Windhawk Guide: Restoring Lost Start Menu and Taskbar Controls in Windows 11

George Tsagkarakis
Posted by by George Tsagkarakis September 28, 2026 8 Min Read How Tos Tags:
Last Updated:September 28, 2026
windhawk guide restoring lost start menu and taskbar controls in windo Many of the Start menu, taskbar and File Explorer settings found in older versions of Windows were removed in Windows 11. Windhawk, a free, open-source platform for Windows mods, can bring most of them back. You install Windhawk first and then add separate mods, each one fixing a specific problem.

Many of the Start menu, taskbar and File Explorer settings found in older versions of Windows were removed in Windows 11. Windhawk, a free, open-source platform for Windows mods, can bring most of them back. You install Windhawk first and then add separate mods, each one fixing a specific problem.

Why Windows 11 feels harder to customize

Windows 11 does bring some welcome additions, including new File Explorer features, a redesigned Notepad and a Phone Link side panel inside the Start menu. At the same time, it dropped customization options that Windows users had relied on for decades.

The Start menu, taskbar, notification center and File Explorer lack proper controls in Windows 11. Microsoft likely cut these features because not enough people used them to make maintaining them worthwhile. If you were one of the people who did, the Windows developer community has created mods that restore them, and many of those mods are available through Windhawk.

Install Windhawk and add a mod

All of the fixes in this guide are installed the same way. After Windhawk is set up on your PC, you add each mod from within the app.

  1. Install Windhawk on your computer.
  2. Launch Windhawk.
  3. In the top right corner, click the Explorer tab.
  4. Search for the mod you want by its name.
  5. Click Details.
  6. Click Install.

After a mod is installed, you can adjust its options through its settings.

Customize or strip down the Start menu

Out of the box, the Start menu is fairly basic. The Recommended section uses up space even if you never open anything from it, and there’s no way to make the menu match your desktop theme.

With the Windows 11 Start Menu Styler mod, you control both the look and the behavior of the Start menu. It lets you:

  • Get rid of the Recommended section
  • Bring back the classic Windows 10 style menu
  • Use themes such as FluentInspired or RosePine
  • Reduce the menu to nothing but a search bar
  1. Follow the steps above to install the Windows 11 Start Menu Styler mod.
  2. Go to the mod’s settings and pick the style or theme you like.
  3. If you want to tweak a style further, enter your own custom JavaScript code in the mod settings.

Some themes don’t play nicely with the new Start menu layout. If a theme looks off after you apply it, turn off the Start menu layout in the mod settings to fix the problem.

Make taskbar icons bigger and sharper

Instead of the standard 32 x 32 pixels, Windows 11 shrinks taskbar icons down to 24 x 24 pixels. On high-resolution displays this can make them look blurry or too small, and it’s harder to click them or tell them apart.

  1. Install the Taskbar height and icon size mod.
  2. In its settings, return the icon size to 32 x 32 for crisper icons, or go larger if you’d like.
  3. Set the taskbar height and button width to whatever sizes suit you.

If you want even more visual changes, install the Windows 11 Taskbar Styler mod too. It covers transparency, blur effects, hover animations, spacing and other styling adjustments.

Show folder sizes in File Explorer

File Explorer’s details view lists sizes for files but leaves folders blank. Ordinarily, finding out how much space a folder takes up means right-clicking it and opening Properties, which turns clearing disk space into a slow chore.

The Better file sizes in Explorer details mod populates the Size column for folders. Because it’s disabled by default, you’ll need to choose one of its three options once it’s installed.

  1. Install the Better file sizes in Explorer details mod.
  2. Go to the mod settings.
  3. Choose Enabled, calculated manually while holding the Shift key. This setting helps you steer clear of file loading problems.
  4. In File Explorer, keep Shift held down while refreshing the folder to display folder sizes.

There’s also an option to integrate the mod with Everything search. During testing, however, it reported incorrect folder sizes, making the Shift key option the safer pick.

Move the taskbar to the left or right side

The ability to position the taskbar vertically was removed in Windows 11. On an ultrawide monitor, a vertical taskbar is handy because it frees up more vertical space for documents and web pages.

  1. Install the Vertical Taskbar for Windows 11 mod.
  2. In its settings, decide whether the taskbar should sit on the left or the right side of the screen.
  3. If you have multiple monitors, assign separate positions for the primary and secondary displays.
  4. Change the taskbar width to make it narrower or wider.

Setting the width to 58 pixels on the left side lets you see icons clearly without the taskbar eating up too much space.

Control how taskbar buttons group and show labels

For taskbar buttons, Windows 11 offers just two options: combine them and hide labels, or ungroup them and display labels. There’s no way to pick always combine, never combine, or combine only when the taskbar fills up.

  1. Install the Taskbar Labels for Windows 11 mod.
  2. In the mod settings, decide how buttons are grouped and whether labels appear. You could, for instance, ungroup buttons while hiding labels, or display labels while leaving buttons combined.
  3. If you like, adjust the running indicator, the progress indicator style, the font size and other options.
  4. Use the mod’s advanced settings to assign specific apps their own behavior.

Add mouse and window shortcuts with other mods

Windhawk also offers plenty of smaller mods that add handy controls. Browse the Explorer tab for mods that allow you to:

  • Use the mouse wheel to scroll through browser tabs
  • Adjust the volume by scrolling over the taskbar
  • Close an app by middle-clicking its taskbar button
  • Scroll through inactive windows
  • Resize windows by dragging their edges

Frequently asked questions

Is Windhawk free and open source?

Yes. Windhawk is an open-source platform for Windows mods, and the individual mods you install through it are built by community developers.

Why doesn’t File Explorer show folder sizes by default?

In the details view, Windows 11 displays sizes only for files. To see folder sizes there, you need a mod such as Better file sizes in Explorer details.

What should I do if a Start menu theme looks broken?

Certain themes don’t work properly with the new Start menu layout. To fix this, disable the Start menu layout in the Windows 11 Start Menu Styler settings.

Can I put the Windows 11 taskbar on the side of the screen?

Not through the built-in settings. The Vertical Taskbar for Windows 11 mod lets you position it on the left or right and choose its width.