Windows 11 has been in the headlines for its new look and interface, and one of the most appealing features is the centered taskbar. In the earlier versions of Windows, the taskbar was on the lower-left corner.
Show CPU, GPU, Memory usage, FPS in Windows 11 Taskbar using Game Bar
Well, now that the taskbar is centered, there is a lot of empty space left. I really don’t mind keeping it that way, but if you want to use this empty space, you sure can.
You can undoubtedly use this space to pin the shortcuts of your frequently used applications on the PC but another idea is to use it as your gaming performance bar. I mean the Xbox Game Bar. Let’s see how to do that.
Use Xbox Game Bar to get Performance stats in your taskbar
To get the performance bar, you first need to install the game bar on your PC. You can download it for free from the Microsoft Store. Press Win+I to open Settings and go to the Gaming section. 
Go to the Xbox Game Bar section and click on the arrow. This will open the options. Now enable the toggle (turn it on) as shown in the screenshot below.
Once done, press Win+G on your keyboard to activate the game bar. This will open the performance widget on your computer screen.
If you can’t see the widget, click on the Performance icon on the top menu ribbon to activate it. Now click on the Performance Options and adjust the graph position from right to Bottom.
Check the box saying. “Override default transparency” and level it to 100%. The default Accent color here is blue, but you can change that too. Click on the drop-down arrow and select the Accent color of your own choice. 
Next, uncheck the boxes for the metrics you don’t want to see in your performance bar. 
So, now the Performance bar is configured and you just need to adjust it in your taskbar as per your preferences. Take your cursor to the arrow in the lower corner and you can hide the graph. Now drag the Performance bar to your taskbar. 
Click on the Pin icon on the bar to pin it to your taskbar.
Read: How to customize Windows 11 Taskbar.
Pin Rainmeter in your taskbar
BONUS TIP: You can also pin Rainmeter too. Rainmeter is a weather widget that you can land on your taskbar to use in the free space.
I hope you find this post helpful. Do let me know in the comments if you have any other tips on using the free space in the taskbar.
How do I change the taskbar location in Windows 11?
Right-click on your taskbar and open Taskbar Settings. Go to Taskbar behaviors and you can change the alignment. It is by default in the center and you can take it to the left side as it was in the earlier versions of Windows.
Read: How to make Windows 11 Start Menu and Taskbar black with and without using the Dark theme.
How can I hide my taskbar?
Right-click on the taskbar to open Taskbar Settings. Go to the option, “Taskbar behaviors” and check the box saying, “Hide my taskbar automatically’. This will hide your taskbar and it will appear whenever to hover your cursor.
