This tutorial will show you how to change the taskbar alignment to left or center for your account in Windows 11.
Icons on the taskbar are center aligned by default in Windows 11 instead of to the left like in previous Windows.
Contents
- Option One: Change Taskbar Alignment to Left or Center in Settings
- Option Two: Change Taskbar Alignment to Left or Center using a REG file
- Option Three: Change Taskbar Alignment to Left or Center in Registry Editor
1 Open Settings (WIn+I).
2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and click/tap on Taskbar on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on Taskbar behaviors on the right side to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 4)
4 Select Left or Center (default) for what you want in the Taskbar alignment drop menu on the right side under Taskbar behaviors. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close Settings if you like.
This option will not work when Administrator protection is turned on.
1 Do step 2 (left) or step 3 (center) below for what you would like to do.
2 To Change Taskbar Alignment to Left
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Left_taskbar_alignment.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarAl"=dword:000000003 To Change Taskbar Alignment to Center
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Center_taskbar_alignment.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarAl"=dword:000000014 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
1 Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2 Navigate to the key location below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below step 3)
HKEY_USERS\<SID>\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Substitute <SID> in the key path above with the actual SID for the account you want to apply this to.
For example:
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2498639629-3946114050-4100787084-1001\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3 In the right pane of the Advanced key, double click/tap on the TaskbarAl DWORD to modify it. (see screenshot below)
4 Enter 0 (left) or 1 (center - default) for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
5 You can now close Registry Editor if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
