Windows 11 is preparing a feature that will make taskbar navigation much easier

If you are one of those who gets the most out of keyboard shortcuts when using your PC, we have good news for you. Microsoft has begun testing a new feature that will make navigating the Windows taskbar much easier. Windows 11.

We mean a label that will allow Switch between programs and windows on the taskbar by pressing different letters on your keyboard.. This feature is already appearing in Windows 11 build 26120.1542, available in the Dev channel of the Windows Insider program. This means that we will be able to see it in the stable version of the operating system in the coming months.

What is this feature? It is basically an extension of the shortcut Win+T which has been around in Windows for a long time. If you press this combination today, you can navigate through the applications and windows that are open or pinned to the taskbar using the right or left arrow keys, and press Enter to bring them up or open them, as appropriate. Additionally, if you press Tab, you can do the same with the icons on the taskbar.

Windows 11 now offers users the ability to maximize or open programs from the taskbar. combining the above label with the letters that each program’s name starts withLet’s give a practical example to make it easier to understand: if you have Google Chrome, File Explorer, Slack, Photoshop, and Calendar, you can press Win + T and then the letter G to open/bring up Chrome, or E to open File Explorer, and so on.

Windows 11 will expand the Win + T shortcut for taskbar navigation.

It is worth noting that the case just mentioned is not the only one concerning this new Windows 11 feature. If there is more than one application on the taskbar whose name starts with the same letter, this is necessary. press it multiple times to move from one to the next. For example, if in addition to Google Chrome you have GIMP installed on taskbarYou need to press Win + T and then press G twice to move between one program and another.

Microsoft also thought about those who don’t use it combination icons on the taskbar. Those who prefer to have all folders and multiple instances of the same program displayed independently can navigate through each of them by pressing the first key of each window name. So, if documents, pictures and videos are opened separately, they can be navigated by pressing D, I and V, after using Win + T, just to name one case.

Finally, Windows 11 will also allow you to easily jump from one end of the taskbar items to the other. To do this, you will have to use the aforementioned keyboard shortcut and the Home and End buttons to jump to the first or last icon, respectively.

This new method of navigating the Windows 11 taskbar using the keyboard is currently being tested and it is not yet known when it will reach the stable version of the OS. It is clear that We are not talking about a revolutionary function.but it can be very useful for those who prefer to make the most of keyboard shortcuts and are looking for an alternative to the old Alt+Tab combination.