In a brand new preview construct for Home windows 11, Microsoft is taking one other crack at redesigning a taskbar optimized for tablets and updating the Settings menu.

Modifications to the taskbar on tablets have been in growth for some time, way back to February 2022 (opens in new tab), earlier than being pulled and brought again to the drafting board. Now in Preview Construct 25197 (opens in new tab), the taskbar can have two totally different modes: collapsed and expanded. Whereas in collapsed mode, the taskbar might be hidden giving customers extra display screen area; forsaking solely crucial icons just like the battery life and time. Expanded mode exhibits the total taskbar full with apps, widgets, and the Begin button. You’ll have the ability to swap between the 2 modes simply by swiping up and down on the backside of the display screen.

Microsoft additionally factors out that the taskbar on 2-in-1 laptops “will routinely transition to this optimized model” when the keyboard is both disconnected or folded again. The brand new taskbar would be the default within the Preview Construct. You may see if in case you have this function by going to the Taskbar behaviors part of the Settings menu. There might be an choice that reads “Optimize taskbar for contact interactions when this machine is used as a pill”.

Microsoft plans on persevering with growth on the optimized taskbar as there are nonetheless some wrinkles to iron out. There are experiences of widgets being lower off and the taskbar transition is slower than anticipated.

New options

The remainder of the brand new Preview Construct options have an effect on all units, not simply tablets. The Settings menu can have new animated icons and illustrations for an additional flourish. As seen in an accompanying video (opens in new tab), the Settings icons can have a little bit popping animation. 

The brand new System Tray will add “rounded focus and hover therapy” to the icons discovered within the backside proper nook. We reached out to Microsoft for clarification on what this implies, precisely. This story might be up to date if we hear again. The corporate additionally states that the drag and drop function for icons within the System Tray is disabled for this construct, however assures customers it’ll come again sooner or later.

Different adjustments embrace new native Arm64 help for the Calculator app. Microsoft claims Calculator can have quicker efficiency when used on Arm64 units. And Media Participant will give direct entry to Clipchamp within the context menu for fast video modifying.

Bug fixes

The Preview Construct additionally has a wide range of bug fixes. Except for the few unique to tablets, all the fixes will roll out to all Microsoft units.

On tablets, the taskbar will now not start to flash when adjustments are made to the System Tray. The date and time ought to now not get lower off and Microsoft removed a bug that may trigger sure components of the taskbar to show the unsuitable coloration theme. There’s a prerequisite for the pill adjustments, nevertheless. You will need to have the newly optimized taskbar enabled for the fixes to take maintain. 

As for the opposite fixes, they cowl varied facets of Home windows 11. Emptying massive recycle bins in File Explorer will now be quicker, bugs that prompted sporadic crashes have been addressed, and the Job Supervisor has been made extra dependable.

Preview Construct 25197 is presently obtainable for obtain from the Dev Channel on Home windows Insider program. Microsoft is asking customers to enter the Suggestions Hub (opens in new tab) and provides their ideas on the construct, which you are able to do by urgent the Home windows and F keys on the similar time.

With all this discuss of the pill taskbar, you might not be conscious of the adjustments made to the desktop taskbar that got here out in July. TechRadar’s Axel Metz lined these adjustments, which embrace the reintroduction of taskbar overflow.