Apart from that, the Silicon Valley giants have also removed some useful features from the taskbar. First off, the Show Desktop option has been reduced to ashes. Then the right-click context menu on your Windows 11 Taskbar is no longer there (rather you would only get a single taskbar settings option).
Then, the option to switch the position of the taskbar has also been done away with. And now comes the biggest surprise- you might have to bid adieu to the drag and drop feature in the Windows 11 Taskbar! There’s no hidden secret that out of all the UI tweaks and feature removal, this one is surely going to receive a truckload of negative reception. So what exactly was this feature? Well, up until Windows 10, you could easily drag and drop a file onto the app present in the taskbar and the latter would straightway open that file. For example, if you have a photo editor app opened in the taskbar, then you could simply drag and drop an image onto that app and use it right away. However, with Windows 11, you wouldn’t be able to perform that task. Rather, you would have to manually open that file every time. Moreover, if you want to open that file using a non-default app, then you would have to right-click on it, select Open with, choose the app from the list, and hit OK. Earlier, just drag and drop over to the app of your choice would have done the said.
Well, if you have reached the boiling point, then hold onto your hats for a little bit longer as there’s going to be another entry to this unfortunate list. Microsoft has also removed the ability to drag and drag the app’s icon to the taskbar. So if you have the Chrome Browser present on your Desktop, then you cannot simply drag and drop over to the Taskbar and add it there. Is it due to some underlying bugs or a deliberate move?
What’s Microsoft’s Statement on this?
Rubbing salts to the wounds, Microsoft has admitted that this is no issues or bugs of any sort. Rather they have intentionally removed this feature, as of now. Here’s what they have to say on the Feedback Hub post pertaining to this issue:
Is this the End of the Road for Windows 11 Drag and Drop Taskbar
Well, there’s might still be some silver lining among those dark clouds. As you might be aware, this is a Developer Preview (Insider) build, whose main purpose is to test and debug various features, get feedback from the testers and then act accordingly for the stable release. So it might be the case that the removal of drag and drop from the Windows 11 Taskbar is part of their testing programs. And if the first word of their response (“Currently”) gives us any hints, this feature might ultimately see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s keep our fingers crossed this then!
What are the Users Responses?
There are no brownie points in guessing that they are quite infuriated, to say the least. Here are some of the user reviews from the Feedback Hub (you may get hold of all the reviews from that page):
Drag and Drop for Taskbar in Windows 11: What’s the Fix
So now comes the all-important question- is there any fix as such? Well, not exactly a fix but there do exist a few workarounds that could spell out success for you. First off, if we talk about the inability to drag and drop an app to the taskbar, then it could still be achieved, albeit via a different route. Here’s how: -Should rename this release Windows 9. Adding gimmicky new features while removing features that give your users utility, bad move. -I think that this functionality was the most important feature of Windows. Microsoft should work on it to bring the feature as soon as possible. -Sorry Microsoft, but that response is pathetic. Why remove features that have been in Windows for years? There is this, and then there’s the right-click context menu, or lack there of now — for as long as I have been using Windows, it’s always been right-click on the taskbar for the Task Manager. COME ON!!
While that was quite easy to deal with, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the next one. To bring back the ability to drag and drop files onto an app present on your Taskbar in Windows 11, you would have to deal with the Registry Editor. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea and a slight deviation could spell out trouble for some users. So if you are ready to take the plunge, then do check out our comprehensive guide on this topic:
Concluding Remarks
With this, we round off the guide on the drag and drop Taskbar feature in Windows 11. This is one of the most surprising/unnecessary/unexpected/ feature removal from the tech giants. Anyways, let’s keep our optimism level high and hope that the removal is just limited to the Insider Preview. What are your views on the same? Do let us know in the comments section below.
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