Windows Insiders in Microsoft's Experimental channel are now testing a trio of long-requested personalization features that could dramatically reshape the Windows 11 desktop experience. According to a May 15, 2026 release, the new build gives participants the ability to freely resize the Start menu, hide entire sections of Start, and reposition the taskbar to any screen edge — functionality that power users have clamored for since Windows 11 launched.

These controls arrive in an Experimental channel build, meaning they are purely for testing and may never reach general availability. Microsoft uses this channel to explore radical concepts and gauge user interest before committing engineering resources. The features are not tied to any specific Windows 11 update and have no release date.

A Start Menu That Finally Grows With You

At the heart of this update is a resizable Start menu. For the first time in Windows 11, users can now grab any corner or edge of the Start panel and drag to adjust its height and width. The resizing is fluid — pinned apps reflow into additional rows or columns as space permits, and the Recommended section expands or contracts accordingly. A small resize handle appears when hovering over the bottom-right corner, though any border can be used.

This simple change carries enormous weight for productivity enthusiasts. Windows 10 offered a similar capability, allowing the Start menu to stretch vertically and horizontally to accommodate more live tiles or shortcuts. When Windows 11 launched with a fixed-size, two-section Start menu — split into Pinned apps and a recommendation feed — many users felt cornered into a rigid design. The inability to see more than 18 pinned apps without scrolling or to minimize the recommended content drew sharp criticism across forums and social media.

With resizing enabled, a user can create a Start menu that shows dozens of pinned apps at once, effectively turning it into a miniature launcher. Conversely, someone who prefers a minimal look can shrink the menu to a compact square showing only a few icons. The flexibility addresses one of the most frequent requests on the Windows Feedback Hub.

Early testing notes from the community indicate that the resize behavior is generally smooth, though some have reported temporary visual glitches when dragging beyond certain screen boundaries. As with any Experimental feature, polish is not yet production-grade.

Declutter: Hiding Entire Start Menu Sections

Complementing the resizable Start is a new set of toggles in Settings > Personalization > Start. Testers can now disable the Recommended section entirely — removing not only the recently opened files and apps but the whole area, allowing the Pinned apps grid to occupy the full menu. Conversely, you can turn off Pinned apps if you prefer a Start menu focused exclusively on recommendations, though that is likely a niche choice.

The option to hide sections extends beyond a simple clutter reduction. Privacy-conscious users have long objected to the Recommended section because it displays recently accessed documents and media, sometimes revealing sensitive information on shared screens or during presentations. Being able to shut it off provides an additional layer of visual privacy without requiring third-party tools.

Moreover, hiding sections can simplify the Start menu for less tech-savvy users. By removing the recommendation feed, the Start experience becomes purely a launcher, aligning with the mental model of many who migrated from Windows 7. IT administrators in enterprise environments have also expressed interest, as it gives them one more lever to standardize the desktop for their workforce.

Currently, the toggles are simple on/off switches. There is no per-section sizing option beyond the resize handle, so the layout adapts automatically when a section is hidden. That might limit nuanced designs, such as keeping a small recommendation area while giving more room to pinned apps. Whether Microsoft will introduce finer controls before shipping remains to be seen.

Taskbar Liberation: Move It Off the Bottom

Perhaps the most cheered — and most technically complex — addition in this build is the ability to move the taskbar to any edge of the display. For decades, Windows users could dock the taskbar to the left, right, top, or bottom simply by dragging it or selecting a dropdown option. Windows 11 abruptly locked the taskbar to the bottom, offering no native way to change its position.

The backlash was immediate and sustained. Power users, multi-monitor setups, and those with ultrawide screens argued that side-docked taskbars are more space-efficient, keeping window content taller while using the abundant horizontal space for icons and toolbars. Third-party utilities like ExplorerPatcher, StartAllBack, and DisplayFusion filled the void, but they came with caveats: occasional bugs, broken compatibility after updates, and a lack of official support.

Now, the Experimental build restores the ability to reposition the taskbar. Testers can either drag the taskbar freehand or choose an option from the Taskbar behavior page in Settings. Moving it to the top places it just below the title bar of maximized windows, mimicking a layout familiar to some Linux desktop environments. Dragging it to the left or right rotates the taskbar vertically, with icons and the system tray stacking accordingly.

Early adopters in the Windows Insider community report that the repositioning works surprisingly smoothly, though some animations and alignments appear rough. The system tray, clock, and notification area adapt their layout for vertical orientations, which Microsoft had to re-engineer after years of bottom-docked assumptions. One known issue: some legacy taskbar toolbars may not render correctly on non-bottom edges, a problem that traces back to the removal of classic toolbar support in Windows 11.

Despite these growing pains, the symbolic importance is clear. By testing moves that directly contradict the rigid design choices of Windows 11's launch, Microsoft is signaling that it is willing to revisit core decisions when user demand is overwhelming.

The Experimental Channel: A Sandbox for Radical Ideas

These features are not appearing in the Dev or Beta channels familiar to most Insiders. The Experimental channel, introduced in early 2025, is a separate flighting ring specifically for high-risk, high-reward concepts. Builds here are not linked to any upcoming Windows release and may never be merged into the main development branch. Instead, Microsoft uses them to collect feedback and telemetry on feature viability.

This cautious approach makes sense for features as invasive as taskbar repositioning. Changing the taskbar's anchoring logic touches many parts of the shell, including window management, multi-monitor support, and accessibility. A half-baked implementation could destabilize the entire desktop experience. By confining the test to a small, self-selected group of enthusiasts willing to accept breakage, Microsoft can explore without risking stability for mainstream Insiders.

The Experimental channel also allows the company to test concepts that might collide with future product plans. For instance, Windows 11's snap layouts and touch optimizations assume a bottom taskbar; moving it elsewhere could complicate those features. By trialing such changes in isolation, Microsoft can gauge whether the benefits outweigh the development cost.

Community Reception and Lingering Concerns

Discussion forums dedicated to Windows 11 customization are abuzz with reactions to the Experimental build, though the conversation remains limited to the smaller subset of Insiders who have opted into the Experimental ring. Sentiment is overwhelmingly positive toward the concept, with many calling it a step toward "undoing the damage" of Windows 11's launch-era design.

However, several concerns temper the excitement. One is the uncertain future: Experimental features have a track record of vanishing without a trace. A build from late 2025 tested a floating, translucent taskbar that never materialized. Skeptics worry these Start and taskbar tweaks might meet the same fate if they introduce too much complexity or fail to align with other ongoing projects.

Another concern involves the potential impact on system performance and consistency. Every added customization option creates extra code paths that must be tested across hardware configurations, accessibility scenarios, and future updates. If these features eventually ship, Windows 11 could become more fragmented, with users experiencing vastly different behaviors depending on their settings — a support headache for IT departments.

Accessibility is also a talking point. While the flexibility benefits many, changing the taskbar position can confuse screen readers and keyboard navigation flows that assume a bottom dock. Microsoft will need to ensure strict compatibility with assistive technologies before any wider rollout.

Finally, some users are asking for even more granular controls. For instance, the ability to resize individual sections independently, or to drag and drop folders directly onto the taskbar for quick access, remain unaddressed. The Experimental build is a solid foundation, but the community hopes it will grow into a broader rethinking of the Windows shell.

What This Means for the Future of Windows 11

Microsoft's decision to test these features — even in a limited Experimental capacity — indicates that the company is listening to feedback it once seemed to ignore. Since the initial Windows 11 release, the Insider program has gradually reintroduced controls like showing all apps by default, removing the Recommended label, and adding back missing context menu options. The latest batch feels like a direct acknowledgment that customization is not antithetical to a modern operating system.

Looking ahead, the path forward likely depends on two things: quality of telemetry and volume of positive feedback. If testers engage heavily with the resizing and taskbar repositioning, and if crash data stays low, Microsoft could theoretically promote the features to a Dev or Beta branch within a few months. However, given the Experimental channel's loose coupling to the release schedule, any such move would likely miss the next major Windows 11 update (codenamed 24H2) and might not land until late 2026 or beyond — if at all.

For now, the Experimental build stands as a tantalizing preview of a more flexible Windows 11. It demonstrates that user voices can still influence the platform's direction, even years after a controversial redesign. Power users who crave a more personalized desktop will watch closely to see if these seeds ever bear fruit in a stable build.

Those interested in joining the test can enroll in the Windows Insider Program and select the Experimental channel, though Microsoft recommends doing so only on a secondary device. As always, Experimental builds come with no warranty, and any feature could be removed or changed before reaching production.