Why was the tablet-optimised taskbar removed in 22623.1325?

The tablet-optimized taskbar has been working perfectly well for months, & suddenly it's been removed without warning. The blog post about the update doesn't say anything. Just something about how there was a fix for an issue causing the taskbar to be cut off after resolution changes.

Does anyone know why a perfectly useful feature was removed?

I have two 2-in-1 convertibles, one is a Lenovo Yoga, the other a Dell Latitude 3190. The Lenovo has been running the Insider Beta builds, the Dell the Release build. Up until Insider build 22623.1255 The Lenovo had the Tablet Optimised Taskbar and the 'Optimise taskbar for touch interactions when used as a tablet' setting in 'Taskbar behaviours'. With the latest Beta builds both have disappeared.

This coincided with the Tablet optimised taskbar being made available in the public Release build 22621.1413. My Dell now has it, but the Lenovo doesn't, whether I use the Insider Beta Build or try installing the latest public build.

It seems that it is only a few models of tablet which have lost the ability to use the tablet optimised taskbar, but I'm at a loss to say what it is about those particular tablets that has caused it to disappear.

I have a Lenovo Yoga 920-13IKB and I don't see the optimized taskbar either, Build 22621.1413.

The only thing I see changing when I flip the keyboard under is the search box switching to the search icon only and the spacing between the taskbar icons increase so that if I use the touch screen, I don't fat finger 2 icons at the time. 🤣🤣🤣

Nothing else happens, no collapsed optimized taskbar, even if I use the screen in portrait format instead of landscape. 🤷‍♂️

I wonder if it is related to the size of the screen. It would make sense to have it at least when the screen is in portrait format.

I never noticed if the behavior was different before this build, because I rarely use it as a tablet, I still prefer using the mouse. 😉

Hi again,

Just found a user that has the menu option and also has the actual optimized collapsed taskbar in tablet mode, Build 22621.1344.

I don't have the option in the menu nor the optimized collapsed taskbar.

Looks like if you lose the menu option you also lose the functionality.

Typical MS inconsistency. 🤣🤣

Here is my FBH report on this issue:

https://aka.ms/AAjw6j9

Sorry I didn't realize your tablet was a 2in 1 device, did you try the reg option to see?

Tried everything.

Looks like they eliminated the collapsed taskbar optimization.

It just changes the spacing of the icons, but the size of the taskbar stays the same.

If you have Search box in taskbar it switches it to Search icon only, that is all it does.

The optimization that Jane is referring to, seems to be gone for good, at least with current Builds.

No difference when a program is opened.

They were still experimenting with it in Dev Builds, but I don't see it in there anymore either. 😎😎😎 🤷‍♂️

That seems to be a great disappointment for Jane. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I don't really care, one way or the other, I'm just pointing out how it currently is.

The statements in the Blog about this subject are just a messy confusion. 🤐

Another thing unclear. When a machine is enrolled for insider builds, the organization in control of some of the settings is MSFT. 🤣

Sorry I didn't realize your tablet was a 2in 1 device, did you try the reg option to see?