Taskbar Groups vs YASB Reborn

Taskbar Groups is a free Windows utility for organizing shortcuts into groups on the taskbar. Groups can contain .exe and .lnk shortcuts, folders, Windows Store apps, and Steam games or software. Users can choose group colors and opacity, pick an icon, edit shortcut names, and set how many shortcuts appear on each row. Optional launch settings include working directories and arguments; Ctrl+Enter can launch all shortcuts in a group, while number keys 1–0 launch shortcuts in positions one through ten. The utility stores group and shortcut icons in each group’s local configuration folder and can regenerate the cache when the group is saved again. A release note lists support for multiple monitors, vertical and top taskbars, and hidden taskbars. Setup involves downloading the latest release ZIP, unpacking it, and running TaskbarGroups.exe. The project is MIT-licensed. Group names are limited to 49 characters and cannot contain special characters; shortcut entry names are limited to 27 characters. A moved shortcut may stop launching until the group is edited again.

YASB Reborn is a free, open-source Windows status bar built around widgets, live data, and custom automations. It includes more than 50 widgets for system statistics, workspaces, media, utilities, and integrations. Native integrations with GlazeWM and Komorebi can display workspace and tiling information. YAML files define bars, screens, widget positions, update settings, and actions, while CSS handles imports, variables, scoped widget styling, animations, and live hot-reloading. Different or mirrored bars can run across multiple monitors, and one monitor can host multiple bars. YASB is designed for Windows 11 and also works on Windows 10 through Win32 APIs. Installation options include x64 and ARM64 MSI files, WinGet, Scoop, Chocolatey, Python, or source builds. It operates locally and says it does not collect or centrally store personal information. The project uses the MIT License.