Microsoft launched its new operating system, Windows 11, on October 05, 2021. This one has brought some new features and design. Thus, the different icons of the taskbar as well as the Start menu are now by default in the center of the home screen like in macOS. However, this change is not really appreciated by all users, me first!
Since the Windows Start menu has always been placed in the lower-left corner of the home screen, many people have difficulty getting used to this new location. If this new layout bothers you too, you should know that it is possible to put the Start menu back to its original place, on the left. There are two ways to do this, which I will present to you in this tutorial.
Change Windows 11 Taskbar alignment to left via the Windows 11 settings
This is the simplest method and known by all. Let’s discover together the different steps. The captures were made shortly after installing the update to Windows 11. Don’t worry if the color of the windows is different on your PC, I had set my computer to use the dark theme of Windows 10 which was kept during the migration to Windows 11.
1. Click on the “Start” menu and then on “Settings” or press “Windows Key” and “i” simultaneously to use the keyboard shortcut to open the Windows 11 settings.
2. Then, on the left side of the window, select “Personalization” and then press “Taskbar” which is on the right side of the window.
3. Look for the line “Taskbar behaviors” on the screen by scrolling down and click on the arrow on the right to open all the taskbar options including its alignment.
4. All that’s left is to set the location of the Start menu and taskbar in Windows 11 by choosing the value Left for the Taskbar Alignment option.
And that’s it, the Start menu and taskbar of Windows 11 are now aligned to the left, as traditionally in the Microsoft operating system. Note that there is no longer any need to click on an Ok or Apply button like on other versions of Windows: the settings are immediately changed without having to validate them. That’s progress (or not…).
How to move Windows 11 Taskbar to left through the Windows Registry
There is also another method to position the Start menu on the left of the taskbar in Windows 11. This is done through the Windows registry. This is a method that many people are not yet familiar with. However, it only takes a few seconds. Here’s how to do it:
1. Press the “Start” menu key and “R” on your keyboard simultaneously to. Then you need to type regedit. When you’re done, press “OK”.
2. In the registry editor window, access the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software >Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced.3. Look for the TaskbarAI value on the right and double click on it.
Enter the number 0 in the value box at the bottom of the value name and confirm the operation by pressing the “OK” button.
0: For Left Aligned Taskbar
1: For Center Aligned TaskbarYou have just put the Windows 11 Start menu back on the left side of the taskbar for better ergonomics, you just have to restart your computer to see the changes on the screen.
