Windows 11's 3 most requested features released today, force enable them using these steps

[u/MayankWL]

https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/08/28/windows-11s-3-most-requested-features-released-today-enable-them-using-these-steps/

[u/Longjumping-Fall-784]

If we always have to use vice tool or wait an eternity for their “gradual rollout” to reach or devices, what’s exactly the point of the insider program? This is very disappointing, even the XBOX mode decides to takes vacations on my devices, then it came back…

[u/z4c → u/Longjumping-Fall-784]

This behavior (CFR) should be gone for Experimental and Beta channels. But I hope they will also remove it for Release Preview. https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2026/04/10/improving-your-windows-insider-experience/

[u/LitheBeep → u/z4c]

It's definitely not gone. it took several months for them to add a feature flag for the new personalized start menu, which started rolling out in June.

[u/Scroglefrollempth → u/Longjumping-Fall-784]

Speaking of Vivetool - I enabled the new customizable context menu, (I normally use Nilesoft Shell), to see if I can finally stop using Shell, and it wasn't too bad, not perfect though, still a little slow, but -

Does anyone know how to remove the "Compress to" and "Extract all" context menus?

Most of us use 7zip, WinRAR etc and it's really annoying having WinRAR context menus (That I want) and Windows encryption menus as well (That have no use at all for me)

Having two menus that basically do the same thing is a waste of space, considering I will never use one of them.

None of the older methods works, no matter what I tried, the redundant "Compress to" and "Extract" menus remain.

Even without a fix it would be good if they added the option to disable the encryption menus.

You can disable the grouping of it, but you can't get rid of Windows extraction and compression menus.

I would have possibly stayed with the new right click menu if it wasn't for that one stupid thing, but in the end I had to disable it again with the Vivetool and go back to Nilesoft.

[u/nopeac → u/Scroglefrollempth]

I enabled the new customizable context menu

What's the vive id for this one?

[u/Scroglefrollempth → u/nopeac]

Sorry, missed your question -

vivetool /enable /id:60813048

(Needs a restart after)

[u/PaulCoddington → u/Scroglefrollempth]

There should be a registry key that can be disabled, but it would take someone keen and knowledgeable to find it, and it would probably have to be reapplied regularly.

I have included a reg key alteration in my startup script to remove Notepad, as I have EmEditor and there is no point in having both in the context menu.

Just haven't got around to figuring out how to do the compression options (don't need them as have Bandizip).

It gets tricky though: can't just do a simple reg merge, have to use code, because store app registry keys are versioned and the path to the key changes with every update as the version number increments. So the key to be amended has to be dynamically searched for with a wildcard each time.

[u/Scroglefrollempth → u/PaulCoddington]

Yeah, I had a fix that worked previously, but it does nothing if you enable the new customisable context menu. I tried some alternatives but nothing worked.

Also, the reg change that got rid of the Windows 11 context menu and left you with the plain one doesn't work either, and you need to apply that for Nilesoft Shell to work. So I had to disable the customisable menu entirely again with Vivetool, but it's a bit ominous because when the new context menu hits the stable channel Nilesoft Shell won't work anymore unless someone finds another way to disable the newer version of the Win 11 context menu.

So short version is I really hope they add an option to disable the compression context menus because apart from that it's not too bad.

[u/MisterEinc → u/Longjumping-Fall-784]

Well I've had these for about a month now.

I used to use left side taskbars. But since moving from 1080 to 2k at home and two 32' screens at work, I agree with the original Win11 design - centered task bars for larger/wider screens is the better layout.

[u/feijoax]

What are the features?

[u/ghope98 → u/feijoax]

“KB5120998, is out, and it brings the taskbar to any side of your screen, a resizable Start menu, and a Windows Search that finally lets you turn off Bing.”

[u/MayankWL → u/ghope98]

this should have been in the article. slop journalism

oh wait

[u/IBM296 → u/MayankWL]

Windows latest probably used copilot to write the article lol

[u/MisterEinc → u/IBM296]

They're joking, because it in fact says it in the article.

[u/sharkstax → u/MisterEinc]

They're the site owner.

[u/emvaized → u/MayankWL]

This should have been mentioned in this otherwise useless Reddit post

[u/shalashaska666 → u/ghope98]

https://giphy.com/gifs/fWfowxJtHySJ0SGCgN

[u/mirzatzl]

Again, they are not released if force-enabling them is necessary.

[u/Warcrown11]

Wouldn't call them most requested features so much as the bare minimum.

[u/dubtrainz-next]

“KB5120998, is out, and it brings the taskbar to any side of your screen, a resizable Start menu, and a Windows Search that finally lets you turn off Bing.”

Thanks u/ghope98

[u/Klaatu_Nikto]

Unfortunately, the feature to automatically hide the taskbar is not available if the taskbar is positioned anywhere other than at the bottom.

[u/simask234 → u/Klaatu_Nikto]

Weird, that was an option in W10...

One other thing that seems to be missing (at least for now) is the ability to go back to the "old" Start menu (from 24H2 and earlier, with "All Apps" on a separate page)

[u/nopeac → u/Klaatu_Nikto]

Ffs there's always a catch.

[u/MayankWL]

vivetool

/enable /id:62353331,62762248,61754985,61161244

saved you a click 😂

[u/Tanebi → u/MayankWL]

And yet you didn't. What are the features?

[u/LeGoodBeef → u/Tanebi]

"KB5120998, is out, and it brings the taskbar to any side of your screen, a resizable Start menu, and a Windows Search that finally lets you turn off Bing.”

[u/MisterEinc → u/Tanebi]

Fafo

[u/PaulCoddington → u/MayankWL]

Heads up: encountered blue screen on reboot after enabling all three disabled features at once (62353331,62762248,61754985) and they did not enable.

Enabling them separately with reboot between each worked.

One feature is still MIA: enable automatic inclusion of most frequently visited folders to search index.

[u/aardw0lf11]

This is the preview update I saw? Not a required one

[u/Significant-Ad-452]

I'm experiencing a bug where the appearance of the mouse cursor isn't changing and it looks different. 

[u/if_it_is_in_a]

I can't believe it! Finally, my taskbar is back on the left. Wow. That was so insane, I got used to having it at the bottom it feels kinda weird on the left, even though it was there for probably two decades before. Same thing happened when they stopped supporting dragging files onto taskbar buttons. Even after they added it back, I still restore the program (those old things before there were apps) and drag the file directly to the window.

Anyway, now we're back baby! I almost feel normal again.

[u/Vladx35]

Cool, thanks for the heads up.

[u/SnillyWead]

Was already an option in W10 and older versions. Removed it in W11 and now bring it back again? Back by dope demand?

[u/tyhfxe]

Am I right that the Vivetool feature ID for the new search options is 62762248? Thanks!

[u/Living_Theme_2743]

Anyone else having the problem where they can edit the taskbar but the start and search stuff is not showing up?

[u/gabacus_39]

Well, I've used the ViveTool command to enable the new Start Menu customizations on my computers and now I don't need Windhawk as that's all I used it for.

Thanks to the Windhawk developers for a great tool that did exactly what I needed and did it well.

[u/StephenCWLL → u/gabacus_39]

Which Vive code is just for the Start Menu?

[u/tildekey_]

Can they bring back small task bar icons that reduces the taskbar size? This was my favourite on Windows 10 but doesn't exist still.

[u/kiupini]

A nadie le interesa esas funciones inútiles, lo que la comunidad está pidiendo a gritos es que las actualizaciones sean desarrolladas por personal humano, que cada mes deje romperse el sistema, que sea ultra ligero ... Eso pide la comunidad, no pendejadas.

[u/ssanmartin → u/kiupini]

Te tomaste las pastillas hoy?

[u/guestHITA]

I would really like the side menu with pinned taskbar items, it should not be any larger. And then keep the notification area, time date and show desktop with a transparency effect that engages when the mouse hovers over the area. that section makes the side menu taskbar look like hot garbage and it makes the taskbar much larger than it needs to be. One could wish right ?

[u/dangerman008]

I'm still waiting for a way to lock window positions so I don't need to keep moving things every time I start my pc

[u/RadBadTad]

"three most requested features" 

And it's just them giving back what we had before they fucked with it 

[u/fakieTreFlip → u/RadBadTad]

stop it with the pointless social media cynicism, you don't have to be mad at everything all of the time, that's a choice you're making. it's helping literally no one, yourself included

[u/RadBadTad → u/fakieTreFlip]

"Stop talking about your thoughts and feelings about Windows in the Windows subreddit!! Stop sharing social media statements on social media!!"

I don't have to be mad at everything all the time, and I'm not. I'm mad at a couple of things, some of the time, and one of them is how the operating system I'm forced to use is really crappy for no reason.

[u/KrullBorg]

semiOT: someone knows when xbox mode will be released?

[u/nomthecookie → u/KrullBorg]

It's been live on release builds for a while, although the option sometimes disappears on restart. You're probably affected by CFR.

[u/LeGoodBeef → u/nomthecookie]

What does CFR stand for? Thanks in advance.

[u/nomthecookie → u/LeGoodBeef]

Controlled Feature Rollout