A lightweight taskbar replacement for Windows 10/11, written in C++20 using only Win32 APIs — no third-party libraries, no runtime dependencies beyond what Windows already ships.
When running, winzoo hides the native Windows taskbar and takes its place, reserving the same desktop space via the Windows AppBar API.
- No nonsense
- Very lightweight
- Single executable, no installer needed
- Lots of configurations
- Per monitor DPI aware
- Custom-drawn task buttons with app icon and title
- Custom-drawn apps menu with keyboard navigation and search
- Custom position: top, bottom, left, right, floating
- Drag to reorder taskbar buttons
- Pin/unpin separately for each monitor on the taskbar and on the apps menu
- Works with Jump Lists and show progress bars for apps that support it
- Settings persisted in the registry
- Easy import/export of settings to share with others or across machines
- And lots more...
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- To export, just select "Export Settings..." on the main taskbar menu
- To import, just place the exported file into the same folder as the executable. On the next run it will import the settings and delete the file
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- Visual Studio 2026 (MSVC toolchain)
- CMake 3.20 or newer
Run build.bat from the project root. It configures and builds a Release binary in one step:
build.batThe executable will be generated as build\Release\winzoo.exe.
To build manually:
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 18 2026" -A x64
cmake --build build --config ReleaseNote: The build uses CMake's Visual Studio generator, so no prior
vcvarsall.batcall is needed — the generator handles the toolchain internally.
Launch winzoo.exe. The native Windows taskbar is hidden automatically and restored when winzoo exits.
- Left-click a button to focus the window; left-click again to minimize it
- Middle-click a button to close the window (can be disabled in Settings)
- Drag a button left or right to reorder
- Right-click a button for per-app options
- Right-click the empty area at the end of the bar to open the main menu
To exit cleanly, right-click the taskbar → Close Taskbar. This restores the native Windows taskbar before quitting.
If you liked this software and would like to support its development, you can buy me a coffee. Understand that any value is fine and appreciated, and that your support means a lot to me. Thank you!
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