Is this a whole new Microsoft? The fix Windows 11 campaign is already in high gear, and I'm loving that execs are seriously engaging with users | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest smartphones

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Details

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

Is this a whole new Microsoft? The fix Windows 11 campaign is already in high gear, and I'm loving that execs are seriously engaging with users

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Windows 11's taskbar repositioning is a top priority fix for Microsoft

An exec has also been frank about progress with dark mode

This new openness and transparency from Microsoft, and the way more execs are engaging with users, is promising for the future of Windows 11

We appear to have moved into a very different space with Windows 11, as Microsoft executives are busily engaged in dealing with feedback on social media regarding what needs fixing. And as more revelations about what's happening behind the scenes pour forth, I'm becoming increasingly hopeful about the future of the OS.

As Windows Central informs us, one of the big changes being made to Windows 11, namely work on repositioning the taskbar, has been made a top priority at Microsoft according to inside sources.

This is about being able to move the taskbar away from the bottom of the screen — where it's been firmly anchored since the release of Windows 11 — and other customization elements, such as having a more compact bar (which is useful for smaller screens).

Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, including AI

Windows 11 could finally get one of the most-requested Windows 10 features

Microsoft is finally fixing Windows 11 under the hood — but is it too late?

These features will work pretty much as they do in Windows 10 (unsurprisingly), although moving the taskbar will be implemented slightly differently (it won't be directly draggable, you'll have a selection of choices within Settings).

Windows Central informs us that repositioning the taskbar is a 'priority 0' task, which is the most urgent level, with resizing the bar a slightly lesser but still important 'priority 1' affair.

So, we should soon be able to to move the taskbar land in Windows 11, unless Microsoft runs into a bunch of problems executing this smoothly enough.

Elsewhere Windows Central also reports that Marcus Ash, Microsoft's head of Windows Design and Research, has provided an update on dark mode in Windows 11.

In case you weren't aware, introducing dark mode has been a glacially slow process for Windows 11, taking what's seemed forever to gradually creep across more areas of the interface. And still there are numerous jarring sections that remain stubbornly white, when they should be a dark, eye-friendly shade with the mode enabled.

In response to a query on X about getting dark mode into 'Regedit' (the Registry editor), Ash said: "We are pushing to get our tools/techniques to the point where we can get dark theme into more areas across Windows. No timelines to commit to yet for Regedit. As we make progress in various legacy system panels/dialogs, we will keep improving consistency."

While that isn't a firm promise, it's good to get a response — and it is an open and frank reply.

Microsoft promises to fix Windows 11 this year — and it's about time

Microsoft promises big changes for Windows 11 'every month this year'

Microsoft has finally started its campaign to 'make Windows 11 better'

It's great to see that more Microsoft execs are now communicating with Windows 11 users in a refreshingly frank, and largely positive, way. This comes on top of a lot of responses that have been made on X and other social media outlets recently, from the likes of Pavan Davuluri (who heads up Windows) to Scott Hanselman (a VP who's been the most active of all, and is clearly an integral part of the 'fix Windows 11 in 2026' campaign).

The inability to move the taskbar to the sides or top of the Windows 11 desktop has long been a bugbear, so it's great to see this is one of the highest priorities for Microsoft. It may not be a feature everyone needs, but those who do want it have been very vocal about its absence for years.

There is clearly a new drive within Microsoft to stay glued to social media and respond to common complaints about Windows 11, and take them on board for fixing. Now, whether all the extra issues that have popped up and been addressed in this way — outside of the many promised fixes aired in Microsoft's initial lengthy blog post — will be resolved is another question.

However, the way Microsoft execs are conducting themselves now gives me hope that this is a whole new attitude from the company, as it realizes the serious threats to its desktop OS dominance – such as mac OS being pushed by the new and very well-received Mac Book Neo.

We'll know soon enough how serious Microsoft is about curing everything that's wrong with Windows 11 — which pretty much appears to be the end goal — as fixes have been promised on a monthly basis, starting immediately. Therefore, we should see that taskbar work coming through into testing soon enough, barring any unfortunate complications as noted.

The other point skeptics will no doubt pick up on is that if Microsoft is going to move fast here, can it avoid also breaking things? Because in the past, even when Microsoft has moved slowly, features have somehow ended up broken. This is one of the biggest potential hurdles of all, and Microsoft must invest enough resources to ensure that it doesn't go this way.

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops

1. Best overall: Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros Mac Book Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow Tech Radar on You Tube and Tik Tok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on Whats App too.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 This 4TB WD_Black SN7100 NVMe SSD deal is so good I had to check twice to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me

2 What is the mac OS Finder on your new Mac Book Neo? Here’s your complete beginner’s guide on the Mac’s file organizer

3 Tik Tok for Business accounts targeted in phishing campaign — here's how to stay safe

4 Beyond Paradise season 4 puts Humphrey and Martha's problems 'into sharp focus' — but stars promise 'something more solid' is ahead

5 The cost of Netflix has just gone up in the US again — and it's 'only a matter of time' before the rest of us are hit with more price rises

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest smartphones
• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards

• Is this a whole new Microsoft