How to move the Windows 11 taskbar to the top of the screen
As of October 2021, Windows 11 does not allow you to move your taskbar to the top of the screen with a formal setting (unlike Windows 10). But we've figured out a way to achieve this by editing the registry – and you can do it with just a few clicks. Here's how.
Edit the registry yourself
To move the Windows 11 taskbar to the top of the screen, you can either change the Windows registry manually or download the hack with a single click in the section below. First, we will show you how to do it yourself.
Warning:
Registry Editor is a powerful tool. Misusing it can make your system unstable or even inoperable. However, this is a simple hack, and if you follow the instructions completely, you will not have any problems. If you've never used the registry editor before, consider reading about how to use it before you begin. We also recommend that you back up the registry (and your computer) before making any changes.
To manually make the taskbar appear at the top of the screen, open the registry editor first. To do this, click on the "Start" button, type "regedit", and then select "Registry Editor" in the results.
When the registry editor opens, navigate to this key using the sidebar, or paste it into the title line near the top of the window:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3
Once you go to the "StuckRects3" key, double-click on the "Settings" key inside it.
When you open the "Edit binary value" window, you will see the table of values. This is a rather difficult part. Locate the second row of values from the top, and then return to the fifth value from the left. By default, this value is set to "03". Place the cursor to the right of "03" (click with the mouse and press the right arrow key if necessary), press Backspace once, and then type 01.
To summarize, I replaced the value "03" (which means taskbar at the bottom) with "01" (which means taskbar at the top). When you're done, click OK.
Close Registry Editor, restart your computer, log off and then log on again, or restart Windows Explorer.
To restart Explorer, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the task manager, click "More Details" to view the full interface if necessary, and select the "Processes" tab. Select "Windows Explorer" in the list, right-click on it, select "Restart".
After that, the taskbar will be at the top of the screen. If the taskbar icons are centered and you click Start, you will notice that the Start menu will appear on the left side of the screen, not in the center.
If you want to make the Start button location match the location of the Start menu at the top of the screen, open Settings (press Windows + i) and go to Personalization> taskbar> taskbar behaviors and set Taskbar Alignment to Left."
If you change your mind and want to return to the taskbar mode at the bottom of the screen, edit the "Settings" key described in the step above, and change the value "01" with "03". Or you can use the "win11_taskbar_bottom.reg" in the section below.
You may be thinking: Is it possible to move the Windows 11 taskbar to the left or right side of the screen? Yes, by changing the value of the "Settings" key to "00" (left) or "02" (left). Unfortunately, the taskbar becomes unusable (as of October 2021) because the taskbar icons do not appear correctly.
Download the recording software with one click
If you prefer not to risk editing your registry manually, you can download registry hack files with a single click. Within the ZIP file linked below, you will find two files that will place the Windows 11 taskbar at the top or bottom of the screen (after restarting).
After downloading the file, unzip it anywhere, and you will have two files:
win11_taskbar_top.reg: This moves the taskbar to the top of the screen.
win11_taskbar_bottom.reg: This moves the taskbar to the bottom of the screen.
Usually, you should not trust the recording files you find on the Internet, but we prepared and tested them ourselves. You can check their contents using Notepad if you wish. (Right-click the REG file, select "Show More Options," then choose "Edit.")
To use REG files, double-click the file you want to use, and you will see a warning about adding information to the registry. Click Yes.
After that, click OK in the confirmation pop-up window. After that, restart your computer, log out and log in again, or restart Explorer. When you log in again, your taskbar will be either at the top or bottom of the screen, depending on the REG file you used.
WARNING: Keep in mind that this registry hack is not officially supported by Microsoft. It may be disabled in the future update of Windows 11, or it may not work perfectly on every computer out there.
While we are now forced to use hacks in the registry to change the location of the taskbar, we hope that Microsoft will eventually make the choice officially in the Settings app. Until then, happy mission!