Personalization Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar in Windows 11


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takbar_settings_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off tablet-optimized taskbar for your account in Windows 11.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22621.1344, Microsoft introduced a touch-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices that you can use as a tablet. There are two states of this taskbar: collapsed and expanded. To switch between the two states, swipe up and down on the bottom of your screen. When collapsed in tablet mode, the taskbar recedes to give you more screen space and keeps you from accidentally opening the taskbar. When expanded in tablet mode, the taskbar is optimized to be easier to use with touch. Your taskbar will automatically change to this optimized version when you disconnect or fold back the keyboard.

This feature only works on devices that can be used as tablets and is on by default. You can use Option Three to enable the tablet-optimized taskbar on any device though.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22623.875, you can now swipe up from within the taskbar with a pen to expand the tablet-optimized taskbar.

Starting with Windows 11 build 25252, Microsoft made a small refinement for tablet-optimized taskbar users to make it a bit easier to expand the taskbar without invoking the Start menu.


Contents

  • Option One: Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar in Settings
  • Option Two: Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar using REG file
  • Option Three: Enable or Disable Tablet-optimized Taskbar on Any Device using REG file


EXAMPLE: Tablet-optimized taskbar in both collapsed and expanded states

tablet-taskbar-graphic.jpg






Option One

Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar in Settings


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and click/tap on Taskbar on the right side. (see screenshot below)


Tablet-optimized_taskbar_Settings-1.png

3 Click/tap on Taskbar behaviors on the right side to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 4)

4 Check (on - default) or uncheck (off) Optimize taskbar for touch interactions when this device is used as a tablet for what you want. (see screenshot below)

Tablet-optimized_taskbar_Settings-2.png

5 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Enable or Disable Tablet-optimized Taskbar using REG file


This option changes the same setting in Option One.


1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you would like to do.

2 Turn On Hidden Icon Menu on Taskbar

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_ON_tablet_optimized_taskbar.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ExpandableTaskbar"=dword:00000001

3 Turn Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_OFF_tablet_optimized_taskbar.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ExpandableTaskbar"=dword:00000000

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.




Option Three

Enable or Disable Tablet-optimized Taskbar on Any Device using REG file


This option can also be used on non-tablet devices like desktop PCs.


1 Do step 2 (Enable), step 3 (disable), or step 4 (undo - default) below for what you would like to do.


 2. Enable Tablet-optimized Taskbar

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Enable_tablet_optimized_taskbar.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"TabletPostureTaskbar"=dword:00000001


 3. Disable Tablet-optimized Taskbar

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Disable_tablet_optimized_taskbar.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"TabletPostureTaskbar"=dword:00000000


 4. Undo Enable/Disable Tablet-optimized Taskbar

This is the default setting.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.

Default_undo_enable-disable_tablet_optimized_taskbar.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"TabletPostureTaskbar"=-

5 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

6 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Last edited:
My unsupported Lenovo Yoga 11e 2-in-1 had it from when it was first introduced in Beta up until a couple of builds ago, then it disappeared. Nice to have it back.....
Can you clarify the advantage of having a collapsed taskbar.
Why not just hide it instead of collapsing it?
It pops back up when needed the same way as the collapsed one. 😎

1680407755702.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga 920
    CPU
    Intel I7-8550U
    Motherboard
    n/a
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics UHD 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (SST)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4k Touch screen
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
Can you clarify the advantage of having a collapsed taskbar.
Why not just hide it instead of collapsing it?
It pops back up when needed the same way as the collapsed one. 😎

The "Tablet-optimized taskbar" is more for touch devices since it has wider spaced and larger buttons on the taskbar than the usual "hide the taskbar" option.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
The "Tablet-optimized taskbar" is more for touch devices since it has wider spaced and larger buttons on the taskbar than the usual "hide the taskbar" option.
I know, but that is true only when it is expanded, but what is the point of collapsing instead of hiding it?
When collapsed it is completely useless, the same as if it was hidden. 😉🤷‍♂️
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga 920
    CPU
    Intel I7-8550U
    Motherboard
    n/a
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics UHD 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (SST)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4k Touch screen
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
I know, but that is true only when it is expanded, but what is the point of collapsing instead of hiding it?
When collapsed it is completely useless, the same as if it was hidden. 😉🤷‍♂️
hi, I'm using surface pro 6 but the option didn't showing in settings. did u know how to make the option show in settings? I'm using windows 11 home
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
hi, I'm using surface pro 6 but the option didn't showing in settings. did u know how to make the option show in settings? I'm using windows 11 home

Hello legancy, and welcome. :alien:

Which build of Windows 11 are you currently running?

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
Hello legancy, and welcome. :alien:

Which build of Windows 11 are you currently running?

hello, im using this. im reinstalled my windows 11 and then update to this build
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
hello, im using this. im reinstalled my windows 11 and then update to this build
I've seen reports where some people just don't have the Tablet-optimized Taskbar feature yet for some unknown reason.

If you like, you can use option three to enable it even without having it in settings.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I'm using tablet-optimized taskbar on my desktop PC and it's pretty cool, really liking it
thank you
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I stumbled over a new bug relating this feature: The first time I switched to tablet mode and back, the taskbar enlarged as advertised, but it would no longer shrink properly when switching back to desktop mode. The symbols are small again, but the taskbar itself keeps the larger height. This is only the case when auto hide is selected.

This already happened twice. The first time this happened, I created a new user profile to fix it. Now it happened again. I haven't found any other fix so far I don't feel like creating a new user profile every time I switch to tablet mode :(

Can anybody confirm this issue? Or better yet: has anybody found a fix?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10, Windows 11
I stumbled over a new bug relating this feature: The first time I switched to tablet mode and back, the taskbar enlarged as advertised, but it would no longer shrink properly when switching back to desktop mode. The symbols are small again, but the taskbar itself keeps the larger height. This is only the case when auto hide is selected.

This already happened twice. The first time this happened, I created a new user profile to fix it. Now it happened again. I haven't found any other fix so far I don't feel like creating a new user profile every time I switch to tablet mode :(

Can anybody confirm this issue? Or better yet: has anybody found a fix?
Which Windows Build are you using? I have a laptop that can be used as Tablet, but I rarely use it in Tablet mode. 🤷‍♂️
I sure never use autohide of Taskbar, because it screws up my desktop icons' arrangement. 😵‍💫😜
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga 920
    CPU
    Intel I7-8550U
    Motherboard
    n/a
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Graphics UHD 620
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio (SST)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4k Touch screen
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
Which Windows Build are you using? I have a laptop that can be used as Tablet, but I rarely use it in Tablet mode. 🤷‍♂️
I sure never use autohide of Taskbar, because it screws up my desktop icons' arrangement. 😵‍💫😜
I am using 22H2. Yes, I also notices the autohide desktop Icon mess. I am using Desktop Restore by Jamie O'Connell for that, which works like a charm. You just need to save your icons once with autohide desktop disabled and once with enabled. It will remember the position and immediately restore the icons.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10, Windows 11

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