Moving the Taskbar to a Different Edge of the Screen

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 28, 2019)

The Taskbar is an important part of the Windows interface. It normally appears at the bottom of the screen and includes the Start menu button, links to frequently used programs, Taskbar buttons for currently running programs, and a Notification area that includes lots of configuration icons.

You can instruct Windows to place the Taskbar along a different edge of the screen, if you are so inclined. To move the Taskbar to a different location, follow these steps on a Windows 10 system:

  1. Right-click somewhere within a blank area of the Taskbar. (Don't right-click one of the icons on the Taskbar; right-click an area that contains no icons.) Windows displays a Context menu.
  2. Choose Taskbar Settings from the Context menu. Windows 10 displays the Taskbar area of the Settings dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Taskbar area of the Settings dialog box.

  4. Use the Taskbar Location on Screen drop-down list to choose where the Taskbar should appear: Bottom, Top, Left, or Right.
  5. Click the X in the upper-right corner to close the Settings dialog box.

The Taskbar is immediately moved to the edge of the screen you indicated in step 3.

If you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8, follow these steps:

  1. Right click somewhere within a blank area of the Taskbar. (Don't right-click one of the icons on the Taskbar; right-click an area that contains no icons.) Windows displays a Context menu.
  2. Choose Properties from the Context menu. Windows 7 displays the Taskbar tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box. Windows 8 displays the Taskbar tab of the Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  3. Figure 2. The Taskbar tab of the Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog box.

  4. Use the Taskbar Location on Screen drop-down list to choose where the Taskbar should appear: Bottom, Top, Left, or Right.
  5. Click OK.

The Taskbar is immediately moved to the edge of the screen you indicated in step 3.

There is another way to move the Taskbar, as well, regardless of which version of Windows you are using. All you need to do is to unlock the Taskbar on the Taskbar tab of the dialog box shown above if you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you are using Windows 10, then click on the Lock the Taskbar button to turn it Off. Then you can "drag and drop" the Taskbar to any of the four screen edges. Just point to an unused area of the Taskbar, click and hold the mouse button, and drag the Taskbar to the desired edge. When you release the mouse button, the Taskbar stays at that location.

 This tip (10860) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting a Non-Breaking Hyphen

Non-breaking hyphens can come in handy for some types of writing. They force the words (or characters) on both sides of ...

Discover More

Conditionally Adding a Period in a Mail Merge

When merging data into a Word document, you may want to add information to the document based on an evaluation of what is ...

Discover More

Adjusting Cell Margins for More White Space

Is the information in your cells too jammed up? Here are some ways you can add some white space around that information ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

News and Interest Widget in the Taskbar

A new Windows feature allows for quick access to news and weather directly from the Taskbar. See how to turn this feature ...

Discover More

Understanding the Start Menu

When you want to start using Windows for real, you'll typically need to go through the Start menu to do it. This tip ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Notification Area Icons

Getting notified of events can be useful, but if the notification icons get too numerous you may wish to turn some off. ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 5?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips