This small change on Windows 11 was so 'hated' that Microsoft was forced to remove it

A year ago, Microsoft released a preview of Windows 11 that included an interesting change to the taskbar: a simplified tray area with a shorter date and time display and no notification buttons. Fans of the minimalist interface welcomed the addition. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Microsoft disabled the feature, citing 'unspecified issues.' Now, almost exactly a year later, the reason why the feature was removed has been revealed.

Windows Insider engineer Brandon LeBlanc recently told X that user feedback on the feature was "not pleasant ," and Microsoft decided to remove it.

This radical approach to customer feedback is odd. In recent years, when Microsoft has introduced new features, particularly to the taskbar or Start menu, the company has often given users the flexibility to turn those changes on or off at will. For example, the upcoming notification clock is customizable—if you don't want to see it, you can just go into Settings and turn it off. Many have argued that Microsoft should have kept the simplified system tray area as an optional feature that was turned off by default. However, Brandon's response suggests that few people actually want such a change.

It's hard to say exactly what aspect of the simplified tray area so upset Windows insiders that Microsoft had to remove it, but it did. Now, if you want a simpler taskbar, you can try enabling Microsoft's touchscreen version (which also works on desktops), but that version is a bit too minimalistic.

Interestingly, the option to hide the notification bell button is still available in Windows 11. If you want to keep the system tray cleaner, go to Settings > System > Notifications and turn off the " Show notification bell icon " option .

Kareem Winters

Update 21 July 2025