Microsoft is testing an expansion for the Windows 11 taskbar, which could be ideal for users who want to open a wide range of apps on their laptop or desktop PC at once.
Currently within the Dev Channel there is a new taskbar override section, which enables users to access icons for some inappropriate applications. Clicking the three-dot menu button will reveal all those apps in a section just above the taskbar.
The feature will only be useful to unorganized Windows 11 users who don’t close their apps when done – a bad idea to conserve battery life. The new feature will replace the existing somewhat undesirable solution, which only shows the most recent app in an overflow area.
In a blog post, Microsoft wrote: “We’re reintroducing the taskbar bypass, with a newly designed experience for Windows 11. This taskbar experience has been carefully designed to provide you with a more productive boot and play experience when space is limited.
“The taskbar will automatically move to this new overflow state when it reaches its maximum capacity. In this case, the taskbar will present an entry point to the full menu that allows you to view all your redundant apps in one space.”
Other features currently available to Windows Insider include improvements to AirDrop-like Near Sharing. It will now use UDP and Bluetooth to enable sharing with other devices on the same network, provided that network is set to Private.
It’s not clear when either feature will be rolled out in the main Windows 11 operating system, but Microsoft is continuing the process of making small but significant improvements.