Has anyone ever found a fix for this annoying taskbar tab issue?


BSmith81

Well-known member
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7:34 PM
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7
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Windows 11 Home
Still looking for a solution for that annoying issue of the tabs being grouped together and can't be separated / rearranged. I had ExplorerPatcher which worked great, until a major Windows update last year killed the compatibility and you can no longer use the Windows 10 taskbar. Plus, EP hasn't been updated in 7 months
 
Windows Build/Version
24H2

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Windows 11 HomeIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90...16gbIntel UHD Graphics 630
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Windows 11 Home
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ACER Aspire TC-1660
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Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
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............tabs being grouped together and can't be separated / rearranged.
The Taskbar buttons can be ungrouped. Head over to Windows Settings -> Personalisation -> Taskbar -> Combine taskbar buttons then adjust the settings to your liking.

Irrespective of the above settings, the Taskbar buttons can be rearranged by dragging and dropping them.
 

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Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
I don't even have that option, only the never combine option which will merge all files onto one tab, which I don't like.

This is all I have in the behavior section

Screenshot 2025-05-10 084854.webp
 

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Windows 11 HomeIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90...16gbIntel UHD Graphics 630
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Windows 11 Home
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ACER Aspire TC-1660
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
Memory
16gb
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Intel UHD Graphics 630
Monitor(s) Displays
Philips 272E1CA 27" Curved Frameless Monitor
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1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
512 GB SSD
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB Internal Hard Drive HDD
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Norton
...............the never combine option which will merge all files onto one tab.................
The "Never" option is supposed to do the opposite - namely separate the program buttons and display their name labels.

Please provide a screenshot of what's bugging you because I'm not completely understanding you - especially when you talk about "tabs" and "files".
 

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Windows 11
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Windows 11
My taskbar never does that, but I don't see anything wrong with your settings.
 

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    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894Intel Core i5 1440032GB DDR5Intel 700 Embedded GPU
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    Intel Core i5 14400
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    HP ENVY h8-1540t, (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, Win11 Pro)
Odd, my problem is say I have firefox open and I have 4 tabs open, on the windows taskbar it seperates every tab out even though I have the checkbox checked to combine them. So how do I fix that?
 

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Windows 11 Pro Version 23H2(OS Build 22631.4890)12-Core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 4950 MHz (49.5 x 100)4 - G Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16-16GTZNCPCI Express 4.0 x16: PowerColor RX 6800
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Windows 11 Pro Version 23H2(OS Build 22631.4890)
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AMD
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12-Core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 4950 MHz (49.5 x 100)
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Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
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4 - G Skill Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16-16GTZNC
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Realtek ALC1220 @ AMD K19.2 - High Definition Audio Controller
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logitech
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Odd, my problem is say I have firefox open and I have 4 tabs open, on the windows taskbar it seperates every tab out even though I have the checkbox checked to combine them. So how do I fix that?
I don't think Windows controls that, I have six tabs open and there's only one instance of FF on the taskbar. Are you sure you're not opening new pages in Windows?
1746909182271.webp
 

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    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894Intel Core i5 1450064GB DDR4GeForce RTX 4060
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    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
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    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
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    Lots of fans!
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    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
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    Logitech G305
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    Verizon FiOS 1GB
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  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894Intel Core i5 1440032GB DDR5Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Nimo N171 17" Laptop, (Intel i3-1215U, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    Acemagic Vista Mini PC V1 (Intel N150, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    HP ENVY h8-1540t, (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, Win11 Pro)
Basically like this. I can't move any of the 3 file explorer tabs individually.... the whole group moves. And if i open a new file, the new tab will open up next to the last file explorer tab. And You see the 2 Firefox tabs move as one. I want to be able to move each tab individually, like if I wanted to move just the RealPlayer tab to the other side of Spotify, not the entire group

Recording 2025-05-10 162952.gif
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 HomeIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90...16gbIntel UHD Graphics 630
OS
Windows 11 Home
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
ACER Aspire TC-1660
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 2.90GHz 2.90 GHz
Memory
16gb
Graphics Card(s)
Intel UHD Graphics 630
Monitor(s) Displays
Philips 272E1CA 27" Curved Frameless Monitor
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
512 GB SSD
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB Internal Hard Drive HDD
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
Norton
Don't know about the Windows Explorer tabs as the tabbed feature that I saw previously in mine disappeared in 24H2, and I can't see how to enable it. However, my Firefox never puts more than one entry on the taskbar.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894Intel Core i5 1450064GB DDR4GeForce RTX 4060
    OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894Intel Core i5 1440032GB DDR5Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8894
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Nimo N171 17" Laptop, (Intel i3-1215U, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    Acemagic Vista Mini PC V1 (Intel N150, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    HP ENVY h8-1540t, (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, Win11 Pro)
Last edited:

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    i5 1135G7
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    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
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    Logitech K800
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    Logitech G402
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    30Mbit/s up, 500Mbit/s down
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    FF
Odd, my problem is say I have firefox open and I have 4 tabs open, on the windows taskbar it seperates every tab out even though I have the checkbox checked to combine them. So how do I fix that?
I had this same thing. You go to your Firefox settings > General > Tabs > Uncheck "Show tab previews in the Windows taskbar"
 

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    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 14"
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    16gb
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    Intel Iris Xe 128mb
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    Apple MacBook Pro 13"
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    2560x1600
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See my post in this thread. Hope thats what you looking for. You can move them around individually as well.

 

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Win 11 Pro Insider Beta (26220.8925), Kali LinuxAMD Ryzen 5 5600H16GB (2x8GB) Dual ChannelNvidia RTX 3050
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Win 11 Pro Insider Beta (26220.8925), Kali Linux
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Manufacturer/Model
HP Victus 15
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AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
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16GB (2x8GB) Dual Channel
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Nvidia RTX 3050
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USB-A and USB-C M.2 NVMe Enclosure with NVMe SSSTC 256GB - NVM Express 1.3 - Ventoy with all install files and all ISO images i use.

USB External SSD Kingston XS100 1TB - USB 3.2 Gen 2 - WindowsToGo (Clone of my existing Sytem), and all games I play.

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