If you have stacked app icons, you won’t see any animations, no matter what.

The success of the animation option also depends on the icon options on the Windows 10 taskbar.There are over 40 different TaskbarX animations to choose from, so feel free to experiment to find your favorite. The animation details how the taskbar icons move when you open a new app. Those options use a custom color as the basis for the effect. The color is applied to the taskbar after clicking Apply, but the style is changed using other options, such as Transparent Gradient, Opaque, and Blur. Alternatively, click the color picker icon to choose a color from anywhere on the screen. You can use the sliders to color the taskbar. Select an option, then select Apply in the bottom right. The Style menu controls the transparency level or color of the taskbar. If you want a centered app center similar to macOS, you need a third-party taskbar customizer, like TaskbarX. The tool also includes some useful extras, such as transparent, translucent, or acrylic taskbar styles, animations for apps and icons, and an option to hide the Start menu icon.

With TaskbarX installed, you can move the taskbar icons to the center point of the screen. TaskbarX is an open source taskbar customization tool that gives you control over your taskbar icons.

How to open taskbarx