To move the Windows 11 taskbar to the top, left, or right of the screen, install ExplorerPatcher from its official GitHub page, right-click the taskbar, open Properties, then set Primary Taskbar Location on screen to the position you want and click Restart File Explorer. Microsoft removed this option from Windows 11 natively, so a third-party patch is currently the only reliable method.
Applies to: Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 21, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Windows 11 does not include a native setting to move the taskbar — Microsoft removed it when the taskbar was rebuilt for 11.
- ExplorerPatcher by valinet is a free open-source patch that restores the Windows 10 taskbar, which supports top, left, and right positioning.
- Installing ExplorerPatcher freezes Explorer for a few seconds, then replaces the Windows 11 taskbar with the Windows 10 version automatically.
- The same Properties window can also swap the Windows 11 Start menu back to the Windows 10 Start menu and align it to the left edge.
- Uninstalling ExplorerPatcher restores the default Windows 11 taskbar — every change is reversible.
Quick Steps
- Open the ExplorerPatcher Latest Release page and download
ep_setup.exe. - Run
ep_setup.exe, accept the UAC prompt, and wait for Explorer to restart. - Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Properties.
- Under Taskbar, set Primary Taskbar Location on screen to Top, Left, or Right.
- Click Restart File Explorer at the bottom of the window to apply.
Why Windows 11 Cannot Move the Taskbar Natively
Windows 10 and every previous version let you drag the taskbar to any side of the screen or change its position through taskbar properties. In Windows 11 Microsoft rewrote the taskbar as a new XAML component and dropped the move option entirely. As of build 26100 (24H2) and 26200 (25H2), there is still no setting in Windows 11 to reposition the taskbar — Settings > Personalization > Taskbar only lets you change alignment between Center and Left, not screen edge.
That leaves a third-party workaround as the only option. ExplorerPatcher solves this by replacing the Windows 11 taskbar with the older Windows 10 taskbar, which kept the “move to any edge” feature. It is an open-source patch hosted on GitHub with over 25,000 stars and active maintenance, so it tracks new Windows 11 builds closely.
Install ExplorerPatcher on Windows 11
Download the installer from the official GitHub repository, not from a mirror or random download site — forks of ExplorerPatcher have occasionally shipped with bundled junk, so only trust the valinet repo.
- Open the ExplorerPatcher GitHub page.
- On the right side of the page, click the Latest Release link under Releases.
- Scroll down to Assets and download
ep_setup.exe. - Run the installer and approve the User Account Control prompt.
Note: During installation the screen may flash black and Explorer may look frozen for 10–20 seconds. This is normal — ExplorerPatcher is unloading the Windows 11 taskbar and injecting its replacement.
Once the installer finishes, the taskbar immediately looks like the Windows 10 taskbar — rectangular icons, the classic Start button on the left, and the older system tray layout. No restart is needed.
Move the Taskbar to the Top, Left, or Right
Once ExplorerPatcher is installed, the move option lives in its properties panel rather than in the Windows 11 Settings app. Every taskbar position — top, bottom, left, right — is available, matching how Windows 10 worked.
- Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Properties.
- Make sure the Taskbar tab is selected on the left.
- Click the Primary Taskbar Location on screen dropdown and pick Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.
- Click Restart File Explorer at the bottom of the window.
If you have a second monitor, the Secondary Taskbar Location on screen dropdown below it controls where the taskbar shows on all additional displays. If you run a single monitor, that setting has no effect.
Optional: Get the Full Windows 10 Taskbar and Start Menu
ExplorerPatcher does more than move the taskbar — it can reskin most of the Windows 11 shell back to Windows 10. These are the tweaks I apply on every Windows 11 install where I want the old layout back.
- Hide Task View button: In the Taskbar tab, check Disable Task View button. Frees up space if you never use virtual desktops.
- Always combine taskbar icons: Set Combine taskbar icons on primary/secondary taskbar to Always combine so open windows stack into a single icon instead of showing text labels.
- Hide Control Center gear: Under System tray, tick the option to hide the Control Center icon (the small gear near the clock).
- Windows 10 Start menu: Go to the Start menu tab and set Start menu style to Windows 10.
- Align Start menu to the edge: In the same tab, change Position on screen from At center to At screen edge. Combined with the Windows 10 Start style, this gives you the classic bottom-left Start button.
Click Restart File Explorer again after each batch of changes — settings do not take effect until Explorer reloads. For deeper shell-level tweaks (rounded corners, menu animations, system tray layout), pair ExplorerPatcher with Windhawk, which runs alongside without conflicts.
Troubleshooting ExplorerPatcher
Explorer keeps crashing after a Windows Update: Major Windows 11 feature updates (23H2 → 24H2, 24H2 → 25H2) sometimes break ExplorerPatcher until a new matching release is published. If Explorer crashes repeatedly after an update, download the latest ep_setup.exe from GitHub and run it — the installer detects the running version and upgrades in place.
Taskbar stuck at the bottom after changing the setting: ExplorerPatcher needs Explorer to reload before position changes apply. Click Restart File Explorer inside the Properties window — don’t just close the window. If that still fails, sign out and sign back in.
Want to remove ExplorerPatcher: Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search for ExplorerPatcher, and uninstall it. The default Windows 11 taskbar returns immediately — no leftover settings, no registry cleanup needed.
Related Customization Guides
- Turn Windows 11 into Windows 10 with ExplorerPatcher — full visual overhaul, including File Explorer.
- Restore the Windows 10 right-click context menu using the same tool.
- StartAllBack — a paid alternative to ExplorerPatcher ($4.99) with a more polished UI and easier Windows 11 feature update handling.
- Make the Windows 11 taskbar transparent with TranslucentTB.
- Full Windows 11 desktop customization guide — cursors, wallpapers, icon packs, and shell tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move the Windows 11 taskbar without third-party software?
No. As of Windows 11 builds 23H2, 24H2, and 25H2, Microsoft does not expose a taskbar position setting anywhere in Settings, Group Policy, or the registry. Old registry hacks that worked in early Windows 11 builds were patched out by Microsoft. A shell-patching tool like ExplorerPatcher or StartAllBack is currently the only working method.
Is ExplorerPatcher safe to use?
ExplorerPatcher is open source, has 25,000+ GitHub stars, and is maintained by valinet. The binaries on the official releases page are signed and scanned by VirusTotal. Some antivirus tools flag shell-patching utilities as potentially unwanted because they inject into explorer.exe — this is a false positive common to every tool in this category. Always download from the official GitHub repo linked above.
Will ExplorerPatcher keep working after Windows 11 updates?
Usually, yes. The maintainer ships a new release within a few days of every Windows 11 feature update. If Explorer starts crashing after an update, check the GitHub releases page and install the newest version. Monthly cumulative updates rarely break ExplorerPatcher.
Can I undo the changes?
Yes. Uninstall ExplorerPatcher from Settings > Apps > Installed apps and the default Windows 11 taskbar returns instantly. If you just want to reset individual tweaks, open Properties, right-click any value, and choose Reset to default.
Does ExplorerPatcher work on Windows 11 ARM64?
No. ExplorerPatcher is x64-only. Running it on ARM64 through emulation breaks Explorer. If you are on an ARM Windows 11 device, use StartAllBack, which has an ARM64 build, or stick with the native taskbar.
