Microsoft confirms a missing taskbar bug in Windows 11 build 23516

This week's Dev Channel build 23516 introduced several improvements and new features, such as improved screen casting, HDR wallpaper support, accessibility enhancements, and more. Preview releases often pack multiple known issues and bugs, and build 23516 is no exception. In fact, Microsoft has updated the release notes to mention a new problem reported by some insiders.

According to Microsoft, customers might experience issues with the taskbar after updating to build 23516—it might disappear after installing the latest update. The company claims it achieved mixed results when reproducing the problem, and its spread "has proven to be inconsistent." Still, there are several methods to mitigate the problem. Here is what you can do if the taskbar is missing after installing Windows 11 build 23516:

1. If your taskbar is missing, allow the computer to sit idle for 5-6 minutes. Users have reported hearing an audible ding notification after which time the Taskbar reappears.
2. Reboot the device. This has not proven to be a fully reliable workaround, but it has been noted as successful from some users.
3. Lastly, you may choose to roll back from this build to the prior build. This bug was not present in the prior Dev Channel build (23511). To roll back your device if the task bar is missing, please follow these steps:

• Click the lock screen to display the login page.
• Select the on-screen Power Button in the lower-right corner.
• Hold the Shift key and select Restart.
  • (The device will reboot and enter the Windows Recovery Environment)
• On the "Choose an option" screen, select Troubleshoot
• Select Advanced options
• Select Uninstall updates
• Select Uninstall latest feature update
  • If your device has BitLocker enabled, you will be prompted for the recovery key. Input the key and click Continue.
• On the next screen select Uninstall feature update.
• The uninstall process will now begin.

Microsoft says developers are busy investigating the problem and hope to resolve it in a future update. If you have more insights on resolving the taskbar issue, let us know in the comments and share your findings with Microsoft in the Feedback Hub. Other users can take this story as another reason why running Windows 11 preview builds on a mission-critical or primary PC is not a great idea.