How do I Ungroup Task Bar Buttons in Windows 11

I wouldn't count on a fix anytime soon. They have been saying MS is working on this since people were complaining almost a year ago, and yet... here we are and still nothing.

Such a basic thing, yet they don't seem interested in listening to the users. Nothing like making things more inefficient and calling it a design feature.

It is more about MS removing features and seemingly being disconnected from its user base and how they use their OS. Since Windows 7, MS has introduced more clicks and such to get the same thing done, especially when it comes to the taskbar.

They are not improving work flows, they are adding to them.

With high resolution screens (2k/4k), I do not need to "group" my items. Quicker work for me is seeing say several Visio tabs showing along my task bar and being able to click on the ones I know I need, vs hovering over a single icon, wait for a window to pop up then find the one I need.

New or not, this was the same as them removing folder previews for pictures...(now adding it back after massive community complaints)

It is someone with in MS trying to dictate to its users how best to use their OS, with little insight into how different people actually use the OS.

To be fair, they did add back Folder thumbnail previews after a lot of backlash from removing that in Windows 11

I appreciate you trying to see a silver lining. I think the point that most people might be trying to make is that these options never should have been removed in the first place. Many of these UI choices have been around since Windows 7, some maybe longer? They've taken steps backward with these options completely missing in Windows 11, in my opinion. The fact that Windows, since its inception, had better accessibility due to available customization options (which usually grew with new iterations) is one of the reasons why so many people and businesses chose MS over other options in the first place (in addition to wider options for software selection).

The lack of response from Microsoft is inexcusable.

Their constant badgering with every Windows 10 update to upgrade to Windows 11 while promising better options and features is why so many of us are frustrated. No one enjoys being lied to, especially in the form of a blatant bait and switch tactic. I don't think many people foresaw the removal of choices that have carried over across several versions of Windows. One would think that they would have learned from the Windows 8 blunder. They couldn't seem to backpedal fast enough after that version dropped.

TLDR: Upgrading with the promise of more options and improved features means people will expect tried and true features to be an obvious choice to include. They got neither. Leaving out any of these choices in the first place is nearly impossible to justify on their part. The choice to straight up ignore what are clearly reasonable expectations is incomprehensible to me.

I've always loved most Microsoft products and I've sworn by Windows. Even after their occasional misfires (windows 8, IE), I had faith due their ability to innovate and release really solid products that withstood the test of time. This is honestly the first time I've ever seriously considered exploring other options.

Beyond just the "Never Combine" task bar buttons function that were offered in newer versions of Windows, older versions of Windows never even kept the File explorer or any App windows (from the same Processes/Apps) in the same grouping if they were opened in a random order . E.g. if I had many Windows open, as I usually would, since we are all expected to do so much in today's analytical/informational world, say if those were Word, File Explorer (3 separate windows), multiple "instances" of Excel, etc. If I were to open Word first, then Excel, then File Explorer, then a separate instance of Excel, and another File explorer - all these Windows would appear on the Taskbar in the order that I opened them (as typed above) AND NOT not be "grouped" together (e.g. All "instances" of Excel taskbar buttons being adjacent to each other, rather than, say, a Word or a File explorer taskbar button/window between the Excel taskbar buttons). I mean, IF I REALLY WANTED ALL WORD TASKBAR BUTTONS AND ALL EXCEL TASKBAR BUTTONS TO BE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, I WOULD HAVE OPENED WORD/EXCEL WINDOWS IN SUCH AN ORDER!!!! Back then, Word would open separate taskbar buttons to represent separate open windows on the desktop and stay in the order you opened them, even when there where multiple File explorer windows opened in between the Word document windows. Excel however, kept multiple windows within 1 "instance" and always had 1 taskbar button. BUT you could open a 2nd, 3rd, and so on windows for Excel in separate "instances", which can be easily done.

I remember this from old versions of Windows and it was great because it acted like a VISUAL CUE of OPEN WORKING WINDOWS based on my own precedence or like an order of importance.

HERE ARE 3 GIANT REASONS WHY MICROSOFT WENT BACKWARDS:

1. Not allowing "Never Combine" is one of the most "STUPIDEST" (excuse my French) things to do. In today's age of ever advanced graphics with higher and higher monitor resolutions, plus emphasis on efficiency and ergonomics, grahpics/images/text get smaller and sharper, and you can fit a lot more on the screen, WHY THE HECK would you NOT ALLOW "Never Combine" and END UP WITH A WHOLE LOT OF EMPTY/WASTED SPACE ON THE TASKBAR???? These guys at Microsoft are just brilliant!!!! I mean, if you FORCE COMBINING TASKBAR ITEMS, how many apps can you fit on the taskbar? 30? 40? Who the heck really uses 30 different apps??? Even a serious user will perhaps use 6 to 10 apps most of the time. AND EVERY SERIOUS USER WILL HAVE LIKE 10 OR MORE WINDOWS OPEN AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, multi-tasking between apps and explorere windows.
2. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Yes that's right. Making us move or mouse and wrist more, making us do extra "mouse clicks", "mouse hovers" gives us more work, and each time we do that, although these tiny movements are marginal/nominal, over a prolonged period of time, it adds up to a MUCH MORE MOUSE DISTANCE TRAVELED AND MOUSE CLICKS PRESSED, which WILL CONTRIBUTE TO HIGHER RATES OF CARPEL TUNNEL.
3. Similar again to first reason, you can fit more taskbar icons (horizontally, across the taskbar) and NOT REALLY BE SACRIFICING ANY SPACE, given the resolutions are just getting finer/smaller/sharper. "Combined" Taskbar buttons take up EVEN LESS HORIZONTAL SPACE while they're already smaller due to super high resolutions. THIS IS LIKE DUMB AND DUMBER. The empty. wasted space is ludicrous. We need to see tons of info all the time, As the graphics resolution increases resulting in finer detail, Microsoft moves in the opposite direction by removing graphics from objects AND NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF GRAPHICS ADVANCES. you'd expect TO SEE MORE ON THE SCREEN and CLICK/MOVE LESS, but the result is just the opposite - WE SEE LESS AND WORK/MOVE MORE. They are just too BRILLIANT, for their own good.

MY GUESS IS ALL OF THIS BACKWARDS MOTION ON THE PART OF MICROSOFT is about moving away from keyboards to touchscreen technology even for the business warrior. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME WHATSOEVER. Here's why, THE PRECISION OF A MOUSE AND A MOUSE POINTER AND THE FACT THAT IT CAN FOCUS ON A SINGLE POINT ON THE SCREEN is why would touchscreen will NEVER BE MORE EFFICIENT THAN A MOUSE POINTER FOR DATA HUNGRY, ANALYTICAL, BUSINESS USERS. THE MOUSE CAN FOCUS ON A SINGLE POINT WHEREAS YOUR FINGER FOCUSES ON A BIG OLE SPOT. The former can be precisely calibrated to hit a single point which TOTALLY MAKES SENSE WITH HIGHER GRAPHIC RESOLUTIONS AND FINER DETAIL IN THE INFORMATION AGE WHERE WE NEED TO SEE MORE AND MORE DATA TO GET OUR REPORTS/ANALYSES DONE. Whereas, the latter is just BLATANTLY INEFFICIENT WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO HIT A SINGLE TINY POINT, but your STUPID FINGER IS COVERING UP EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON (in the context of more numbers, higher graphic detail due to resolution advances, and the serious need to fit more info onto the screen.

HOW WILL MICROSOFT FIGURE THIS OUT? My guess is that the mouse pointer and the business user should be inseparable. I can't for the life of me see how touchscreen WITH NO MOUSE is MORE EFFICIENT THAN MOUSE POINTER/USAGE, in today's age.