Windows 11 preview build makes tablet taskbar more widely available

Microsoft has released a new test build of Windows 11 intended for the Dev Channel. This includes broad support for a taskbar optimized for tablet users.

It is a taskbar optimized for touch control. In concrete terms, this means that the taskbar, as it were, collapses to a smaller size with a tablet with a touch-sensitive screen and if no mouse or keyboard is connected. This also leaves more screen space. The idea is that the taskbar in the larger format actually makes touch control easier. You can switch between the two formats by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.

In the previously released Build version 25197 this optimized taskbar already existed, but it was only available to a limited group. With the current Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25231 this functionality is available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.

In the current build, changes to the system tray have also been made more widely available, so that more people can use the drag and drop option. Furthermore, in build 25231 mostly bugs have been removed. However, there are also known issues, such as a flickering taskbar when switching between the expanded and collapsed format.