Summary

  • Windows K2 signals Microsoft refocusing on fixing Windows 11’s biggest annoyances—finally.
  • Movable taskbar, icon alignment, app labels, and a smaller taskbar option hit Experimental builds.
  • Start menu can toggle Pinned/Recommended/All Apps, resize, hide name/email; Explorer and accessibility fixes.

For a few weeks now, we've been throwing around the term "Windows K2." On the surface, it sounds like a whole new version of Windows, but the truth is, it's a little more scaled back. A while ago, an insider claimed that Windows K2 was Microsoft's initiative to redirect attention to Windows 11's major pain points after the company awoke from a years-long Copilot stupor. We also knew that a movable Taskbar was "priority 0" as the company aimed to repair the most glaring issues first and foremost.

Until now, that insider claim was inspiring, but a claim regardless. Now, Microsoft has confirmed that a movable Taskbar and a customizable Start menu are on the Experimental branch, which all but confirms that Microsoft is truly going back to the drawing board with its OS.

Microsoft officially announces a customizable Taskbar and Start menu

My four years of bellyaching have finally paid off

Credit: Microsoft

Over on the Windows Blog, Microsoft is showcasing what's new in the Windows 11 Experimental branch. If you, like me, feel annoyed that Microsoft seemingly removed features from the Taskbar and Start menu that have been there for generations of Windows versions. You'll want to check this one out.

The patch notes start with a bang:

This month, we began rolling out more personalization for Taskbar and Start, two of the most use and most personal surfaces in Windows. With these updates, you can move the taskbar to any edge of the screen, choose icon alignment based on its position, and use app labels across positions to make open windows easier to tell apart. There’s also a new smaller taskbar option to help reclaim screen space.

The Start menu can show or hide sections such as Pinned, Recommended, and All Apps. You can also adjust the Start menu size and hide your name and email if you often screen share your desktop. Microsoft also added stability and ease-of-use features to File Explorer, plus additional tweaks to accessibility tools such as Magnifier and Voice Access.

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There's something to be said for celebrating a company adding a feature that had been missing for over four years. However, given how the company is clearly showing signs of bowing out of the AI race with Copilot and focusing on making a stellar operating system, I'll give credit where it's due.