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Windows 11 Add Separators and Spacers to Start Menu and Taskbar

This post will show you how to add separators and spacers to the Start menu and taskbar in Windows 11. Windows 11 has a fresh Start menu and taskbar with a new design and capabilities. Unfortunately, some of the useful Start menu features from Windows 10 are missing in Windows 11. The most notable omissions are folders, groups, and the inability to move the taskbar around.

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While we wait for Microsoft to deliver more features to the Start menu in Windows 11, enthusiasts came up with a neat little trick that lets you organize icons on the taskbar and Start menu into simple groups with dividers and spacers.

You need two apps, blank.exe and seperator.exe. The first one creates an empty space on the taskbar or in the start menu. The second one adds a divider.

Add Separators and Spacers to Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar

  1. Download the Blank.exe app from this link.
  2. Now, download the Seperator.exe app using this link.
  3. Unpack and put the executable files to a folder from where they will run.
  4. Click and hold the right mouse button on the seperator.exe file, slightly move it, and then release the right mouse button to reveal a little context menu.
  5. Select Create Shortcuts here.Create Shortcuts To Files
  6. Now, rename the newly made shortcut. Delete all characters in the name, then hold the Alt button and type 0160 (consequently). That lets you use blanks as file names (you cannot just type a space and save it).Rename The Newly Made Shortcut
  7. Right-click the shortcut and select Pin to Start. You now have a separator in the Start menu.Add Divider To Start Menu
  8. Open the Start menu and right-click the separator (divider). Select Open File Location.Open File Location Menu
  9. In a new window, select your shortcut and press Shift + F10.Windows 11 Add Separator To The Taskbar
  10. Click Pin to taskbar. You now have a divider on the taskbar.Windows 11 Add Separators And Spacers
  11. If you want to create a blank space, do that to the Blank.exe file. Note that you do not need to launch those dummy executable files. They do nothing, and they are not a threat to your system's safety.

If you want to create more than a single blank space or separator, repeat the steps above, except Step 6. You need to enter an additional Alt + 0160 sequence for each consequent shortcut. For example, to create a second shortcut, you need to type Alt + 0160 two times, three times for a third shortcut, four times for a fourth, and so on.

After creating enough shortcuts, you can move them around to experiment and create a unique, more organized Start menu or taskbar. Of course, this hack is not as convenient as folders and groups in the Start menu in Windows 10, but at least it provides a little more customization for users.

h/t Deskkmodder

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Author: Taras Buria

Taras is here to cover stories about Microsoft and everything around, although sometimes he prefers Apple.

15 thoughts on “Windows 11 Add Separators and Spacers to Start Menu and Taskbar”

  1. Good tip, but to be honest, the grid is already a tiny 6×3. The last thing we need is to waste more space lol.
    If/When they allow us to get rid of that stupid recommended section as well as resize the start menu, then this will be more useful.

    1. Hopefully they do get rid of the recommended section, but until then… Stardock has come out with Start11, and it lets you have the Win 11 Start Menu without the recommended section. :)

    2. For a few dollars you can pickup a copy of Stardock’s Start11 app and customize your Start menu and task bar. Using Start11 you can get rid of the recommended section, and make numerous other tweaks. I’ve done this and turned my Start menu into an easily resizable app launcher which currently has 45 apps. I’m not affiliated with Stardock – I just enjoy the convenience/features offered by their app.

  2. Thanks Sergey! They will start with current menu which most dislike and end up the way it is currently on Windows 10, with 100s of tweaks/undos. :D :P

  3. I find these to very handy. I did come across one problem though. If you copy them for purposes of saving a backup copy all the shortcuts have the .lnk extension showing. Therefore, you must remake the shortcuts if you ever had to redo Windows. They work great as long as they are not moved from original location.

  4. I cannot get the additional separators to work. When I go to pin it to Taskbar, the only option available is ‘Unpin from Taskbar’.

  5. 1. My Windows 11 cant create the blank name file by pressing Alt and type 0160?

    2. When creating the 2nd shortcut, cant really pin it separately coz the system recognise it as the same as the 1st one?

    Cheers.

  6. Didn’t work for me. After creating the shortcut and choosing pin to Start, nothing shows up in the Start menu.

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