Windows 11 2026 Customization Guide: Copilot Key, Taskbar, Start Menu, Search and Lock Screen

Throughout 2026, Microsoft has been steadily reversing several of its most rigid design decisions, restoring personalization controls and adding quality-of-life switches that address long-standing complaints. As highlighted in recent coverage by How-To Geek and detailed across Microsoft Support documentation and Windows Insider announcements, six major areas of Windows 11 have finally opened up: the hardware Copilot key, precision touchpad scrolling, Taskbar placement and sizing, Start menu layout and privacy, Windows Search clutter and inline actions, and Lock Screen widget defaults.

Before you go hunting through the Settings app, however, it pays to look closely at Microsoft's official servicing records. Not all of these features arrived in a single autumn mega-patch, and several remain subject to gradual rollouts, hardware prerequisites, or Windows Insider preview channels. Here is the complete breakdown of what you can change today, what is still in testing, and the exact technical caveats you need to know.

1. Reclaiming the Right Ctrl Key from the Copilot Button​

Few hardware changes sparked faster keyboard-warrior outrage than the dedicated Copilot key. When PC manufacturers began stamping the AI button onto new laptops and external keyboards, it frequently evicted either the Right Ctrl key or the traditional Context Menu key. For touch typists, developers, and users who rely on established accessibility workflows, losing Right Ctrl was an immediate muscle-memory hazard.

In the September 22, 2026 non-security preview update (KB5124010)—and subsequently rolled into the October 13, 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative security update (KB5127648) for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H2—Microsoft introduced an official operating-system toggle to remap the Copilot key to function directly as either the Right Ctrl key or the Context Menu key.

How to Configure It and Key Limitations​

• Settings Path: Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard to find the Copilot key configuration options.
• Hardware Variance: Microsoft notes that exact behavior and layout options can vary depending on how your PC or keyboard manufacturer wired the physical key.While How-To Geek notes options on some configurations to assign the key to Copilot, Search, or launching an app, Microsoft's KB5124010 release notes specifically highlight the new ability to restore actual Right Ctrl and Context Menu key functionality.
• The Hotkey Catch: Even when remapped to Right Ctrl, the key does not behave identically to a traditional hardware modifier in every scenario. Shortcut combinations that begin with RCtrl + Win or RCtrl + Shift will not function normally. Microsoft explicitly advises using the Left Ctrl key when executing those specific multi-key combinations.

Section Summary: Thanks to update KB5124010 and the October 2026 cumulative update, you can finally turn the physical Copilot key back into a Right Ctrl or Context Menu key, provided you stick to Left Ctrl for complex Windows or Shift hotkey chords.

2. Single-Finger Scrolling on Precision Touchpads​

Two-finger touchpad scrolling has been standard on modern laptops for over a decade, Effortless for many, it remains annoying or uncomfortable for users who prefer classical edge-scrolling or have mobility preferences that favor single-digit navigation.

After testing additional touchpad gesture controls in Windows Insider builds starting in May 2026—and shipping scroll and zoom speed controls in the July 2026 update (KB5101684)—Microsoft brought Single-finger scrolling and Automatic scrolling into production servicing with the September 22, 2026 preview update (KB5124010) and the October 2026 security update.

How Single-Finger and Automatic Scrolling Work​

First, a crucial clarification: this is strictly a precision touchpad feature (not a touchscreen feature, and not available on legacy non-precision trackpads), and the left/right setting determines which side of the touchpad surface initiates the scroll rather than which finger you use.

1. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
2. Expand the Scroll and zoom section.
3. Locate Single-finger scrolling and choose whether to disable it or initiate vertical scrolling by sliding a single finger along the Left side or Right side of the touchpad.
4. Check for Automatic scrolling, a companion feature introduced in KB5124010 that lets you keep scrolling continuously without lifting your finger simply by moving your finger near the edge of the touchpad during a scroll gesture.

Section Summary: Laptop users with precision touchpads can now enable single-finger vertical edge scrolling along the left or right boundary of the pad, complete with continuous edge auto-scrolling.

3. Moving and Shrinking the Windows 11 Taskbar​

For five years, the immovable bottom Taskbar was the poster child for Windows 11's inflexibility. Whether you use an ultrawide display where vertical pixels are precious, or you rely on a vertical list of ungrouped window labels to juggle dozens of open documents, being forced to keep a thick bar at the bottom of the screen was a constant headache.

In a May 15, 2026 Windows Insider blog post by Diego Baca, Microsoft officially relented, unveiling both movable Taskbar positioning and a smaller Taskbar size option. Following testing in the Experimental channel, Microsoft noted in late September 2026 that its Start and Taskbar improvements had begun rolling out broadly—though as a phased rollout rather than an instant switch for every PC on a single date.

What You Can Customize​

• Screen Edge Placement: Under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors, eligible systems can anchor the Taskbar to the Top, Bottom, Left, or Right edge of the display.
• Adaptive Icon Alignment: When positioned at the top or bottom, icons can be aligned to the left or centered. When docked vertically on the left or right edge, icons can be top-aligned or centered, and flyouts like the Start menu and Search open relative to that edge.
• Vertical Ungrouped Labels: If you use a left or right vertical Taskbar alongside the Never combine and show labels settings, each open application window renders as an individual, clearly labeled horizontal button stacked in a readable column.
• Smaller Taskbar Buttons: Also located under Taskbar behaviors, the Show smaller taskbar buttons setting (when set to Always) shrinks both the icons and the overall Taskbar height immediately without requiring a sign-out or restart.

Current Rollout Caveats​

When Microsoft introduced alternate Taskbar positions, it cautioned that several secondary features were still in progress for non-bottom edges:

• Auto-hide and tablet-optimized Taskbar behavior are not initially supported in alternate positions.
• Full touch gestures for alternate edges remain under development.
• The full Search box collapses into a compact Search icon when the Taskbar is moved away from the bottom.

Section Summary: Taskbar placement on any of the four screen edges and a compact Taskbar height option are finally returning to Windows 11 via gradual rollout under Taskbar behaviors, bringing relief to developers and heavy multitaskers.

4. Decluttering and Resizing the Start Menu​

Right alongside the Taskbar overhaul, Microsoft targeted the three biggest complaints about the Windows 11 Start menu: wasted space, forced file recommendations, and lack of privacy during screen-sharing sessions. Documented across Microsoft's May 2026 Insider announcements and the August 27, 2026 preview update (KB5120998 for versions 24H2 and 25H2), the Start menu is becoming significantly more modular.

It is worth keeping the update numbers straight if you are checking your system history: KB5120998 was the August 27, 2026 non-security preview update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 that delivered the Start menu sizing and "Recent" rename into production servicing, followed by the September 8, 2026 security update (KB5124008). Because Microsoft uses phased rollouts for shell changes, some toggles may appear on one PC before another even on matching build numbers.

Section Summary: You can now lock the Start menu to a Small or Large footprint, hide entire sections including the All apps list or Recent files without breaking File Explorer jump lists, and conceal your user name and avatar for screen-sharing privacy.

5. Cleaning Up Windows Search and Testing Inline Actions​

Windows Search has long suffered from an identity crisis: users open it to launch a local app or find a spreadsheet, only to get bombarded by web promotions, store pitches, and a cluttered two-pane layout. Microsoft is tackling this in two distinct stages—one that is already in production updates, and a second major redesign that just entered early Windows Insider testing.

Stage 1: Taming Web and Store Suggestions (Available Now)​

Following work started in July 2026 and shipped in the August 27, 2026 preview update (KB5120998), Microsoft simplified the Search home page, stripped promotional content out of web results, and added explicit source badges so you can tell at a glance whether a result is a local app, setting, file, web result, or Microsoft Store suggestion before clicking.

• Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Search to control whether web and Microsoft Store suggestions appear alongside your local search results.
• In the same menu, a new Automatically find additional relevant locations toggle lets you control whether Windows automatically indexes your most frequently used folders to speed up local file discovery, alongside standard folder exclusion controls.

Stage 2: The WinUI 3 Redesign and Inline Actions (Windows Insider Preview)​

On October 7, 2026, Microsoft's Anshul Rawat announced a brand-new Windows Search experience built on WinUI 3 that collapses the cluttered two-column view into a fast, memory-efficient single list and introduces inline actions. Instead of opening the Settings app to flip a switch, you can type a command directly into Search and click an immediate action button at the top of the list:

• System Toggles: Try typing "switch to dark mode," "turn on night light," or "turn on Bluetooth."
• Quick Adjustments: Type "dim my screen" or "mute."
• Workspace Management: Type "minimize all my windows" or "arrange windows on screen."

Important Availability Reality Check: Despite some confusion in third-party roundups, the WinUI 3 Search redesign and inline actions did not ship to the general public in the October 13 Patch Tuesday update. As of October 7, 2026, it began a gradual rollout strictly to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel (starting with builds 26340.9616 in Experimental and 28120.3181 in Experimental 26H1, initially in English). Furthermore, this preview currently applies only to searching from the Taskbar; Microsoft says bringing the new Search experience into the Start menu itself is slated for next year.

Section Summary: General Windows 11 users can already suppress web and Store suggestions under Privacy & security > Search, while Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel are now testing a faster WinUI 3 single-pane Search with clickable inline system actions.

6. A Cleaner Lock Screen by Default​

For a while, the Windows 11 Lock Screen started looking like the front page of an airport kiosk, plastered with MSN cards covering weather, traffic, stocks, sports scores, and breaking news. While you could turn them off, users resented having a wall of dynamic cards enabled out of the box.

Starting with a rollout to new users in July 2026 and extending to existing users via the August 2026 preview cycle, Microsoft changed the default Lock Screen behavior: Weather is now the only widget enabled by default.

This does not remove Lock Screen widget functionality; rather, it turns a noisy opt-out experience into a clean opt-in curation:

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
2. Click Add widgets to handpick only the cards you actually want to see (including a new Tips widget introduced in KB5124010), or click the three-dot menu next to any existing widget to customize or remove it.
3. If you want nothing but your wallpaper and the clock, you can remove or turn off Lock Screen widgets entirely from the same page.

Section Summary: Microsoft has dialed back Lock Screen clutter so Weather is the sole default widget, leaving users free to add specific cards or turn widgets off completely under Personalization > Lock screen.

Crucial Servicing Note: Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro Have Reached End of Support​

As you check your PC for these six customization updates, pay close attention to which version and edition of Windows 11 you are running.

The October 13, 2026 Patch Tuesday release (KB5127648, bringing OS builds to 26100.9711, 26200.9711, and 26300.9711) marks the official end of updates for Windows 11, version 24H2 Home and Pro editions. While Enterprise and Education editions of version 24H2 remain supported until October 12, 2027, consumer Home and Pro machines on 24H2 will no longer receive monthly security patches or non-security preview updates after October 2026.

If you are on Windows 11 24H2 Home or Pro, upgrading to version 25H2 or 26H2 is essential—not only to receive ongoing security protections, but also to ensure your PC stays in the servicing pipeline as Microsoft finishes rolling out its latest Start, Taskbar, and Search personalizations. And if you are already on a supported release with the October 2026 update installed and still do not see a specific toggle like movable Taskbar placement, do not panic or rush to force experimental builds onto a production work machine; Microsoft's gradual feature rollouts mean the switch is likely already installed on your drive and simply waiting for its phased activation wave.