How To Never Combine Taskbar Buttons In Windows 11

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The taskbar is an essential part of Windows operating systems, and many users prefer customizing it to suit their
personal preferences. One such customization is the taskbar button grouping, which can either
combine or separate application icons.

In this blog post, we will discuss how to never combine taskbar buttons in Windows 11. Follow these steps to
achieve your desired customization.

Step 1: Access Taskbar Settings

First, you need to access the taskbar settings. To do this, right-click on an empty space on the taskbar and
select Taskbar settings from the context menu.

Step 2: Edit Registry

Since Windows 11 doesn’t have a built-in option to never combine taskbar buttons, you need to edit the registry.
To do this, press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and press
Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Now, navigate to the following location in the Registry Editor: 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In the Advanced key, right-click on the empty space in the right pane, select New, and then
DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new DWORD value as TaskbarSI.

Step 3: Modify TaskbarSI Value

To never combine taskbar buttons, you need to modify the TaskbarSI value. Double-click on the
created TaskbarSI DWORD value and change its value data as per your preference:

  • 0 – To always combine taskbar buttons.
  • 1 – To combine taskbar buttons when the taskbar is full.
  • 2 – To never combine taskbar buttons.

Set the value data to 2 and click OK to save the changes.

Step 4: Restart Windows Explorer

To apply the changes, you need to restart Windows Explorer. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open
Task Manager. In the Task Manager, find Windows Explorer under the Processes tab, right-click
it, and select Restart.

Conclusion

That’s it! You have successfully set your taskbar buttons to never combine in Windows 11. This customization
will help you keep your taskbar organized according to your preferences. If you decide to change back to
combining taskbar buttons, follow the same steps and change the TaskbarSI value data
accordingly.