Microsoft is introducing a new taskbar overflow feature in Windows 11 designed to make it easier to find your open apps after you run out of space on your taskbar. It’s perfect for power users or people who like to keep all their apps open all the time. The new taskbar overflow is a three-dot menu that appears when you run out of space on your taskbar, and neatly hides any apps that can’t fit on the taskbar at the same time.
Currently, if you open too many apps in Windows 11 and Windows 10, then the taskbar creates an overflow area that only shows the most recent app that was used or opened. This means that if you’re an app connoisseur, you might find it difficult to navigate between many programs on smaller laptop screens (especially if you don’t use alt+tab and other multitasking features).
The new taskbar overflow area. Image: Microsoft
The new overflow menu matches the Windows 11 design and includes all the taskbar features you’d expect to see like app pinning and jump lists. “After an overflow is called, the menu will silently dismiss as soon as you click outside of it or navigate to an app,” explains Amanda Langowski, head of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program.
Microsoft’s new overflow changes come just days after the company revealed it was testing a new user interface for the Windows 11 taskbar. The software giant is experimenting with bringing back the familiar search bar from Windows 10, along with notification badges for the Widgets section in Windows 11.
Windows 11 testers can try out this new overflow feature in the latest Dev Channel build released this week. Microsoft is also testing improvements to the AirDrop-like “nearby sharing” feature in Windows 11. The built-in sharing window now supports UDP to find nearby devices, meaning you’ll now be able to quickly find nearby computers for quick file sharing. If you’re sharing local files through the sharing interface, Microsoft is also adding OneDrive integration to make it quick and easy to upload and share files to the cloud.
Finally, the Microsoft Store is also getting an update this week that makes it easier to see prices for games, apps, or movies. It’s also now easier to see different editions of a game, so you can quickly see prices between standard and deluxe editions of games.
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