How to Ungroup Icons in Taskbar on Windows 11

Want to ungroup icons in taskbar on Windows 11?

The Windows 11 release brought a lot of changes and improvements in the OS. This includes a new design and interface, improved widgets, redesigned Microsoft Store, and much more. While some users are delighted about it, others have mixed feelings regarding the changes that have been made in Windows 11. 

One feature in particular is the grouped icons in the taskbar. It allows you to group instances of an app in one taskbar icon. You can then hover your cursor over the icon to select from the open instances. Although this feature was introduced in Windows 10 and users could disable it easily, you won’t have that custom preference in Windows 11.

But, if you want to find a way around how to ungroup icons in taskbar on Windows 11, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we will provide multiple methods you can utilize to disable the Icon grouping feature. 

So, without further ado, let’s head right into it!

1. Ungroup Icons in Taskbar on Windows 11 Via Registry Hack.

Windows Registry is a database utilized to store Windows OS low-level settings. While editing the Registry values for some essential components, the performance of your PC may get affected or damaged entirely. Hence, we suggest you only perform this method if your PC does not execute important tasks.

In this method, we are going to make the Windows 11 taskbar resemble the Windows 10 taskbar. This involves downloading and installing some of its legacy skins.

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to ungroup icons in the taskbar:

1. To begin, download Winaero Tweaker from its official page.
   
2. Also, download Ninite Classic Start on your PC.
   
3. Now, move both the files into a single folder on your desktop for easy access.
   
4. First, open the Winaero Tweaker Setup file. When the wizard opens, click on Next to begin the installation process.

5. Next, specify the Setup type and click on Next.

6. On the next page, click on I accept the agreement and choose Next.

7. Continue following the on-screen instructions and finally click on Install at the last window.
   
8. When the installation is complete, click on Finish. This will automatically run Winaero Tweaker and open its main interface.

9. Now, go to the Classic Taskbar under Windows 11 from the left pane of the window.
   
10. On the right pane, check the box next to Enable Classic Taskbar.

11. In order for the changes to take effect, you must sign out of your Windows account and sign back in. Either select Sign out now, or I’ll do it myself later.
    
12. Next, press Windows key + R from your keyboard to access the Run utility. 
    
13. Type ‘regedit’ and click on OK.
    
14. In the Registry Editor window, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, and click on Microsoft.
    
15. After that, click on Windows, Current Verison, and choose Explorer.
    
16. From the right pane, right-click on any empty space and select DWORD (32-bit ) Value.

17. Set the Value name to No Taskbargrouping and double-click on it to set the Value data to 1. Also, make sure to select Hexadecimal for Base and click OK.

Since Windows 11 taskbar is centrally aligned, your new taskbar will follow the same behavior. However, if you want to change it to the same left alignment as Windows 10, follow the steps below:

1. Again right-click on the taskbar at the bottom.
   
2. From the options, choose Properties.
   
3. When the window opens, click on More taskbar options in the Settings app.

4. This will take you to Windows Settings. Scroll down to the bottom and click on the drop-down arrow next to Taskbar behaviors.
   
5. Now, click on the drop-down menu for Taskbar alignment and choose Left.

Changing the alignment back to how it was in the classic taskbar is essential if you don’t want your system to face any bugs and glitches. You can also Change the Taskbar Location through various other methods such as Registry Editor.

2. Use StartAllBack to Bring Back the Ungrouped Icons in Taskbar.

StartAllBack is a third-party tool that allows users to bring back the Windows 10 features in the Windows 11 user interface. It is a paid program but offers over 22 different customizations that are definitely worth your money.

Here’s how to ungroup icons in taskbar on Windows 11 using this tool:

1. To start, download and install StartAllBack on your computer.
   
2. Once done, launch the application.
   
3. When the StartAllBack configuration window opens, click on the Taskbar tab.
   
4. On the right pane, click on the Combine taskbar buttons and choose Never from the drop-down options.

After that, your taskbar will refresh automatically, and all the icons will be ungrouped.

3. Use Explorer Patcher to Ungroup Icons in Taskbar.

If you’re looking for a free alternative, Explorer Patcher is a perfect solution. So if you’re worried about productivity loss due to the new Windows 11 taskbar, Explorer Patcher has you covered. Although the software is still in its initial stages, it gets the necessary work done.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. First, download Explorer Patcher from the GitHub official page.
   
2. The application will download as an Executable file. So, navigate to its location and double-click on it to run the program on your PC.
   
3. Once the installation is complete, you will get the option to restore the Windows 10 taskbar.
   
4. If not, right-click on the taskbar and choose Properties from the options list. Do not go to Taskbar settings, as it will take you to the Windows taskbar settings.
   
5. When the window opens, click on Taskbar style and select Windows 10.

6. You can make further customization by exploring more options below.
   
7. Once done, click on Restart File Explorer at the bottom of the left pane, which will restart Windows Explorer on your PC.

After that, all the changes you made will be applied, including the ungrouped icons in the taskbar.

That’s it! You’ve now made it to the end of our guide on how to ungroup icons in taskbar on Windows 11. Since all the methods in this guide require you to download a third-party app, we suggest you be extra careful while doing so. For more questions, head to the comment section below. We’ll be happy to provide further assistance.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂