right now. Im stuck with startallback as my taskbar/startmenu replacement to allow me to use toolbars. There are quite a few of us that prefer the use of toolbars over pinned taskbar icons. I hate having open tasked between pinned icons.
System tray Icons: Needed on multi monitor taskbars. Idk why microsoft cannot do it already.
Some other mentions:
*When moving the taskbar buttons it only shows a line, does not animate nicely like windows 10/11 does.
*Maybe look into implementing some of the features of your old objectbar into start11 to moderize that application. Would be cool to allow custom widgets and styles all built through it.
Reply #9 Saturday, April 16, 2022 9:13 AM
I am enjoying my work flow so much better, thanks for the help
Open Start11 settings, go to taskbar, click on more Start11 taskbar settings and you have a drop down under "Show taskbar buttons on". Set this to Taskbar where window is open.
It has been very frustrating that I could not post a reply as a new user. I'm not sure what I have to do qualify as someone who can post/reply. Never seen a forum controlled like this.
Reply #10 Saturday, April 16, 2022 11:35 PM
It has been very frustrating that I could not post a reply as a new user. I'm not sure what I have to do qualify as someone who can post/reply. Never seen a forum controlled like this.
That will pass. Users don't see the amount of spam we intercept on a daily basis...as it's hidden ASAP, but that's the mechanism that helps us keep control...
Reply #12 Sunday, April 17, 2022 7:42 PM
I think the one area that Windows 11 is dropping the ball is with customization and personalization.
I think any areas that start 11 can change the look of the taskbar for a more custom look will be a big win in general. That includes transparency, textures, and skin.
Personally, I would like to customize the tabs in the taskbar. I.e. color change and transparency control for the actual tabs outside of the rest of the taskbar.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
Reply #1 Friday, March 25, 2022 1:29 PM
How do I get the beta version?