How to use never Combine on Windows 11 Taskbar – Complete Guide

Windows 11 has got a lot of praise from the users for the features and user interface, but along with praise, there are some backlashes by Windows users. The OS brings in a new user interface and powerful security features and has changed some of the settings and functions that existed in Windows 10 which made people see the OS as a backlash. So, yes there are people who are against some changes as it changes everything for them, most features that were frequently used are being removed or changed causing difficulty. We will discuss further a specific change that has been done which is getting lots of backlashes from Windows OS users.

The taskbar has always been a part of the Windows OS. it is a prominent part of the desktop and contains lots of buttons and relevant items to make things easier. It has always been at the bottom of the screen but can be changed according to the user’s preference. The taskbar has evolved a lot and from being a basic block where icons are displayed to a much intuitive pane where notification, application icons, and other features like, Wi-Fi button, Battery, and time are displayed. The taskbar houses icons of applications that are running and the applications that have been pinned to it. Minimization and maximization of applications can be done through the taskbar as we can find the icon of the running application. So, now in Windows 11, there has been a change that has made Windows users worry as this new feature removes a pre-existing feature making things difficult. 

In Windows 10 and previous Windows versions, there was a feature called combine taskbar icons, which let users either combine or display the full icon on the taskbar.  This feature was a very handy one for people who worked on the same applications with two of them opened at the same time. Well, when the option “always, hide label” is used, the icon collapses and becomes a single one and when the option “never” is used, the icons expand and become separate. People who preferred a clean taskbar usually go with the “always, hide label” 

the icon collapses and becomes a single one and people who prefer speed in maneuvering between apps use the “never” as an option. So, in Windows 11 this feature has been scrapped away from the settings application where it usually is. So users who have been using this option are looking for a way to make it work on Windows 11 as well. Though the Windows 11 OS released for use is the developer build and is not the final one, so, we can hope Microsoft adds this feature before releasing the official Windows 11 later this year. But if the feature is not added, there needs to be an alternative way to make this work. 

To resolve the issue, one of the experts has devised an alternate way to combine the icons in the taskbar. The method is pretty complex and involves the use of PowerShell and other complex components of the Windows 11 OS. well if you ask about the versatility of this method, it is not so reliable and may or may not work for you. You have to try it and find out for yourself, as it’s not a proper and straightforward method. This being unreliable, it is not recommended to try it on an actual computer or a laptop that you use regularly but should be done on a test computer.

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How to Use Never Combine Icons on Taskbar in Windows 11

In Windows 10 there was a straightforward method in which you can directly go to the settings and change the taskbar settings but in Windows 11 this option has been removed forcing users from not using the never combine option. With the never combine option users can access the icons much freely so they can function efficiently on the same application simultaneously. To make things work, tech experts devised a method, and here is how you can use the never combine option in Windows 11 taskbar.

  • First, you have to create a shortcut for PowerShell and Microsoft Edge on the desktop.
  • Now, download and install the Winaero Tweaker, which is an aero theme tweaker for Windows.
  • Now, open the Winaero tweaker application and select the option enable classic taskbar and start menu.
  • This will reset the taskbar on Windows 11 to a classic taskbar interface from Windows 10.
  • Once done, restart your computer, once you have restarted the changes will take place.

With this done, there will be issues with the icons and the start button on the taskbar. They will be irresponsive and needs to be fixed, which can be done by running some scripts on the PowerShell.

  • Now, press on the Windows key and the R key to open the Run command window. 
  • Here enter “shell:::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}” and hit enter.
  • Select the option “ turn system icons on or off and enable all the options. Now press on Ok.
  • Now open the Microsoft edge and then download the classic start menu.
  • Once done, you have to ungroup the icons on the taskbar. To do this you have to run the script in PowerShell. To open the PowerShell, search for PowerShell in the search in the search bar.
  • Run “REG ADD “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced ” /v TaskbarGlomLevel /t REG_DWORD /d 2”
  • Hit enter after you pasted this in the PowerShell terminal.
  • Once the script has been completely run, you can exit the PowerShell and restart the computer.

These methods mentioned above were not an official or a proper way, so you will face issues with the taskbar. 

Hope the information provided above was helpful and you are able to use the never combine icons on the Windows 11 taskbar.

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