Windows 11 preview brings taskbar back to all sides

Users who miss having their Windows taskbar at the top of the screen will no longer have to rely on workarounds: With the update preview for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2, Microsoft is bringing back the option to pin it to all four sides of the monitor. The feature is expected to be gradually enabled for larger groups of users from September 2026. A setting for the “small” size is also new.

The change is included in KB5120998. This brings Windows 11 24H2 to build number 26100.9278, and 25H2 to build number 26200.9278. The options for size and position appear under “Settings – Personalization – Taskbar – Taskbar behaviors”; the corresponding menu is already expanded by default.

Administrator Protection promises more than convenience. Microsoft has been working on it since late 2024. The feature is intended to replace User Account Control, or UAC: Apps generally run without administrator rights, and Windows asks only for special tasks. If approval is granted, the system moves the application into its own derived account with admin rights. This creates a cleaner separation of permissions; the potential impact of an attack could be reduced. Microsoft explicitly classifies Administrator Protection as a security feature.

Two other protection components are also landing in the preview. Microsoft Execution Containers, or MXC, are intended to enclose agentic AI in a sandbox, meaning an isolated environment. ML-KEM will also become available as a standalone option for TLS key exchange, alongside the hybrid groups already offered. The preview therefore contains more than the usual non-security-related preliminary changes.

What’s next? For Windows users, from September 2026 this mainly means a more flexible workspace: The taskbar can once again sit wherever it fits their monitor setup, and it can be made smaller. For businesses and security-conscious users, Administrator Protection is the more significant test. This is not yet a completed rollout: The changes initially appeared in the Preview Channel and the update preview; the regular release is scheduled for overnight on September 9 with Microsoft Patch Tuesday.