After years of frustration, Windows 11 users are finally getting the ability to move on-screen hardware indicators—like volume, brightness, and airplane mode flyouts—away from their default center-bottom position. In the latest Release Preview builds released on September 12, 2025 (build 26100 for version 24H2 and build 26200 for version 25H2), Microsoft introduced a simple dropdown under Settings > System > Notifications that lets you choose between bottom, top-left, and top-center placements.

This small but meaningful tweak addresses one of the most persistent complaints about Windows 11: the flyouts would often obscure critical content in full-screen videos, creative apps, presentations, or during screen sharing. Now users can restore a more traditional top-left placement reminiscent of older Windows versions, or pick a top-center spot that stays out of the way without feeling jarringly unfamiliar. The setting applies to all hardware flyouts—volume, brightness, airplane mode, and virtual desktop—and is rolling out gradually to Insiders before a wider release.

The Movable Flyout Revolution

Windows 11's original design language intentionally centralized many UI pop-ups to the bottom center, creating a clean, modern look. But that visual consistency came at a practical cost. For anyone adjusting volume while watching a video in full screen, gaming, or working in a content creation app with tools near the bottom edge, the flyout would regularly block important elements. The irritation was compounded by its persistence—there was no official way to move it.

The new "Position of the onscreen pop-up" dropdown changes that. Found under Settings > System > Notifications, it offers three discrete options:

  • Bottom (default) – the current location, centered along the bottom edge.
  • Top-left – the classic Windows placement, anchored to the top-left corner.
  • Top-center – a compromise that avoids both the bottom and the very top, appearing centered near the top edge.

Once you choose a position, the system redraws the flyout there immediately, and the change persists across sessions. Microsoft has also patched earlier bugs where a relocated indicator prevented you from clicking through the area underneath it—an edge case that had been reported in Dev and Beta flights.

This move signals Microsoft’s willingness to reintroduce user-driven customization, even when it means deviating from the sleek but rigid default. It’s a quiet but significant shift: rather than forcing users to adapt to a design mandate, the OS is adapting to real-world workflows.

How to Configure the New Setting

If you’re on one of the eligible Release Preview builds, here’s how to find it:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to System > Notifications.
  3. Scroll down to Position of the onscreen pop-up.
  4. Pick your preferred location from the dropdown.

The change takes effect instantly. No log out or restart required. If the option doesn’t appear, it could be because the feature is still rolling out gradually—Microsoft often flights these additions in waves, so it may take a few days to reach every Insider device.

Multi-Monitor and DPI Pitfalls

The setting is system-wide but must behave cohesively across multiple screens, each with potentially different resolutions and DPI scaling. In early testing, the flyout generally appears on the monitor where the main action is happening—the one with the focused window, or the primary display if no window is in focus. However, multi-monitor setups can still introduce quirks, such as the flyout showing up on the wrong screen or being misaligned at certain scaling levels.

Microsoft has addressed some of these edge cases in recent Dev and Beta channel fixes, but early adopters should verify behavior on their specific combinations of monitors and scaling settings. If you notice the flyout appearing on an unintended display, check which monitor is set as primary in Settings > System > Display, and make sure your graphics drivers are up to date. High-DPI displays in particular can expose layout miscalculations; while Microsoft’s ongoing polish is promising, some clipping or alignment glitches may still appear during the preview phase.

Accessibility Considerations

For users who rely on assistive technologies, consistent on-screen placement is not just a convenience—it’s an accessibility aid. While the new positions may benefit some screen-reader workflows by moving the flyout out of the way of other UI elements, they could also introduce confusion if the location suddenly shifts. Microsoft must ensure that the flyouts remain keyboard-accessible, announce their content correctly through accessibility APIs, and do not disrupt focus order.

There’s also the matter of low-vision users who may depend on a predictable, fixed location to quickly locate the indicator. Any change in placement can impact visibility, especially if the flyout ends up overlapping something else or blending into a busy background. As this feature moves toward a stable release, the company should provide clear guidance—and potentially user-level controls—to maintain or override the position for accessibility scenarios.

AI Actions Enter File Explorer

Beyond the movable flyouts, the Release Preview builds inject AI directly into File Explorer’s right-click context menu. For supported image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .png), you’ll now see options like visual search, blur background, and other lightweight edits. Document summarization is available for supported file types as well. These actions are accessible via the context menu or Shift + F10, and they aim to eliminate small task-switching moments—bringing editing and insight directly to the file management workflow.

However, availability is not universal. In early rollouts, these AI features are not available in the European Economic Area (EEA), likely due to regulatory considerations. Moreover, some actions may require Copilot+ hardware, which leverages on-device AI processing. For users on standard PCs, certain functions could call upon cloud-based services, which raises important privacy questions.

Microsoft has not yet published exhaustive documentation clarifying where AI processing occurs for each specific action. Until that transparency arrives, users should treat these features with caution—especially on sensitive or confidential files—and test with non-sensitive data first.

Taskbar Pinning Without Restarts

IT administrators managing taskbar pins through Group Policy or MDM will appreciate a long-overdue fix. Previously, applying a pinning policy often required restarting explorer.exe for the changes to take effect, a disruptive step that generated unnecessary helpdesk tickets and forced users to re-login. In the new build, pins now appear without that restart, though there’s an important nuance: the appearance window can stretch up to approximately eight hours, depending on policy refresh intervals.

This behavioral change modernizes the admin experience but demands a shift in expectations. Administrators should plan for propagation delays and communicate to end users that missing pins may simply be in the queue, not broken. For urgent deployments, pairing the policy rollout with user communication is more effective than hunting for silvert bullet fixes.

Enterprise and IT Admin Guidance

For IT shops, the movable flyout setting is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it empowers users and reduces friction in presentation and creative scenarios. On the other, it introduces another personalization option that can fragment the user experience across an organization—making support more complex. Teams should validate the new positions against line-of-business applications that depend on precise screen real estate, such as:
- Presentation and video playback software
- Custom in-house apps with floating HUDs
- Point-of-sale and kiosk systems where overlays could interfere with input

If your organization values consistency, consider documenting a recommended or mandated position (perhaps via a configuration guideline) until the feature stabilizes in production builds. The same goes for AI actions in File Explorer: before enabling them broadly, you must understand where processing happens—locally or in the cloud. Evaluate your compliance posture, especially if your region restricts data transfers, and remember that some features are currently excluded from the EEA.

Because these are Release Preview builds, all privacy documentation and enterprise controls are subject to change. Treat preview features as in-flux, and pilot them in a controlled environment before any wide-scale deployment. The taskbar pinning policy improvement, while welcome, should also be tested in a subset to confirm that pins appear within the expected refresh window and that no side effects emerge.

Developer and OEM Implications

The movable flyout also ripples outward to developers, hardware makers, and third-party tool creators. OEMs and graphics driver teams need to verify that their own on-screen display (OSD) overlays—many monitors and GPU utilities show volume or brightness sliders—don’t clash with Windows’ repositioned flyouts. An overlap could create a confusing or inaccessible experience.

App developers, especially those building full-screen applications or streaming overlays, should test their UI layouts against the new top-left and top-center positions. If critical controls occupy those regions, consider adding in-app guidance (e.g., “If a system flyout appears here, you can move it via Settings > System > Notifications”). For overlay utilities, such as performance monitors or widget tools, the change may require updates to avoid visual collisions.

Known Issues and Workarounds

No preview is flawless. Here are the main issues Insiders have encountered, along with quick fixes:

  • Flyout blocking interaction – Earlier builds had a bug where a relocated flyout prevented click-through on the area it covered. This has largely been patched, but if you still see it, a sign-out and sign-in or restart of explorer.exe can serve as a temporary mitigation.
  • Flyout on wrong monitor – If the indicator appears on an unintended screen, verify your primary display setting and update graphics drivers. The system generally follows the focused window, but edge cases persist.
  • AI actions missing – If you don’t see AI options in File Explorer, first confirm your build number (26100 or 26200). The rollout is gradual, so you may need to wait. Also check your region—EEA users won’t get them initially—and ensure your Microsoft Store apps (including Copilot-related components) are up to date. Some features are reserved for Copilot+ hardware.

The Road Ahead

The September Release Preview builds reflect a maturing Windows 11 that’s shifting gears from sweeping redesigns to thoughtful, user-driven polish. The movable flyouts, in particular, show that Microsoft is listening to long-standing feedback and is willing to reintroduce legacy behaviors where they improve daily usability. The AI integrations hint at a future where contextual intelligence pervades the OS, but they also underscore the need for clear, upfront documentation on data handling.

For IT administrators, the taskbar pinning improvement is a quiet win that removes a tedious hurdle; for developers, the flyout change demands a fresh round of testing; and for everyday users, the new toggle is a small victory in reclaiming control over their workspace. Expect Microsoft to continue refining these features based on Insider telemetry and feedback, with potential stable release in the coming months.

As this preview cycle unfolds, keep an eye on multi-monitor fixes, accessibility validation, and clearer AI processing disclosures. The devices we use every day are shaped by incremental, detail-oriented updates like these—not just flashy annual releases. When they’re done right, they quietly make the whole experience feel just a bit more polished—and a lot more personal.