Key Takeaways
- You can customize your Windows 10 taskbar by centering your icons for an aesthetic look with or without third-party software.
- Easily access Taskbar settings by right-clicking on the taskbar.
- If you want to customize your taskbar further, consider using Taskbar X or Start 11.
Windows 10 doesn’t have a centered Taskbar icon layout like Windows 11. However, you can center all the icons except the Start and Search bar to achieve the same look.
Center Taskbar Icons by Changing Taskbar Settings
By default, Windows 10 icons are left-aligned. You can change some basic Taskbar settings to move your icons to the center. Here’s how to do it:
- Right-click the Taskbar. Select Taskbar settings, then uncheck Lock the taskbar option.
- Go to the Taskbar location on screen section. Set the Taskbar location to Bottom.
- Under Combine taskbar icons, select Always, hide labels.
- Right-click on the taskbar again, select Toolbars, and click Links to toggle on.
- Two vertical lines will appear. Drag the right vertical line adjacent to Links to the left past the taskbar icons and the left vertical line.
- Taskbar icons will now appear on the right side of the taskbar. Drag the vertical line next to the icons to move the icons to an ideal center position on your taskbar.
- Once the icons are centered, right-click on the taskbar and select Lock the taskbar from the pop-up menu.
Center Taskbar Icons With TaskbarX
If you want a simpler way, you can use TaskbarX to customize your Windows 10 taskbar. It offers rich customization options like styling options, multiple Taskbars, and animations. It is also free to use.
Another advantage is you can hide the Start button and the system tray icons with it. In the previous method, you could only hide the search bar, but the rest of the Taskbar items remained there.
First, download the portable version of TaskbarX. Extract the ZIP archive to a new folder and open it. Run Taskbar.exe and it will automatically center your app icons.
Still, this is as close as you can get to the Windows 11 Taskbar layout with the free app. The Start menu and search box remain on the left side, and there’s no way to change them in TaskbarX.
If you really crave the completely centered design found in Windows 11, Stardock’s Start11 app offers several customization options, though the app does require you to purchase it.
