Floating Toolbars on the Windows 11 Taskbar?

I'm a Window Insider. Windows 11 just auto-updated my desktop computer. Windows 11 excludes toolbars on its Taskbar. Therefore, I am seeking to use a Directory Opus Floating Toolbar.
After experimenting with this feature, I a couple of questions:

  1. How can I get Dopus floating toolbars to float ON TOP of the Windows 11 taskbar? (Currently, the Taskbar overrides the floating toolbar as soon as the floating toolbar looses focus).

  2. The floating toolbar opens when I open a lister. How can I open the floating toolbar(s) without a corresponding lister (This is so I can start the toolbars on a Windows restart)?

floating-toolbar

Windows 11 isn't finished, let alone out yet. We aren't looking at it and won't until it's done. Looking at pre-release versions of Windows is, in our experience, a waste of our time as things always change before release.

You are choosing to beta test a very early, pre-release version of Windows 11. If the Windows beta has compatibility issues with existing software (such as Opus), tell Microsoft; that's the point of beta testing Windows. Get them to fix the compatibility issues so they aren't there in the final release. We aren't going to change Opus for pre-release versions of Windows.

1 Like

Understood. Can I correctly ascertain that I can create a floating taskbar that remains floating over the Windows 10 taskbar?

It seems to work, in that the toolbar will be on top when it is active (or was most recently active of the two windows), but the taskbar (which is also on-top) will come to the front when it is active instead.

Windows has a "super on-top" mode (actually several) which is inaccessible to third party software. They may have assigned that to the new taskbar for some reason, although it'd definitely cause problems with some things (not least of which being pop-up menus that overlap the taskbar).

1 Like

For #2, simply make sure Opus is set to run on startup on the Preferences / Launching Opus / Startup page, and that Don't open any Listers is selected.

In the Customize dialog, select Save Floating Toolbars from the File menu to save the state of your floating toolbars as the default.

1 Like

Thank you both for your help.

By following Leo & Jon's guidance I essentially restored the Windows Quick Launch Toolbar omitted from the current Insider's release of Windows 11.

  • I now have a working toolbar that is docked to the top of the Windows taskbar.
  • A maximized window DOES NOT cover the Dopus toolbar!
  • The Dopus Toolbar automatically opens when I restart my computer

This result is better than trying to dock the Dopus toolbar on top of the Windows Taskbar because the Windows Taskbar is now available, as intended, to show pinned and running applications.

I did this configuration work in Windows 11, which to my own surprise, is working very well with all of my legacy applications and with Directory Opus!

One tiny caveat: If task manager is used to terminate Explorer.exe (or Windows does this for some random reason), then the floating Dopus toolbar will vanish. Getting the floating toolbar(s) back requires exiting and restarting Dopus or alternatively restarting the computer.

If Microsoft does not restore Toolbars on the Taskbar, then I am guessing that this Dopus feature will convince many Windows 10 users to purchase Directory Opus for Windows 11. Directory Opus is and continues to be a useful and valuable tool that I enjoy using every day!

Thank you,

Gary

dopus-floating toolbar on Windows 11

1 Like

There are some feature requests on Feedback Hub regarding bringing back the Toolbars (IDeskband) in the Taskbar in Windows 11:

The only way bringing it back is upvote the linked request, or creatin an own in FeedbackHub.