Anyone used to Windows 10 giving each window its own button finds the Windows 11 taskbar jarring. Ten windows of the same app collapse into one icon, and picking the right one means hovering and choosing. This behavior can be changed, and the built-in settings are enough. You do not need a third-party tool.

How combining works in Windows 11

Windows 10 offered three choices for combining taskbar buttons: always combine, combine when the taskbar is full, and never combine. Early Windows 11 builds dropped never combine, so every window collapsed into one icon.

The option came back. Right-click empty space on the taskbar and open Taskbar settings, or go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar, expand Taskbar behaviors, and look for the combine taskbar buttons dropdown. It has three values.

  • Always hide labels. The default. Each app shows as one unlabeled button, and multiple windows of that app stay combined.
  • When taskbar is full. Each window shows as a labeled button, and windows of one app combine only once the taskbar gets crowded.
  • Never. Each window shows as a labeled button and never combines, no matter how many are open.

Choosing Never updates the taskbar immediately with no restart, and every open window gets its own labeled button. As you open more apps and windows, the buttons shrink and eventually scroll.

Version matters here. The option returned starting with Windows 11 23H2, so earlier builds do not have it, and 24H2 added a separate setting for multi-monitor setups.

Multiple monitors need their own setting

With more than one display, the main taskbar and secondary taskbars are controlled separately. In the same place, Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors, there is a second dropdown for combining taskbar buttons on other taskbars. Set it to Never as well if you want every screen uncombined.

When a third-party tool is actually worth it

If all you want is windows that do not combine, the built-in setting above is enough. Install nothing.

ExplorerPatcher, which is free and open source, and StartAllBack, which is paid, come in when you also want the Start menu, the right-click menu, and left-aligned taskbar buttons restored to their Windows 10 form. How to Make Windows 11 Feel Like Windows 10 Again covers that full restoration, while this article stays with the combining behaviour alone. They restore the whole taskbar look at once, and true never-combine comes along with it.

ExplorerPatcher works by replacing system components, so after a Windows feature update, such as 24H2 to 25H2 or 25H2 to 26H2, you often have to wait for the author to ship a compatible build. The taskbar may misbehave on the day you update. Re-running the installer or waiting for the update resolves it, and your data is not at risk. StartAllBack tends to hold up better across system updates, which suits anyone who would rather not tinker.

A note on the registry method

The registry approach that circulates online edits TaskbarGlomLevel under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. The key does exist, but sources disagree on which value maps to which behavior. Some say 0 is always combine and 2 is never combine, others say the reverse, so copying a value can set the opposite of what you wanted. Save it for scripted deployment or when the Settings page will not open, back up the registry first, and judge by what your own machine actually does.

The matching key for secondary taskbars is MMTaskbarGlomLevel.

Common questions

Does choosing Never make the taskbar too crowded? It does. More windows means more buttons, and once the taskbar runs out of room the buttons shrink and start scrolling. That is expected.

I changed it and nothing happened. What now? In Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and choose Restart. Alternatively, sign out and back in.

If I install a third-party tool, should I still set the built-in option? Both change taskbar behavior, so use one or the other to avoid them overwriting each other.

What if I only want the labeled buttons from Windows 10? Choose When taskbar is full. Buttons carry labels and only combine once it gets crowded, which sits between the other two.