How to Show Top Menu Bar in WIN11

Dear Classica Blue

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community.

In Windows 11, the top menu bar does appear differently than in Windows 10.

As Windows 11 has visually remade many of the interfaces, certain legacy features may have been removed or hidden.

In the case of the Start menu, due to its design, it can no longer be added to the top of the screen via the regular and registry options.

Here are some steps that may help you restore the top menu bar or similar features:

1. Menu bar in File Explorer

In Windows 11's File Explorer, the menu bar (e.g. File, Edit, View, etc.) is hidden by default. You can access it by following these steps:

Use the Alt key: In File Explorer, pressing the Alt key temporarily displays the top menu bar, after which you can access the menu options directly.

New Tab (Command Bar): In the toolbar of File Explorer, many frequently used functions have been integrated into the new command bar. For example, operations such as New, Copy, and Paste can be accessed directly through the Command Bar.

2. Taskbar and Start Menu Settings

If you want the taskbar to be always displayed and not automatically hidden, you can check these settings:

1. Right-click on a blank space in the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings.

2. In the settings, make sure the Auto-hide taskbar option is disabled. 3.

3. Programs' top menus

3. Changing the File Explorer view

If you want to improve the usability of File Explorer, you can try changing the view settings:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Click View in the upper-right corner (or right-click directly on the blank space above), you can switch to different view options (e.g. List View, Icon View, etc.) to make file browsing more convenient.

4. Restore the old interface

If you miss the interface of Windows 10 very much, you can consider using third-party plug-ins to restore some of the traditional features, but please note that this involves system modifications, so be careful when installing.

Conclusion

Windows 11 has redesigned many of its features, and the new command bar and context menus are designed to enhance the user experience. While the traditional menu bar at the top is no longer visible, most of the features you need are available through the Alt key temporary invocation and command bar approach.

If you need help with a specific application, or have any other questions, please feel free to let me know.

Best Wish

Shawn.Z-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

The menu bar isn't just hidden, it is GONE. Pressing ALT does nothing to make it visible.

Screenshot here: Screenshot 2024-12-06-141234.png

Why is it that every up date I hate my computer more and more. I never asked for the ribbon! I Hate the ribbon. I want my menu bar back.

please put the possibility to position the command bar at the top of the screen, to do this I tried programs that block windows. You just need to write a line of code, I think this will be appreciated by many people and it costs little for you to develop this functionality

thanks

Good morning.

None of these options worked.

How do I find History on any task bar?

Thanks

V/r

Jim Evans

*** Email address is removed for privacy ***