14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s most recent Windows 11 preview build includes support for taskbar overflow, a feature that allows users to easily manage the running apps on their devices.
More specifically, with the taskbar overflow feature, the taskbar automatically creates a “more” button whenever the number of running apps – and therefore the number of icons that must be displayed – is exceeding the available space.
Microsoft says the feature was developed from the very beginning to be as convenient as possible, so once you’re finished with the overflow, you can just click anywhere outside it and the interface is automatically dismissed.
No ETA for production devices
“We’re reintroducing taskbar overflow, with a newly designed experience for Windows 11. This taskbar experience has been thoughtfully crafted to offer you a more productive switching and launching experience when space is constrained. Your taskbar will automatically transition into this new overflow state when it has hit its maximum capacity. In this state, taskbar will offer an entry point to an overflow menu that allows you to view all your overflowed apps in one space,” the software giant explains.
“The overflow menu will contain many of the current taskbar behaviors users are familiar with, such as supporting pinned apps, jump list, and extended UI. After invoking overflow, the menu will quietly dismiss once you click outside of it or navigate to an application,” the company continues.
Keep in mind, however, that this feature is currently available only for Windows insiders, and of course, an ETA can’t be provided just yet.
Given it’s part of the Dev channel, the taskbar overflow should theoretically land at some point next year, but as Microsoft keeps reminding us on every occasion, the features that are being tested in this Windows Insider ring don’t have a specific release and could always be pulled if something doesn’t work as expected.