Windows 11 Build 26300 finally lets you move the taskbar to any screen edge and shrink its height for better screen real estate on compact displays. Widgets get quieter notifications while Windows Search prioritizes local files over web results, making everyday navigation noticeably faster. Voice dictation expands to Spanish and French with on-device AI processing, and system loading spinners receive a consistent visual refresh across all states. Logon performance sees early optimizations that should speed up sign-ins, though users resetting their PC must choose the cloud download option to avoid a known hang bug.

Windows 11 Build 26300 Moves Taskbar Anywhere and Shrinks Icons for Power Users

Windows 11 Build 26300 lands in the Experimental channel with long-requested tweaks that actually change how you interact with the desktop. The update finally lets users move the taskbar to any screen edge and offers a compact mode for those who hate wasted pixels. There are also fixes for logon speed, voice dictation expansion, and some annoying bugs that have plagued recent flights.

Windows 11 Build 26300 Taskbar Positioning and Size Options

The most visible change in this flight is the ability to drag the taskbar off the bottom of the screen. Settings now include options under Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors to pin the bar to the top, left, or right edges. Tooltips and flyouts still originate from the taskbar regardless of position, so context menus behave as expected. Most customization settings like small icons and never combine work across all locations too. The smaller taskbar mode is a welcome addition for cramped displays or ultrawide monitors where every pixel counts. Users can toggle this in the same Taskbar Behaviors menu by setting Show smaller taskbar buttons to Always. This reduces height and scales down icon sizes without breaking alignment on core elements like Start and Search. Auto-hide functionality does not work with alternate positions yet, so users who rely on that feature will need to stick to the bottom for now. Touch optimized mode is also missing from this rollout.

Widgets Get Quieter and Search Prioritizes Local Files

Microsoft is dialing back the urgency around widgets by changing badge colors to match your Windows accent instead of defaulting to a jarring red. The update also tests a smarter approach to notifications based on user behavior. People who rarely open widgets will see fewer distractions, while heavy users keep their current setup intact. This feels like a reasonable middle ground compared to the aggressive badging in previous builds. Search box improvements focus on relevance by pushing local files and apps ahead of web suggestions when the query matches content on the device. This should reduce the frustration of hunting through Bing results for something sitting right there on the desktop.

Fluid Dictation Expands and Spinners Get a Makeover

Voice typing gets a boost with fluid dictation now available in Spanish and French. The feature uses on-device small language models to fix grammar and remove filler words automatically without sending data to the cloud. This keeps processing fast and private while making text entry smoother for multilingual users. Visual consistency improves across system states as Microsoft replaces legacy spinners with solid donut indicators during boot, logon, restart, shutdown, and updates. Status text like Restarting or Working on updates now pairs with these unified visuals to give a clearer picture of what the system is doing.

Logon Speeds Up and Recycle Bin Properties Finally Works

Under the hood, this build introduces the first round of logon performance optimizations that Microsoft plans to roll out over coming months. Users should notice faster sign-in times as these improvements get measured and refined. Reliability gets a bump for switching between virtual desktops and running the dism command to repair system images. The Run dialog history navigation works correctly again after pressing arrow keys on first launch, which saves time when opening frequent paths. File Explorer also fixes a regression where Properties failed to open for the Recycle Bin in some cases. SSDP notifications are more stable now, preventing the service from hanging up and blocking network discovery.

Reset PC Stuck Requires Cloud Download Workaround

There is a known issue where resetting the PC gets stuck when using the local reinstall option. Users who need to wipe their machine should choose the cloud download path instead of local recovery. This workaround ensures the reset process completes without hanging on the progress screen.

Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493 - Windows Insider Program

Release notes for Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493

Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493 - Windows Insider Program

Give the taskbar moves a try and let us know if moving it to the side breaks anything in your workflow. The smaller icon mode is worth testing if you are running multiple windows side by side. Share feedback via Feedback Hub under Desktop Environment > Taskbar to help shape these features before they hit stable channels.