If you’re unfamiliar with the tray, it is the area on the Windows taskbar usually found on the bottom left. It is the place where you can see icons and information for internet connection, the time/calendar, language, battery, and other resources. You may remember a new tray area for Windows 11 was initially rolled out in preview earlier this year. That new tray featured a new tooltips setup with additional buttons, the ability to disable icons, an “overflow” menu, and better spacing. However, Microsoft later removed the new tray from Windows 11 following negative feedback from users. The main cause for the complaint was the new UI was preventing users from rearranging icons in the notification area… something they could previously do.
Available Again
Microsoft took the new tray back behind closed doors to refine the experience further to make it more appealing for users. Strangely, the company is now bringing back the new tray with no improvements. In other words, it is the same new tray without the ability to rearrange icons. It is unclear what Microsoft has been doing these past months, but either way, the new tray is rolling out with Windows 11 build 25193 on the Insider Program. It is worth noting that while it is not possible to drag and drop icons as you want, you can still rearrange them through the Settings app. Navigate to Personalization > Taskbar > Other system tray icons and toggle on or off the icons you want to see. Tip of the day: Need to reduce picture size of several images, but don’t have the time to edit every one? Microsoft’s PowerToys image resizer can batch-resize your photos with just two clicks .
