nanoant

Join Date 04/2025

Start11 vertical taskbar button to app mapping breaks randomly

Hello,

While ago I had to move to Windows 11 and I was using vertical task bars (Win/Linux) and Dock (macOS) since the dawn of time. So Start11 2.5 vertical taskbar for Windows 11 feature was both screen estate saver and a way I can keep my sanity working with Win 11. It is also great such critical customization comes from well known & trusted company - Stardock.

Unfortunately the current implementation seems to be extremely buggy, at least both 2.51 and the latest beta 2.52.3 running on Windows 11 23H2.

Simply after a while (usually 1-2 hours) most of the task bar buttons start to point to wrong windows and applications. E.g. Outlook button/icon opens Explorer (see image below) or opens another window of Outlook rather than activating existing one. So I have to regularly go to Start11 settings and Restart explorer, which is really cumbersome.

Hence reporting this here. Is this bug known? May it be related that to the fact I often change displays - move between meeting rooms, shared desks, home office. All with different monitors, using different resolutions, etc. Maybe this is something that breaks the mapping between the buttons and the application windows in your implementation?

It is also usually accompanied by the misbehavior of the start menu does not show completely or does not show up at all. Again, need to restart Explorer. Finally (minor annoyance) spacing between task bar buttons is uneven, sometimes there is a gap sometimes there's no gap.

Note, I don't use start menu customization. Only (vertical) task bar customization.

Best regards,

-- Adam

start menu products

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Simply after a while (usually 1-2 hours) most of the task bar buttons start to point to wrong windows and applications.

So I have to regularly go to Start11 settings and Restart explorer, which is really cumbersome.

May it be related that to the fact I often change displays - move between meeting rooms, shared desks, home office.

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. It might be that reason, and seem that the issue resolved once you restart explorer.exe, yes? If so, perhaps you can do a batch file and put it on your desktop or somewhere you can easily click on.

taskkill /f /IM explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
exit

Reference: https://www.howtogeek.com/198815/use-this-secret-trick-to-close-and-restart-explorerexe-in-windows/

Thank you,
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

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Dear Stardock team, I'd be interested if (1) you can confirm the issue your development team that can reproduce broken taskbar button app assignment, (2) this issue has some sufficient priority and we can expect bugfix anytime soon?

Restarting explorer 5-7 a day during meetings etc is really painful. I'd really want to continue to use your software and have vertical taskbar, but I am considering turning it off completely now.

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DrJBHL

Join Date 04/2002

+4130

Why are you on W11 23H2? Why not 24H2? Could that be the source of the "bugginess" you're observing? Could your drivers also be similarly outdated?

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The answer is relative simple - 24H2 was considered (and still is?) as unstable - especially in the enterprise environment. Please google "24H2 unstable". Therefore I'd appreciate if Start11 main selling feature (at least for me - vertical taskbar) would be functional on 23H2, rather than forcing me to update to 24H2. And since Start11 was developed both for personal and business use, it shouldn't require 24H2 to function properly.

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Hello,

I am currently testing this on my VM with Windows 11 23H2 OS Build 22631.5262. So far I don't see issue as mentioned by you. Will let it run for few hours and see if the issue appear. Will report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

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If this such additional information helps, my laptop is 2-in-1 and has FullHD 1920x1200 touch display set at 100% DPI that I am using when on the go, otherwise I work with single 4K display using 200% DPI and also often dual FullHD monitor setup, set at 125% DPI.

So Windows is running in touch compatible mode.

I think most of the time taskbar button assignment breaks after waking the laptop from sleep or attaching or disconnecting it from external display.

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I can not reproduce your issue. Tested for 2++ hours and sleep wake cycles. Refer my screenshot below

Perhaps its on your touch mode setting. Please try changing this setting and see if it make any difference.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

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Thanks Basj.

I used Force not touch mode and I also disabled Touch Screen in Devices. It breaks more slowly but still it does after few sleep and resume cycles with different screens. I added AutoHotKey to restart explorer, it is better than nothing.

Still I have impression that there is some mapping between task bar button (indices) and apps that you assume it is not changing, but it does change on some systems.

I am using Windows 10 taskbar style. I will try to change some more settings to see if it makes any difference.

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