Microsoft Begins Testing For Windows 11 New Tablet-Friendly Taskbar

Microsoft has began the process of testing a new taskbar designed for tablet use, that is poised to make the Windows 11 taskbar a little more tablet-friendly.

The multinational technology corporation is designing the taskbar in such a way that it would have a smaller collapsed state that only shows critical information like the time and date or network and battery status.

With this tablet taskbar appearing lot less cluttered, due to app icons, search, Widgets, and the hidden Start button, a new setting will hide the taskbar automatically when users are using a device as a tablet, providing more screen space for Windows 11 tablet users. When users wipe up to reveal the full taskbar, the widgets, Start button, search, and app icons are all a lot larger and easier to touch.

Apart from the changes in the taskbar, the company will also be tweaking the way widgets work in Windows 11 soon, with the new Channel test build also including more information and dynamic content in widgets.

The Windows Insider team in a release detailing the changes wrote:

“This should make it easier for you to discover and engage with new widgets and news content through your feed. This release focuses on making widgets discoverable from the feed and over time we plan to make the feed even more personalized.”

37 new emojis in Windows 11, including the troll, beans, and melting face emoji that are also making their way to Android, iOS, and other platforms with Emoji 14.0 are also being tested by Microsoft.

The new Windows 11 test build will also include improvements that would make it easier to snap the most relevant windows next to each other, with suggested Microsoft Edge tabs appearing in snap assist. Users will use the opportunity to see the three most recent Edge tabs when they attempt to snap a window, with the option of it being disabled available in the Windows 11 settings section.

These new Window 11 features, with the associated testing and tweaks will not appear in the operating system for months, a common practice with the company.

Panos Panay, the chief product officer for Microsoft Windows+ devices had recently revealed that the Washington-based company will introduce more features to Windows 11 in the coming months rather than wait on a big annual release.

“Over time, you’ll see us release new features into Windows 11 for end users more frequently in addition to our annual update,” says Panay. “We will leverage the variety of update mechanisms we have in place, including servicing and Microsoft Store updates. Our goal is to deliver continuous innovation, providing you with the best experiences year-round.”