the Sticky Notes icon on the taskbar is not combined. For each sticky note created by you, there is a separate taskbar icon or tab available, which ultimately eats taskbar space, and makes it ...

You can now click on Pin to Start or Taskbar Once on the taskbar, right-click on the Sticky Note icon, and get access to the quick action menu like New, Settings, Notes List, and so on.

To sync notes with your Microsoft account, launch the Sticky Notes app, click the gear icon, and choose "Sync Now." You can also manually copy and paste your notes' contents to make a manual backup.