A preview update finally restores some of Windows 10’s most-missed conveniences
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing your Windows 11 taskbar could sit on the side of the screen instead of glued to the bottom, you’re about to get your wish. Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 preview update โ KB5120998 โ is one of the biggest of the year, and it brings back several long-requested features that were dropped when Windows 11 launched back in 2021.
Because this is a preview (also called an optional or “C” release) update, it will not download and install automatically for most people. That is by design โ it gives Microsoft a chance to catch problems before the same changes ship to everyone in the regular monthly security update. Everything included here rolls into the September 2026 Patch Tuesday update, expected around September 8.
The movable taskbar is back
The headline change is the return of the movable taskbar. On Windows 10, you could drag the taskbar to the top, left, or right edge of the screen. Windows 11 removed that ability when it redesigned the taskbar from scratch โ a decision many users never forgave. Five years later, Microsoft is restoring it.
One difference from Windows 10: for now you can’t simply grab and drag it. Instead, open Settings โ Personalization โ Taskbar โ Taskbar behaviors โ Taskbar position and choose where you want it โ left, top, right, or bottom. No restart needed; the change applies right away.
A smaller taskbar, too
Alongside moving it, you can now make the whole taskbar smaller. Previously Windows 11 only let you shrink the buttons, which made icons tiny but left the bar itself just as big. This update adds a Windows 10-style option that reduces the taskbar’s overall height, so it takes up less of your screen and leaves more room for your open windows. Turn it on in Settings โ Personalization โ Taskbar โ Show smaller taskbar buttons.
The Start menu gets more flexible
The Start menu is also getting a long-overdue makeover. Microsoft now lets you resize the Start menu between Small and Large (or leave it on Automatic, which adapts to your screen). For anyone on a smaller laptop, this is a genuine relief โ the newer Start menu could take up most of the screen, and scaling the whole display to fix it was a pain.
You can also pick and choose which parts of the Start menu appear โ Pinned, Recent (formerly Recommended), and All Apps โ so you’re not stuck with sections you never use. Microsoft has also fixed an annoyance where turning off the Recommended feed broke the Recent list in File Explorer and the taskbar’s right-click jump list. Those settings are now independent. There’s even an option to hide your name and profile picture if you share your screen for livestreams or classes.
Search without Bing
Arguably the most welcome change for many: you can now turn off Bing web results and Microsoft Store results in Windows Search. When you search from the taskbar, you’ll get only local results โ your files, pictures, and installed apps โ instead of a page full of web suggestions. Microsoft says the results are also clearer and easier to scan. Find it under Settings โ Privacy & security โ Search.
Faster feel and other fixes
Beyond the headline features, KB5120998 includes a batch of performance and stability fixes. The system tray loads faster, File Explorer’s Home tab opens quicker (the “This PC” view already got this improvement), and scrolling through folders feels smoother.
How to get it โ and a word of caution
To install the preview update: open Settings โ Windows Update โ Check for updates, look for “2026-08 Preview Update (KB5120998)”, and click Download & install. If you’ve enabled the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” toggle, it may already be installing in the background. The update bumps Windows 11 25H2 to Build 26200.9278 and 24H2 to Build 26100.9278.
Features like the movable taskbar are being enabled gradually, so you may not see every change the moment you update โ that’s normal, not a sign something went wrong. And because this is a preview release, it’s perfectly reasonable to wait for the September Patch Tuesday update instead if you’d rather not be the first to try it.
If an update ever leaves your PC stuck, slow, or behaving oddly, that’s exactly the kind of thing we handle every day. We offer an affordable diagnosis and can get your system back on track โ just reach out to Warmbo.
Source: Windows Latest