Microsoft has promised to evolve Windows experience to the next level with Windows 11. The Windows 11 does pack lots of design and usability improvements over Windows 10. But it is not without its flaws and there are many missing Windows 10 features that users have already voiced about.

Microsoft also removed or depreciated many Windows 10 features officially in Windows 11. So, in this article we take a look at missing and officially removed major features in Windows 11.

Ability to move Taskbar, Taskbar menu & ability of not combining open apps:

Microsoft removed many Taskbar features in Windows 11 but the one that disappointed people the most is the lack of ability to move Taskbar. As one can see currently Taskbar is only allowed to be pinned to the bottom of screen. This is already the most requested change in Windows 11 in Feedback hub.

Taskbar menu that used to appear after right-clicking on Taskbar is another missing feature that many want back. Currently when you right-click on Taskbar in Windows 11 you only see “Taskbar settings” option.

Windows 11 has also removed the ability of “not combining open apps” on the Taskbar. This is another most requested missing feature in the Feedback Hub.

Here are the officially removed Taskbar features by Microsoft.

    • People is no longer present on the Taskbar.
    • Some icons may no longer appear in the System Tray (systray) for upgraded devices including previous customisations.
    • Alignment to the bottom of the screen is the only location allowed.
    • Apps can no longer customise areas of the Taskbar.

Dragging & Dropping of files on apps icons in Taskbar to open them in the app:

It was possible in Windows 10 to drag and drop a file on apps icons in Taskbar to open them in the app. Windows 11 has removed this feature but users want this feature back and it is again one of the most requested feature to be added back to Windows 11.

Calendar Flyout missing events:

On Windows 10 it was possible to see the events listed below the Calendar in the flyout, when one used to click on the date and time. This was quite helpful and Windows 11 ditching this feature has not gone well with many users who have requested Microsoft to add it back.

Start Menu has lost many features:

Start Menu has seen significantly changes in Windows 11 and now has two major sections “Pinned apps” and “Recommended apps”. The third section that sits below these two has user profile and standard folders (if you chose to pin them). Microsoft has removed Live Tiles and named groups and folders in Windows 11. You can also not resize Start Menu on Windows 11.

  • Named groups and folders of apps are no longer supported and the layout is not currently resizable.
  • Pinned apps and sites will not migrate when upgrading from Windows 10.
  • Live Tiles are no longer available. For glanceable, dynamic content, see the new Widgets feature.

Other notable Windows 10 features missing in Windows 11:

Desktop Wallpaper roaming: Desktop wallpaper cannot be roamed to or from device when signed in with a Microsoft account.

Quick Status: Quick status from the Lockscreen and associated settings are removed.

Math Input Panel: Math Input Panel is removed. Math Recognizer will install on demand and includes the maths input control and recognizer. Maths inking in apps like OneNote are not impacted by this change.

Timeline: Timeline is removed. Some similar functionality is available in Microsoft Edge.