Mikhail Parakhin, the guy who used to run Windows and Bing at Microsoft, has some choice words for the new Windows 11 taskbar. Apparently, it's still "unusable." Five years after launch, you can move the taskbar, but good luck auto-hiding it or resizing it. Sounds like progress.
Parakhin, clearly unimpressed, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disappointment. “Finally installed 26H2 update of Windows, was so looking forward to the ‘taskbar on the left’ returning – a no-go,” he lamented. It’s not like waiting five years should come with any expectations, right?
He tagged Pavan Davuluri, the current head of Windows, in his post, but it seems like Davuluri is busy ignoring the criticism. This isn't exactly Parakhin's first rodeo; he's voiced frustrations about Microsoft's decisions in the past. Earlier this year, he bemoaned the loss of features he fought to keep, like a vertical taskbar that actually worked for productivity.
According to Parakhin, the Windows 11 design team opted for a “symmetric panes” experience, sacrificing functionality for aesthetics. Now, the vertical taskbar he preferred is back, but somehow, auto-hide and resizing are still nowhere to be found.
The latest 26H2 update brought some long-awaited changes, finally allowing users some control over the taskbar. But for those still using Windows 11, it’s not a complete upgrade. You can move it after a scavenger hunt through the Settings menu, but dragging it as you could in Windows 10? That feature is still “under consideration”—as if moving a taskbar is rocket science.
Even worse, if you want to auto-hide your taskbar on the sides or top of the screen, forget it. Microsoft admits that feature is a known limitation, but they aren’t giving a timeline for when—or if—it will be restored. “This setting is only available when the taskbar is at the bottom,” it warns users, as if that’s some sort of consolation.
And let’s talk about the new right-click menu. Windows 10 offered a buffet of options; Windows 11 serves up a sad snack. There's barely anything of value to do with a right-click on the taskbar now.
In sum, Windows 11's taskbar remains a shell of what it could be, with former insiders calling out the company for its ongoing incompetence. Parakhin, now the CTO at Shopify, still uses Windows. It’s not exactly a glowing endorsement, but we can appreciate his loyalty—perhaps he has a soft spot for unfinished products.
Microsoft’s response to this ongoing debacle? Silence. One can only wonder how long it will take for all the "missing" features from Windows 10 to finally make their grand entrance on Windows 11.
