Microsoft is Bringing Back App Labels on the Windows 11 Taskbar

Microsoft appears ready to bring back the option to display app labels on the Windows 11 taskbar. On previous versions of Windows, this feature helped users to quickly identify apps on their taskbar, but it disappeared when Microsoft rebuilt the taskbar from scratch with Windows 11.

While the feature is currently not publicly available for testing, Twitter user Albacore shared a video showing the app labels on the Windows 11 taskbar (via The Verge). The Windows enthusiast also said that the ability to not combine app icons on the taskbar is coming, though this isn’t visible in the video below.

Taskbar item labels (as well as ungrouped items) are indeed on their way to Windows 11 ✨
Here's a demo of the current state of the feature, definitely further along than last time we looked at it

Fiddled with a few settings in the video so you can see how it reacts pic.twitter.com/7A7H0MWpJV

— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) April 19, 2023

Since the release of Windows 11 back in 2021, Microsoft has slowly been adding back taskbar features that many users have been missing. Recent additions include the ability to see time and date on external monitors, as well as a shortcut to Task Manager when right-clicking on the Taskbar. Windows 11 version 22H2 also brought back a working search box in the taskbar, though it can be disabled in Settings.

Of course, several taskbar features Windows users have been taking for granted are still missing on Windows 11, such as the ability to resize the taskbar, make it display smaller icons, or move it to another side of the screen. It’s not clear yet if we’ll ever get all these features back, but the company is apparently listening to what Windows 11 users want.

Do you think the Windows 11 taskbar still leaves a lot to be desired? Let us know in the comments below.