After the Windows 11 release, Microsoft promised to refine the OS even more, and it seems they are living up to that promise. They have already added a few new features, and a few are about to in the coming months. So, in this article, we will show how to enable Taskbar Overflow on Windows 11. It is a feature that provides an overflow menu if there are too many pinned applications. The overflow menu gives easy access to these applications, and here’s how to get it.

Enable Taskbar Overflow on Windows 11

The steps to enable the Overflow menu on Taskbar in Windows 11 are a bit complicated. Don’t worry; we will lay out the steps as simply as possible.

  1. In order to enable the hidden Taskbar Overflow Menu on Windows 11, you require the ViVeTool. It is an open-source tool and can activate the hidden experimental feature on Windows 11.
  2. So, download the ViVeTool from the GitHub page.
  3. The file will be available in ZIP format.
  4. Right-click on the file and select the Extract All option.
  5. Click Next to proceed. The files will be extracted into a folder.
  6. Open the extracted folder. Select Copy as path. This will copy the path of the folder to your clipboard.
  7. After doing all these, you have to run Command Prompt with administrator privilege.
  8. Click on the Start button.
  9. Type Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator on the right side.
  10. Now, in the CMD window, type cd and add a space. After that, paste the copied directory path. You can use Ctrl + V or simply right-click on the CMD window and select Paste.
  11. Hit Enter and you will go to the ViVeTool folder.
  12. Now, you have to run the following command. This command enables the Taskbar Overflow menu on your Windows 11.
  13. Now, close the CMD panel and restart your computer. Note: The Overflow menu didn’t get enabled on the Windows 11 22H2, build 22621.607. Might be a mistake. But it is working on other builds.
  14. Some of the older builds require users to activate a second ViVeTool ID for enabling the Taskbar Overflow menu. If the same is happening to you, run the following command.

Disable Taskbar Overflow Menu In Windows 11

Not a lot of user askes to disable the Taskbar Overflow menu after enabling it. But if you want to disable it due to some reason, here’s how to do it. Disabling the Taskbar Overflow doesn’t require much. You just have to run the following two commands in the Command Prompt. Be sure to launch it with administrator privilege.

Also Read: How to Use Focus in Windows 11

How to Show All App Icons in Taskbar Overflow on Windows 11  

Most of the app icons are hidden in the system tray on Windows 11. But you can unhide them by clicking on the Up Arrow located in the taskbar notification section.  It’s called the flyout menu, and it displays the Taskbar Overflow menu. If you want the taskbar to display all the app icons, then check the two following methods.

Method 1: Show Taskbar App Icons (Settings Menu) 

You can easily unhide the app icons from the Windows Settings menu. It has all the options. Let us show you how to navigate through it.

  1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.
  2. Go to the Personalization option on the menu and select Taskbar on the right side.
  3. Under the Taskbar menu, scroll down. Locate the Other System Tray option and expand it.
  4. Toggle the switch of the app you want to display on the taskbar. Note: If you don’t want the Up Arrow on your taskbar, then toggle the switch on for all the applications. That’s all. The switched-on apps will show up on the taskbar in the notification section. The other ones will be visible on the Taskbar Overflow menu.

Method 2: Show Taskbar App Icons (Drag & Drop)

The drag & drop method is the easiest way to add application icons on the taskbar. Simply drag the app icons out of the overflow menu, and they will be visible.

  1. At the Taskbar Corner Overflow section, click the Up Arrow icon.
  2. Click and hold on to the app icon you want to make visible. Drag and drop it beside or near the other icons on the Taskbar. This is the drag & drop method. Pretty effortless procedure if you want to move one or two icons to the app area.

What is the Taskbar overflow?

At a time, you may have more than a few opened or pinned applications on the Taskbar. The number of applications is so great that the excess apps won’t fit on the screen anymore. In such a situation, Overflow will help you. It helps to display the applications that no longer have any space.  

How to get the Windows Defender icon in the System Tray on Windows 11?

If the Windows Defender icon has disappeared from the System Tray, you can fix it from Settings. Go to Windows Settings. Select Personalization, scroll down and click Taskbar. Expand the Other System Tray option and turn on the Windows Defender notification icon.

Conclusion

Hence, enabling the Taskbar Overflow on the latest Windows 1122H2 build is a bit difficult. Hopefully, our guide made the process slightly bearable.  Just keep in mind; the updates for Windows 11 22H2 build haven’t ended. Microsoft will continue to add new features, and some of them are expected to be released in October. So, keep your eyes open. But if you have already transitioned to the 22H2 built, most of them are accessible to you via the ViveTool.

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