Windows 11 Reveals 4 Hidden Features in the Latest Experimental Build

Windows 11 build 26300.8289 on the Experimental channel includes four undisclosed changes, in addition to the Windows Update improvements announced by Microsoft. These updates were identified by Windows Central and leaker @PhantomOfEarth.

They include a long-requested Taskbar repositioning feature and a modernized Run dialog that has remained largely unchanged for nearly 30 years.

Movable Taskbar and Redesigned Run Dialog in Windows 11

The most notable update is the early support for moving the Taskbar. New options now appear in the Taskbar context menu, allowing users to position the bar at the top, left, or right of the screen. When Windows 11 was released, the ability to dock the Taskbar to any position other than the bottom was removed, despite being a frequently requested feature.

(Credit: Mauro Huculak)

The Run dialog is getting its first major visual update in about 30 years. The new design follows Fluent Design principles, featuring rounded corners, semi-transparent elements, updated spacing, and support for both light and dark themes. The text field is now larger, and the interface shows recent commands, along with matching apps and paths as you type.

(Credit: Mauro Huculak)

Microsoft will make the new Run dialog optional. You can enable it through Settings, then System, Advanced, by toggling a dedicated switch for the Run dialog. Currently, the new design is available in the Experimental channel without needing to turn on the toggle.

New Login Animation and Storage Volume Unit Toggle

The animated dots that appear during sign-in, sign-out, shutdown, and restart are being replaced with a solid spinning icon. This new animation matches the one used during the boot process. Marcus Ash, Microsoft's head of Windows design and research, confirmed on X that the change aims to create more consistency across most use cases with spinning icons.

A small but useful update can be found in Settings under Storage, Disks and Volumes. The option to change the size of a volume now offers a toggle to switch between megabytes and gigabytes, making it easier to resize volumes measured in gigabytes.

(Credit: Mauro Huculak)

None of the four features is currently available to regular Windows Insiders. Their inclusion in the build suggests active development before wider testing.