Windows 11 Taskbar Set to Expand with New Microsoft Apps

Microsoft is rolling out an automatic update in late October that will install the Microsoft 365 Companion app pack on Windows 11 PCs. This suite includes three applications—People, Calendar, and Files—which were previously optional but will now become a standard component on systems with Microsoft 365 clients.

These new apps will be pinned to the taskbar, displaying compact windows for quick access to contacts, events, and files within an organization. The developers have also integrated these services with Copilot, enabling contextual queries to find documents or prepare for meetings. A key feature of this update is that the apps are set to launch automatically with the operating system. According to Microsoft, this ensures instant access to up-to-date information the moment a user opens an app.

Users will be able to manage the auto-start behavior individually within each app's settings. For enterprise clients, a centralized method to disable this feature will be available through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. The phased rollout is scheduled to begin the last week of October and continue through mid-December. These changes will only affect Windows 11 users with an active Microsoft 365 subscription.

Despite the current trend of adding new pre-installed components, Microsoft is also working on giving users more control. It was recently revealed that the Windows 11 25H2 update, expected in the second half of 2025, will include a built-in tool for removing a number of standard applications, such as Camera, Voice Recorder, and Xbox.

This move is likely a direct response to years of user feedback requesting more flexible system customization. Consequently, the company's policy on pre-installed software appears mixed: on one hand, it's automatically adding new services, while on the other, it's developing tools for their removal.