Microsoft’s PowerTools team is considering building a top menu bar for Windows 11, such as Linux, macOS, or older versions of Windows. Dubbed by Microsoft as the Menu Bar, or Command Palette Dock, there will be a new optional UI that provides quick access to tools, monitoring system resources and more.
Microsoft has provided concept images of what it wants to build, and is asking for feedback on whether Windows users will use the PowerTie this way. “The Dock is designed to be highly configurable,” explains Niels Lautt, a senior product manager at Microsoft. “It can be placed at the top, left, right or bottom edge of the screen, and can be expanded into three distinct areas of the dock: start, center and end.”
If Microsoft goes ahead and builds this dock, it will also include customization options to change the background, style and overall theme. You’ll be able to easily rearrange extensions between different dock areas and pin them independently.
The dock is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with its Command Palette launcher, which the company launched last year. The Command Palette is similar to Apple’s Spotlight in macOS, allowing you to quickly access commands, apps, and development tools.
Microsoft is currently soliciting feedback on the proposal, and developers can experiment with an early version by importing a project into Visual Studio from Microsoft’s PowerTios GitHub repository.
