These apps let you customize Windows 11 to bring the taskbar back to life

A user types on the Surface Pro 8 keyboard. The screen displays Microsoft Teams on a blue and white background.
The Windows 11 taskbar. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

I’m not the only one who hates the new Windows 11 taskbar, and now third-party developers are coming to the rescue with apps that bring back some of the features missing in Microsoft’s latest OS.

Microsoft removed basic taskbar functionality in Windows 11, like displaying the time and date on multiple monitors, moving the taskbar to the top of the screen or sides, and even small things like altering its height and having small icons. It has angered many Windows users, and most of the top feedback in Microsoft’s Windows Insider program was related to the taskbar changes before Windows 11 debuted last week.

Stardock is releasing Start11 today, which offers a lot of customization for the Windows 11 Start menu and taskbar h…