Taskbar icons and click targets are mismatched after every reboot and sporatically at other times
Stardock Forums
Environment
- Start11: 2.73 (file version 2.7.3.0)
- Windows: Windows 11 25H2, OS build 26200.8875
- Taskbar auto-hide: Enabled
- Displays: Two monitors connected, with only one active at a time
Description
After every fresh reboot, the taskbar icons do not consistently match their click targets. For example, clicking what appears to be the File Explorer icon may open Discord or another application positioned nearby on the taskbar.
This has been happening for at least six months. It occurs after every reboot, although it also happens at other times during normal use. I have not identified the additional triggers.
Steps to reproduce
- Enable Start11 taskbar functionality.
- Enable taskbar auto-hide.
- Restart Windows.
- Sign in normally.
- Click several taskbar icons.
Actual result
Some taskbar icons open a different application, frequently one located beside the clicked icon.
Expected result
Each taskbar icon should open or activate the application it represents.
Workaround
- Open Start11 settings.
- Enable Disable all Start11 taskbar functionality.
- Disable the same option again.
The taskbar immediately begins working correctly. However, the problem returns after the next reboot, so this workaround must be repeated after every restart.
Additional information
Start11 2.7’s changelog mentions a fix for combined enhanced-taskbar buttons sometimes activating the wrong item. However, I am still experiencing that behavior in Start11 2.73.
Because temporarily disabling and re-enabling Start11’s taskbar functionality immediately resolves the problem, it appears that toggling the feature forces the taskbar state or button mapping to be rebuilt.
Here's a summary of my taskbar related settings
Start11 taskbar configuration
=============================
Extracted from a Start11 2.73 settings backup.
System context
--------------
- Windows 11 25H2, OS build 26200.8875
- Start11 2.73 (file version 2.7.3.0)
- Two monitors are connected, but only one is active at a time.
Taskbar behavior
----------------
- Start11 taskbar enhancements: Enabled
Raw value: EnableS11Taskbar=1
- Start11 autohide mode: Enabled
Raw value: S11_InternalAutohideMode=1
- Primary-display button-combination mode: Mode 3
Raw value: CombineModePrimary=3
Based on the ordering of the four choices in the Start11 2.73 UI resources,
this appears to correspond to "Never combine taskbar buttons."
- Windows taskbar alignment: Left
Raw value: TaskbarAl=0
- Start11 horizontal taskbar-button alignment flag: Enabled
Raw value: HorzAlignS11Taskbar=1
- Start11 vertical taskbar-button alignment flag: Enabled
Raw value: VertAlignS11Taskbar=1
- Allow centered Start-button alignment: Enabled
Raw value: AllowAlignMiddleStartInternal=1
- Taskbar resizing: Enabled
Raw value: ResizeTaskbar=1
- Primary taskbar row count: 1
Raw value: PrimaryTaskbarRowCount=1
- Wide-small mode: Disabled
Raw value: WideSmallMode=0
- Force Windows 11 touch-taskbar mode flag: Enabled
Raw value: ForceTouchTaskbar11Mode=1
- Windows 10-style taskbar buttons: Disabled
Raw value: S11_Win10StyleBtns=0
- Always hide taskbar-button text: Disabled
Raw value: AlwaysHideText=0
- Taskbar caption font-size mode: 2
Raw value: CaptionFontSize=2
- Windows multi-monitor taskbar-button mode: 0
Raw value: MMTaskbarMode=0
This is the Windows mode for showing taskbar buttons on all taskbars when
more than one display/taskbar is active.
Taskbar appearance
------------------
- Custom taskbar color: Disabled
Raw values: CustomColourTaskbar=0; CustomColourTaskbarV=0
- Taskbar blur explicitly disallowed: No
Raw value: TaskbarDisallowBlur=0
- Taskbar alpha: 206 out of 255 (approximately 81% opacity)
Raw value: TaskbarAlphaValue=206
- Maximized-window taskbar color override: Disabled
Raw value: S11_MaxColourOn=0
- Maximized-window taskbar blur flag: Enabled
Raw value: S11_MaxBlur=1
- Maximized-window taskbar alpha: 167 out of 255
Raw value: S11_MaxAlpha=167
- Rounded-taskbar radius: 4
Raw value: S11_RoundedTBRadius=4
- Rounded-taskbar X/Y offsets: 0 / 0
Raw values: S11_RoundedTBXOffset=0; S11_RoundedTBYOffset=0
- Rounded-taskbar alignment mode: 0
Raw value: S11_RoundedAlignmentMode=0
Stored taskbar application mapping
----------------------------------
This mapping may be particularly relevant because the visible/clickable taskbar
buttons become offset and activate neighboring applications.
- 308046B0AF4A39CB = 0
- Microsoft.Windows.Explorer = 1
- F0DC299D809B9700 = 0
- com.squirrel.Discord.Discord = 2
- Telegram.TelegramDesktop = 3
- Chrome._crx_gdojkklkkjkjhdpkkgoiokoobf = 5
Other potentially relevant internal state
-----------------------------------------
- Start11 last-seen Windows build family: 26200
Raw value: LastSeenOS2=26200
- Taskbar icons locked: No
Raw value: LockedIcons=0
- Start11 internal failure-state flags present:
S11_FailureState2=1
S11_FailureState4=1
Privacy and scope
-----------------
This extract intentionally excludes the Start menu layout, recent items, search
history, pinned Start-menu groups, custom shortcut paths, username, user-profile
paths, and the TaskbarAppIDCache. No email address, account SID, computer name,
license key, activation data, password, token, or other credential is included.