14 DAY TRIAL // In Windows 8, the Taskbar will no longer be limited to a single display when users connect multiple monitors to the same computer. Customers running older releases of the Windows client, Windows 7 included, and also leveraging multiple monitors have undoubtedly been frustrated by the limited functionality of the operating system’s UI.
Even in Windows 7, the Superbar as the Redmond company called it at some point, proves that there’s really nothing super about it when users add extra monitors.
Anchored on just the main screen, the UI limitations force customers to come back to the Taskbar time and again, and to shift focus from any of the additional monitors they might be working on to the main display. Yes, it does get old after a while, really old.
Apparently this will change with Windows 8 according to a find by ITWorld. There’s a Group Policy setting which reveals that as of the next major iteration of Windows, the Taskbar would also be displayed on any extra monitors connected to the same machine.
“Do not allow taskbar on more than one display,” reads the Group Policy setting which might be disabled by default.
This of course means that Windows 8 will inherently stretch the Taskbar to additional monitors connected to a PC.
“If you enable this setting, users will not be able to show taskbars on more than one display. The multiple display section will not be enabled in the taskbar properties dialog,” the software giant says in the description of this particular Group Policy option.
If you ask me, multi-screen Taskbar is a long overdue feature in Windows, and introducing it in Windows 8 is more a case of “better late than never,” than anything else.
Microsoft has yet to offer official confirmation of the implementation of the multi-monitor Taskbar in Windows 8, or to offer any details as to its functionality and capabilities. Hopefully, some information will be shared with the public at the BUILD conference in September.
