Solved Win11 (21H2) - Where is the icon which displays a matrix of large thumbnails of all windows?


bob17821

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By far my favorite feature of Win10 was the icon towards the left end of the task bar which resulted in a display of large thumbnails of all windows. I can't find it in Win11. Google searches and searches here have not been fruitful.

Thanks, Bob
 

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    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
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    i7
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    32GB
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    4K
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    Lenovo Legion
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Not 100% sure I know what you mean, if I am reading it right I think that option is a goner in win 11 unless you mean task view in which case it's still there and a lot of things can be brought back with a few tweaks
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
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    Alienware M18 R1
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    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
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    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
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Not 100% sure I know what you mean, if I am reading it right I think that option is a goner in win 11 unless you mean task view in which case it's still there and a lot of things can be brought back with a few tweaks
Thanks very much for responding. I should have included in my post an image of the icon I am talking about (but I forgot that I have an old Win10 laptop which is barely limping along). I was able to get a screenshot of the icon but not of the display which it produces. So the icon is:

AWOL Win 10 Icon.png

I do have Taskview turned on in Taskbar Settings. Until a few moments ago it was showing me my desktops. But not the windows belonging to the current desktop. If I then click on Desktopt 1 (the only one I really use) sometimes I see an instantaneous flash of what I am looking for - but it's of such short duration that I cannot be sure.

I'd appreciate any further thoughts you might have.

Thanks, Bob
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K
That is the win 10 task view button it must be different in win 11 If you search on this site for Task View there are a few tutorials probably by Brink which are excellent
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
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    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
Greetings Bob,

As a former Mac user that moved to PCs about 6 years ago -- 'taskview' is a DO or DIE feature of any OS. So I understand your upset. But, if you will, there's an even better way to use it.

Some kind person posted WinXCorners. It's preset to the way most Mac users use it. If you put your mouse in top left hand corner of display, taskview. If you do bottom right corner, windows hide to reveal desktop.


There's 3 versions posted on this page. The more you scroll, the 'newer' the version.

Here's a direct link to Version 2 --


It's a tiny program and harmless. I've used it for years.
 

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  • OS
    11 if on this site
Taskview was completely revamped in Windows 11 and is totally useless unless you are using multiple virtual desktops or physical monitors. Losing the functionality it had in Windows 10 was one of my biggest disappointments with 11. If you want to see what it looks like, right click on taskbar-taskbar settings-toggle taskview to on. The icon that appears on the taskbar is 2 little squares, one on top of the other. When pushing Windows 11 MS touted it as the next big thing, but I've yet to find a use for it with the way I use my computer. I don't do multiple desktops.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
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    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
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    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Integrated Realtek
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    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
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    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
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    500w
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    Logitech wired
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    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
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    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
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    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
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    500w
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    MT
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    Dell factory
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    Logitech wireless
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    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Hey Bob, what build are you on? I'm on .376 and here's how Taskview looks on my computer.

 

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    Win 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
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    Self Built
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    Intel® Core™ i7-12700F
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    ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI
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    G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5
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    EVGA GeForce RTX 3050 XC Black Gaming
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    RealTek HD 7.1
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    ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming
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    2560 x 1440
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    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11)
    SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe (Win 10)
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    Windows 10 22H2 19045.4170
    On System One
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4
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    EVGA RTX 2060 KO Ultra Gaming
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    SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung F27T350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
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    Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair HX750
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    Cougar MX330-G Window
    Cooling
    Hyper 212 EVO
    Internet Speed
    350Mbps
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    Firefox
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    Windows Security
Thanks very much to the responders! What I was looking for is what you get from the Windows key + Tab or Alt + Tab (I've found that I have to click on both keys simultaneously). (I can remember when icons were considered much preferable to key combinations.) NOTE that (at least on my machine) when I use the Taskview icon in the Taskbar -

Win11 Taskview icon.png

- I get only very large icons of my current desktops.

Thanks again to all responders. And thanks to brink - it was from one of his posts that I learned about the Windows key + Tab key.

Bob
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 (as of 12/17/2021)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo P1 (a laptop)
    CPU
    i7
    Memory
    32GB
    Screen Resolution
    4K
  • Operating System
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-12700
    Motherboard
    No Idea
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GEFORCE RTX 3060Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    4K

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