Windows 11 KB5120998 Brings Major Taskbar, Start Menu, and Search Improvements

Windows 11 KB5120998 is now available, and it is one of the year’s biggest updates, particularly for users focused on the Taskbar, Start menu, and Search. You can install it through Windows Update, while MS has also published direct download links for KB5120998 offline installers in the .msu format.

Availability and Installation

KB5120998 is an optional update, so it will not download and install automatically under normal circumstances. However, in most cases, it is nearly as stable as a Patch Tuesday release. It appears as “2026-08 Preview Update (KB5120998) (26200.9278)” and can be downloaded by selecting Download & install.

The update installs automatically in the background if you have enabled the “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” option. In testing, Windows Latest observed that KB5120998 upgrades Windows 11 25H2 to Build 26200.9278 and version 24H2 to Build 26100.9278.

Download Links for Windows 11 KB5120998

Windows 11 KB5120998 direct download links: 64-bit and ARM64. You should generally use Windows Update to download monthly updates, but the MS Update Catalog is another option, particularly when Windows Update encounters errors. The Update Catalog provides the same update as an offline .msu package, which is why the download is larger.

Compared with Windows 10, Windows 11 monthly updates downloaded through the Update Catalog can be almost seven times larger, with some requiring more than 5GB of bandwidth. This is because monthly Windows updates also include AI models. Although these models are applied only to supported PCs, they remain part of the download package.

What’s New in Windows 11 Build 26200.9278 and Build 26100.9278?

All features are rolling out gradually and will be enabled over the coming days.

Move the Taskbar to Any Side of the Screen

Windows 11 KB5120998 finally allows you to move the taskbar to the top, left, or right side of the screen, similar to Windows 10 and other versions.

MS is restoring the movable taskbar five years after Windows 11 launched. The company previously justified its removal by citing animations and a better interface flow. Five years later, after Windows 11 struggled to attract attention, MS has responded to user feedback and restored the feature.

However, you cannot yet move the taskbar by dragging it. In Windows 10, you could hold and drag the taskbar to any edge of the screen. That implementation is not yet ready in Windows 11. Instead, open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > Taskbar position and select your preferred layout.

You can choose Left, Top, Right, or Bottom as your preferred taskbar position. A restart is not required for the changes to take effect.

The author personally uses the top taskbar because it makes switching among apps, browser tabs, and Windows Terminal tabs easier.

MS sources previously told Windows Latest that the company plans to restore the ability to move the taskbar by dragging it to any side of the screen, similar to Windows 10. For now, you must use Windows Settings to customize its position.

A Smaller Taskbar

Among the highly anticipated Windows 11 features rolling out with this update, one of the author’s personal favorites is the smaller taskbar.

Windows 10 includes an option to make the entire taskbar smaller, reducing the amount of screen space it uses and making room for more apps and open windows. It is an optional feature that must be enabled manually, and it worked more effectively than Windows 11’s existing implementation.

Windows 11 currently offers a smaller taskbar buttons option that reduces the size of the icons and related elements, but the taskbar itself remains large. Although this allows more apps to fit on the taskbar, it does not reduce the taskbar’s overall screen footprint and can look visually inconsistent.

With Windows 11 KB5120998, MS is restoring a Windows 10-style smaller taskbar, allowing you to shrink the taskbar itself rather than only its icons.

You can enable this feature under Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Show smaller taskbar buttons.

Start Menu Resizing and Customization

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 offers limited Start menu customization because MS assumes its design provides the best layout for everyone. In practice, however, many users want to change the layout, modify categories, or at least resize the menu when it occupies too much of the screen.

Windows Latest has criticized the new Start menu’s Categories layout because it can occupy up to 70% of the screen on PCs with smaller displays, including now-standard 14-inch laptops. On the author’s Spectre, it is barely usable without manually changing the display scaling to make everything, including the Start menu, smaller.

Windows 11 KB5120998 finally allows you to change the Start menu’s size without adjusting display scaling.

Under Settings > Personalization > Start, you can now choose the Start menu size. By default, the menu automatically adapts to the screen resolution, but you can switch between Small and Large.

You can also completely remove the Recommended/Recent feed and display only pinned apps. Alternatively, you can remove the Pinned section and show only the All apps list.

The option to disable the Recommended feed was added to Windows 11 earlier this year. However, disabling it also disrupted Recent integration in File Explorer and the taskbar’s right-click jump lists. MS is correcting this by separating the settings, so disabling Recent or Recommended content in the Start menu no longer affects other areas.

Windows Latest also noticed that users can now hide their name and profile picture from the Start menu. This may be particularly useful for people who frequently share their screens during livestreams or gameplay.

Disable Bing and MS Store Results in Windows Search

One of the most anticipated changes is the ability to disable Bing and MS Store results in Windows Search. When these sources are disabled, Windows Search displays only local results, including files, pictures, and Windows apps.

MS also confirmed that Search will do a better job of surfacing relevant items, making results clearer and easier to scan.

You can disable Bing and MS Store results under Settings > Privacy & security > Search.

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