Start11 is a popular Start Menu alternative for Windows 11. And now, the app lets you move the Taskbar to the side of your screen.
Microsoft does not officially support a Vertical Taskbar on Windows 11, despite it being requested by many users since the operating system was launched. You will have to rely on third-party tools to make changes to the Start Menu and other aspects of Windows.
Get a Vertical Taskbar on Windows 11 with Start11
Stardock has announced on its blog that it has made it possible for users to move the Taskbar to the side in the latest beta version of Start 11. The customization app allows you to place a Vertical Taskbar on the left or the right side of your screen, the choice is yours.
To do this, you will need to install Start 11 v2.5 beta on your computer. When you have installed the program, you can select your taskbar experience from the configuration panel, i.e. click on the Taskbar tab in the side panel and go to Enhanced Taskbar Settings to make your changes. It's that simple.
Image credit: Stardock.
The update also brings an option to use Start11 with a left aligned Start button on multiple monitors. Prior to this update, the feature only supported two displays.
Start11 is a premium program, a license for a single installation costs $9.99. You can download a trial version of Start11 from Stardock's website to try it free for 30 days, before you buy it, or uninstall the software. Trying the program does not require a credit card, buy you will need to enter your email address, and click on a link that you will get in the activation mail to start the 30-day trial. If you own Start10, you may be eligible to upgrade to Start11 at a lower price. I recommend checking Start 11 v2 on Steam, as it may offer better regional pricing in some countries.
That being said, you should know that beta versions are locked behind a paywall. So, unless you have bought the app already, you'll need to wait for the final release of Start11 2.5 to try the Vertical Taskbar feature via the free trial.
If you want a free app that supports Vertical Taskbar, you can try some mods for Windhawk. But, you may want to be careful when you are using such programs that modify the Windows registry, as you can easily mess things up. Create a system restore point, a backup of the registry, and maybe back up your important data before experimenting.
It is kind of silly that we need a third-party software to make basic changes that were previously supported on Windows. If only Microsoft cared about quality of life features, instead of shoving ads everywhere. Do you remember when the Head of Product for Windows Shell casually explained that they had rebuilt the Taskbar from scratch, and they were working on adding more features? This was over 2 years ago, by the way. Microsoft also went on to clarify that touchscreen devices did not have enough room on the display for a vertical taskbar? So, don't make the feature available for those devices. The majority of Windows users are either on a desktop, or a laptop. You can't deny what a larger percentage of users want, to please a smaller subset of people.
What is your favorite Start Menu alternative?
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