Microsoft has modernized the System tray on taskbar in Windows 11 in recent insider builds and they’ve added the ability to drag and drop icons around. The tooltips received fluent design and System tray icons received rounded focus and hover treatment. Here is how you can enable all these new features for the system tray in Windows 11.
Windows 11 new System Tray
Highlights:
- Selected System Tray icons in the lower right area of the taskbar have rounded corners and tooltips now follow the fluent design
- You can able to rearrange tray icons
- System Tray area can show a maximum of 5 icons row-wise or horizontally. The icon alignment was different before
- Tray icons received new animations when you drag and drop over others.
- The “Show hidden icons” (^)option on the taskbar reveals nonvisible system icons.
Microsoft modernizes System Tray in Windows 11
The System Tray area available on the right side of the taskbar in Windows 11 from Windows 10 has been redesigned. But this has taken an overhaul in recent months in 2022.
The new System Tray experience brings the icons rounded corners and fluent design tooltips.
Furthermore, the tray icon animations look superb to watch when you arrange them in order.
With build 25211, Microsoft re-added the ability to drag and drop or rearrange icons in the System area. This feature is hidden and available to a few insiders, here is how you can enable it.
Enable new System Tray in Windows 11 with the ability to rearrange or drag and drop icons
- Visit GitHub
- Download Vivetool to C: drive
- Extract files
- Open This PC and the C drive, right-click on ViveTool and select Copy as the path (Ctrl+Shift+C)
- Press Start, type “cmd”, select Run as administrator
- Paste this command and press enter
vivetool /enable /id:38764045 - Restart your computer
Enable modern System Tray in Windows 11 w/ icon animations and fluent design tooltips
- Follow the above steps
- In the step, run this command
vivetool /enable /id:26008830 - Restart device.
Note: If you’ve run both commands you need to restart the device only once for the changes to apply.
Final words: Windows 11 gets a modern system tray that allows users to rearrange icons, it shows fluent design tooltips. The tray icons appear with rounded corners and animations look fluid when you drag to arrange them in order. We’ve covered the instructions for enabling Windows 11’s all-new system tray feature in this article.
What’s your take on Windows 11’s new System Tray with fluent design? Have you liked it? Let us know in the comments below
More on Windows 11:
What is Suggested Actions in Windows 11? How to enable or disable it?
How to enable hidden Taskbar Overflow on Windows 11 22H2
How to get Notifications in Windows 11 when apps add to Startup list in Settings
