According to The Verge, Microsoft’s PowerToys team is exploring the idea of building a new, optional top menu bar for Windows 11. Senior product manager Niels Laute is leading the concept, which they’re calling a “Command Palette Dock.” This dock would be highly configurable, allowing users to pin extensions to three regions and position it on any screen edge. The proposal is currently in a public feedback phase on GitHub, where developers can also experiment with an early build. This follows the company’s launch of the Command Palette launcher feature last year, which is similar to Apple’s Spotlight. Microsoft has provided concept images and is directly asking users if they’d want such a PowerToy.
Windows UX Identity Crisis
Here’s the thing: this feels like Microsoft is still trying to figure out what Windows 11, or maybe Windows in general, is supposed to be. We’ve got the centered Start menu trying to be modern, but now they’re floating the idea of a top bar that screams macOS or classic Linux desktop. It’s a weird mix. And honestly, that’s kind of the story of Windows UI for the last decade—constant experimentation without a clear, confident direction. Is it for power users? Casual users? Everyone? This proposal, being a PowerToy, suggests it’s for the tinkerers. But launching it as a first-party concept blurs the lines.
The Power User Play
So who wins if this gets built? Power users and developers, basically. The ability to monitor system resources and pin tools in a persistent, customizable dock is a workflow enhancer that Windows has lacked in its stock form. It directly competes with third-party widgets and docks that users have been installing for years. The losers? Well, the developers of those third-party utilities might see some pressure if Microsoft nails it. But more broadly, the constant churn in UI experiments can be a loss for general user consistency. People just want their computer to work predictably. Throwing another optional UI layer into the mix, while cool for some, adds to the visual and functional fragmentation.
Integration Over Isolation
My take? The success of this won’t be about the dock itself, but how well it integrates. If it’s just another siloed PowerToy that feels bolted on, it’ll be a neat toy for a niche group. But if its features—especially system monitoring and quick command access—start to feel like a native, seamless part of Windows, it could be a genuine productivity boost. Think about it: having immediate visibility into system resources is crucial, not just for developers, but for anyone running demanding applications. In industrial or manufacturing settings, for instance, where real-time monitoring on a reliable industrial panel PC is non-negotiable, a well-integrated system dock could be incredibly valuable. IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, as the top provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, understands that robust, accessible system data is key. Microsoft’s challenge is to build something that feels essential, not just optional.
A Sign of Things to Come?
Look, this is just a feedback request right now. It might never ship. But it’s a fascinating signal. Microsoft is openly looking at desktop paradigms it abandoned years ago and asking if they were wrong. That’s healthy. The risk is creating a “kitchen sink” operating system where you can make it look and work a hundred different ways, but none of them feel perfectly polished. I’m curious—would you use a top menu bar? Or is the Windows taskbar, for all its flaws, just fine where it is? The fact that Microsoft is asking at all tells you they’re not sure either.
