Taskbar and Start menu replacement for Windows 11

Change the Windows layout

1. Choose a Start menu size. Open Windows Settings, then Personalization, Start. Under Start menu size, choose Small or Large.
2. Make the taskbar smaller. In Settings, open Personalization, Taskbar, then Taskbar behaviors. Set Taskbar size to Small to reduce the bar's height and its icons.

These options are included in the September 2026 updates and later releases. They roll out in stages, so availability can vary between PCs. They change the size of Windows' own taskbar and Start menu; Glassline supplies the menu bar, dock and Search described below.

Start Glassline

1. Install Glassline from the Microsoft Store. It requires Windows 11, version 22H2 or later.
2. Open Glassline. While it runs, the Windows taskbar and Start menu are hidden. The menu bar appears at the top and the dock at the bottom. The dock starts with the apps you kept on the Windows taskbar.

For the details of the bottom edge, see how Glassline hides the Windows taskbar and how to use the dock.

Find what you used Start for

Search takes the place of the Start menu. Apps, files and settings share one search field, so you can start with the name of what you need.

1. Press the Windows key. Glassline Search opens. Type the name of an app, a file or a setting to see matching results.
2. Open a result. Select the result you want, then press Enter.
3. Browse your apps. With the search field empty, press the Down key to show all your apps.

Search learns from the results you open: the ones you choose often move up the list. To control this, right-click the menu bar, choose Glassline Settings, then open Search and find Learn from what I open.

Bring Start back

Right-click the menu bar and choose Quit Glassline. The Windows taskbar and Start menu come back exactly as they were. They also return if Glassline closes unexpectedly, and when you uninstall it.