When Microsoft initially released Windows 11, it completely redesigned the taskbar, forcing a feature called “Taskbar Grouping” (or combining) on all users. If you have five different Microsoft Word documents open simultaneously, Windows 11 will automatically collapse all of them into a single Word icon on your taskbar. To switch between your documents, you have to hover over that single icon, wait for a thumbnail preview popup to appear, and then carefully click the correct miniature window.
For power users who juggle dozens of open windows and rely on reading the actual text titles of their documents on the taskbar to switch between tasks instantly, this mandatory grouping was a massive workflow bottleneck. Thankfully, after significant user pushback, Microsoft finally restored the ability to completely disable taskbar grouping, returning the classic, highly readable Windows 10 style taskbar experience.
Disabling Taskbar Grouping in Settings
You can turn off this collapsing behavior directly from the main Personalisation settings menu. (Note: You must have your Windows 11 system fully updated, as this feature was added back in a later update patch).
- Right-click on any empty space on your Taskbar (the bar at the bottom of your screen).
- Select Taskbar settings from the small context menu that appears.
- The Settings app will open. Scroll down the right-hand panel until you see a section labelled Taskbar behaviors.
- Click on Taskbar behaviors to expand the list of hidden options.
- Look for the setting labelled Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels.
- Next to this setting is a dropdown menu (which is likely set to “Always”). Click the dropdown menu and select Never.
The change takes effect instantly. Your taskbar icons will immediately expand outwards, separating every single open window into its own distinct button, complete with the full text title of the document or webpage currently open inside it. You can now switch between multiple instances of the same application with a single, precise click.