Microsoft has debuted the much-requested “Never Combine Mode” feature in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23466 and the rebooted Dev Channel flighting 23000 series builds. Users can now view each application window individually in the taskbar, complete with their respective labels. While the feature is still in early development, it represents an important step towards personalizing the taskbar by displaying labeled app icons separately.
The rollout of never combine is currently underway for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, but it may take some time to reach all enrolled devices. To activate the feature, users can navigate to Settings, select Personalization, Taskbar, and Taskbar Behavior. From there, they can change the “Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels” setting to “Never”. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced another setting called “Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels on other taskbars”, which allows users to dictate button combination behavior on additional screens.
The user community had made the demand for the option to never combine app icons in the taskbar abundantly clear, with more than 17,000 upvotes and more than 2,100 comments on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub. The inclusion of the never-to-combine mode has received an overwhelmingly positive response, with one user stating that their company would not upgrade until this feature was reintroduced.
In addition to this notable improvement, the recent Dev Preview build also includes the introduction of the Dev Drive feature, which will be part of the upcoming Windows 11 22H2 ‘Moment 3’ update. Dev Drive uses the ReFS storage volume and is specially designed to improve performance for developers. Microsoft is also testing new backup and recovery capabilities for Windows 11 that should simplify the transfer of applications and critical files as they transition between PCs, explored through a new Windows Backup app.
