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Yes, if you often keep several windows of the same app open and want each one visible and labeled. Set Combine taskbar buttons to Never. Stay on the default grouping if you prefer a compact taskbar and don’t need every window title on screen. This is a workflow preference, not a proven speed boost. Microsoft’s documentation describes the behavior, and none of it quantifies productivity.
What the three options do
Windows 11 puts the grouping control under Combine taskbar buttons. Microsoft Support lists three choices:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Always, hide labels (default) | Each app gets one unlabeled button, even with several windows open. |
| When taskbar is full | Windows appear as separate labeled buttons until the taskbar gets crowded. Then each app’s windows collapse into one button that opens a list of its windows. |
| Never | Every window stays its own labeled button, however many are open. As more windows open, buttons shrink and eventually the taskbar scrolls. |
“When taskbar is full” is the middle ground. You get labels while there’s room, and grouping takes over before things get cramped.
How to turn ungrouping on
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
- Find Combine taskbar buttons and choose Never.
- If you use multiple displays, set the grouping for the other taskbars separately if you want a different behavior on each.
Developers and administrators may also see the setting in Microsoft’s Windows developer documentation for current-user settings. It lists the grouping values as 0 for Always, 1 for When taskbar is full, and 2 for Never. Ordinary users don’t need this, because Settings does the same thing.
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Which setting suits you
| Prefer Never when… | Prefer grouping when… |
|---|---|
| You often switch among several windows from the same app. | You want a compact taskbar with fewer, wider app-level controls. |
| Window titles help you tell files, browser windows or work contexts apart. | You usually switch between apps rather than between windows of one app. |
| You have enough taskbar width for the windows you typically keep open. | You keep many windows open and don’t want buttons to shrink or scroll. |
These criteria come from how Microsoft documents the interface behavior. They aren’t measured productivity findings.
The real trade-off: space
Labels cost width. With Never, a handful of windows reads clearly. With a dozen or more, each button gets smaller, titles truncate, and the bar eventually scrolls. That can be slower than the grouped view’s pop-up list. If you drift between those extremes, “When taskbar is full” gives you labels in light use and grouping when you’re swamped.
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A wider display or a second monitor with its own setting also helps. For example, you could use Never on a large main screen and grouping on a smaller one.
Availability notes
Microsoft’s May 2026 Windows Insider post describes separate labeled buttons under Never combine in its vertical-taskbar scenario. The post notes that some related features were still in progress. Treat those details as specific to that preview, not as available on every Windows 11 installation. The three-option setting above is the documented standard behavior.
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The Bottom Line
Try Never for a few days if you juggle multiple windows per app. If the bar gets cramped, switch to When taskbar is full or back to the default. The change is instant and reversible.
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