Locking taskbar?

Question

Locking taskbar?

Angela Melina 0

I'm working in Windows 11. I can't remember how to lock the taskbar. Anyone know?

Raye, Megan 5 Reputation points

2026-07-27T13:24:27.0866667+00:00

Please bring back the LOCK TASK BAR function. My Icons keep moving all over the place and I rely on them being in the same place for ease of use/efficiency. I am fine with the fact the Task bar no longer moves.
Tim Gent 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T09:45:34.9166667+00:00

It's not so much the locking but the unlocking that's a massive loss! It used to be possible to quickly drag the taskbar for more/less space. Now we finally have a taskbar in Windows 11 that can be relocated, but no re-sizing. FFS Microsoft!

3 answers

Your answer

Raye, Megan 5 Reputation points

2026-07-27T13:24:27.0866667+00:00

Please bring back the LOCK TASK BAR function. My Icons keep moving all over the place and I rely on them being in the same place for ease of use/efficiency. I am fine with the fact the Task bar no longer moves.
Tim Gent 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T09:45:34.9166667+00:00

It's not so much the locking but the unlocking that's a massive loss! It used to be possible to quickly drag the taskbar for more/less space. Now we finally have a taskbar in Windows 11 that can be relocated, but no re-sizing. FFS Microsoft!

Answer 1

In Windows 11, the taskbar lock is controlled from Taskbar settings:

Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings (or open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar).
In the taskbar settings, use the available taskbar options to configure and lock its layout and behavior as desired.

For managed or enterprise environments, taskbar locking can also be enforced via policy (for example, using the LockTaskbar or TaskbarLockAll ADMX-backed policies through MDM or Group Policy) so users cannot move or resize the taskbar.

References:

Answer 2

Bulldog 4,740

Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > remove the checkmark from 'Automatically hide the taskbar'

Screenshot 2026-06-08 152528

0 comments

Answer 3

Thomas4-N 22,300 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Angela Melina,

It looks like there's nothing to lock anymore — Windows 11 redesigned the taskbar and the old "Lock the taskbar" option seems to be gone. The taskbar appears to be locked by default now, so you can't really drag or resize it like you could in Windows 10, which probably means you're already covered without doing anything.

The official Customize the taskbar page walks through everything you can still change (alignment, pinned apps, badges, auto-hide, system tray), and there's no lock/unlock option anywhere in it, so it looks like that setting has been removed: Customize the Taskbar in Windows

If what you're actually after is the old behavior — resizing the taskbar height or moving it to the side/top — that doesn't seem to be built into Windows 11 anymore, and the only way to get it back is probably a third-party tool.

Tim Gent 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T09:45:55.7533333+00:00

It's not so much the locking but the unlocking that's a massive loss! It used to be possible to quickly drag the taskbar for more/less space. Now we finally have a taskbar in Windows 11 that can be relocated, but no re-sizing. FFS Microsoft!