In the long tradition of users shaping their tools to fit their lives, a community developer has quietly filled a gap that Microsoft left open in Windows 11: the ability to control individual application volumes directly from the taskbar, with nothing more than a scroll of the mouse wheel. The mod, distributed through Windhawk — an open-source marketplace for Windows customization — arrived this week and has already drawn significant attention. It is a small feature, but its existence asks a larger question about who is truly responsible for the completeness of a platform: the corporation that
Windows Central
· Jan 16, 2026
· technology
· 2 min read
High
Sourcing: Verified
Windhawk mod brings per-app volume control to Windows 11 taskbar
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Bias & Framing
⚖
Article advocates for Microsoft to natively implement a third-party mod feature, using personal opinion and selective framing to criticize Windows 11's current capabilities.
Bias Direction
center-right
Confidence
MED
Opinion-driven advocacy framing. The author uses first-person perspective ('I hope Microsoft makes native') to blur the line between reporting and editorial commentary. Frames the mod as evidence of Microsoft's shortcomings rather than celebrating third-party innovation.
Windows 11 gets a lot of hate, much of which is justified
Microsoft is slacking
easy to overlook the good parts
takes that idea a step further
Microsoft's design rationale for current volume control implementation
Potential technical or UX reasons per-app taskbar volume control isn't native
User adoption rates or demand data for this specific feature
Perspectives from accessibility or usability experts on the feature's necessity
Alternative existing solutions within Windows 11
Geopolitical Impact
🌎
This article discusses a Windows 11 software mod for per-app volume control and has no geopolitical implications.
Escalation Risk
low
Confidence
HIGH
Economic Lens
📈
A third-party mod adds per-app volume control to Windows 11 taskbar, highlighting a feature gap in Microsoft's OS that could impact user experience and software customization markets.
Market Signal
neutral
Confidence
LOW
Software Development
Operating Systems
Consumer Electronics
Third-party Software/Mod Marketplaces
Consumers gain access to improved functionality through third-party solutions, but reliance on mods creates fragmentation and potential system stability risks. This may increase demand for customization tools while reducing satisfaction with native OS features.
Microsoft may face pressure to integrate community-requested features natively into Windows 11, potentially affecting its product development roadmap. The mod ecosystem raises questions about OS openness, third-party developer rights, and system security standards that regulators may scrutinize.