Put the taskbar back at the bottom
How do I move my taskbar back to the bottom of the screen?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
On Windows 10 the taskbar can be dragged to any edge, and it only takes one accidental drag while it is unlocked for it to end up somewhere strange. On Windows 11 the bar is fixed at the bottom by design, so if yours looks wrong there, something else is going on, usually a second screen or an old registry tweak. On a Mac it is the Dock, and its position is a normal setting. The quickest thing to try first: windows 10: set the position in settings — Right click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Scroll to Taskbar location on screen and choose Bottom. This is more reliable than dragging and it works even when the bar is locked. Most people are done in about 5 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •The bar with Start and your open programs has jumped to the side or the top
- •It happened after a drag with the mouse or after someone else used the machine
- •On a Mac the Dock has moved to the left or right edge
Why it happens
On Windows 10 the taskbar can be dragged to any edge, and it only takes one accidental drag while it is unlocked for it to end up somewhere strange. On Windows 11 the bar is fixed at the bottom by design, so if yours looks wrong there, something else is going on, usually a second screen or an old registry tweak. On a Mac it is the Dock, and its position is a normal setting.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Windows 10: set the position in Settings
Right click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Scroll to Taskbar location on screen and choose Bottom. This is more reliable than dragging and it works even when the bar is locked.
- 2
Windows 10: or drag it back and then lock it
Right click the taskbar and untick Lock the taskbar. Click and hold an empty part of the bar, drag it to the bottom edge and let go. Right click again and tick Lock the taskbar so it cannot wander off next time.
- 3
Windows 11: check it is not just hidden or on another screen
Windows 11 does not support moving the taskbar to the top or the sides, so a missing bar is usually a different setting. Right click the desktop, choose Personalise, Taskbar, expand Taskbar behaviours, and untick Automatically hide the taskbar. In the same place, if you use two screens, tick Show my taskbar on all displays.
- 4
Windows 11: undo an old registry tweak
If someone once used a registry edit to move it, press Windows and R, type regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3. Double click Settings, and in the second row of numbers change the sixth value back to 03, which means bottom. Click OK, then restart Windows Explorer from the Details tab in Task Manager. Take the export backup regedit offers before changing anything.
- 5
Restart Explorer when the bar looks stuck
Press Control, Shift and Escape to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer in the list, right click it and choose Restart. The desktop flashes for a second and the taskbar is redrawn in the correct place. This alone fixes a bar that has gone missing or is stranded across the wrong monitor.
- 6
Mac: move the Dock
Open the Apple menu, System Settings, then Desktop and Dock, and set Position on screen to Bottom. On older versions it is System Preferences, Dock and Menu Bar. If the Dock vanishes instead, turn off Automatically hide and show the Dock on the same page.
If none of that worked
If the bar keeps jumping back after every restart, sign out and back in with a different user account and see whether it behaves there. When the new account is fine, your profile settings are damaged, and creating a fresh account is quicker than repairing it. On a work laptop the layout may be set by your workplace, and only the people who manage the device can change it.
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The CommonFixes team
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This guide was last updated on 11 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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