Microsoft changed the taskbar architecture significantly in Windows 11 (moving it from explorer.exe logic to a XAML island structure). Consequently, tools like ExplorerPatcher "downgrade" the taskbar logic to the Windows 10 code to make it tweakable.

ViVeTool (A command-line interface to enable hidden Windows features).

Here is a breakdown of the current state of taskbar tweaking for Windows 11 and the best tools available.

Taskbar Tweaker Windows 11 |top| Jun 2026

Microsoft changed the taskbar architecture significantly in Windows 11 (moving it from explorer.exe logic to a XAML island structure). Consequently, tools like ExplorerPatcher "downgrade" the taskbar logic to the Windows 10 code to make it tweakable.

ViVeTool (A command-line interface to enable hidden Windows features).

Here is a breakdown of the current state of taskbar tweaking for Windows 11 and the best tools available.