Microsoft has lastly returned the Task Manager to its appropriate home on the Windows Taskbar.
Users subscribing to the Dev Channel of Windows Insider updates will notice a new opportunity when they right-tap the Taskbar after updating to Preview Build 25211, permitting them to summon the Task Manager quickly.
It isn’t the only feature rolling out with the latest update, but it’s the most impressive. Bug fixes come with this build too, but there are some rougher spots users should be aware of.
Microsoft Task Manager update has only rolled out in the Dev Channel and shouldn’t affect Windows Insider subscribers who use the Beta Channel or Release Preview builds of Windows.
Microsoft’s latest opt-in update brings some cool new features and bug fixes to the OS, but it has an annoying catch.
Behaviors on the Widgets board can now be modified. For example, you can select whether the Widgets board opens when you hover over it, whether or not the Taskbar displays notification badges for Widgets, or whether the Taskbar displays rotating updates from your Widgets.
The new features come alongside a handful of bug fixes, but this all comes with a familiar caveat. Machines with this update installed won’t be able to uninstall or repair Win32 apps with interdependencies.
In short, this means you won’t be able to uninstall many games that run off the Steam client or Steam itself. However, this bug is relatively common among Windows Insider builds, so there’s no need to panic.
Since the Microsoft Store began supporting native Win32 apps, it’s become increasingly popular with developers who want more customization and control over their applications, not just game developers. Unfortunately, the list of games and applications reliant on Win32 is only getting bigger, making the limitations of this build a nuisance.
Microsoft has consistently cautioned that its Dev Channel updates are often very rough and aren’t very stable. So while the ability to summon the Taskbar without ctrl+alt+deleting your way is tempting, we wouldn’t recommend installing this update just yet, as rolling back Windows Insider updates without affecting essential apps or documents can be a little tricky.