Pin Items to the Taskbar

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated September 21, 2020)

The taskbar holds all your open windows, plus applications that you may want to quickly launch in a single click. As such, if there are applications that you frequent, you can pin them to the taskbar and have them be just a click away. Pinning an application to the taskbar is very easy. Navigate to the application that you want to pin, right-click it, and select "Pin to Taskbar" from the context menu. The item that you pinned doesn't move, but you'll now see it also in the taskbar: (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Pinning a folder to the taskbar.

And you don't have to settle for the order that File Explorer keeps your pinned items. You can drag/drop items on the taskbar to place them in the order you like by clicking on an item, and while holding down the mouse key drag it to another location on the taskbar. When you release the mouse key, the item will be repositioned.

Finally, if you later wish to remove an item from the taskbar, you right-click the item and select "Unpin from taskbar." The item still retains its availability in its original location on disk, but its taskbar entry is removed: (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. Unpinning an item from the taskbar.

 This tip (13459) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Understanding Windows Update

It is important to keep your system updated with the latest software patches. This keeps your computer safer from attacks ...

Discover More

M8 Free Clipboard

If you've ever found it tedious to do copy/paste with one piece of information at a time, you'll really like M8 Free ...

Discover More

Using Powercfg to List Your Existing Power Schemes

Windows allows you to define different power schemes that control how your computer uses power. This tip shows you how to ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Pinning a File to the Taskbar

In an effort to make your computer use more efficient you can pin non-executable files to the taskbar for easy access. ...

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

Controlling the Display of System Icons in the Notification Area

A sometimes-overlooked area of Windows customization is the notification area. This tip explains how you can control the ...

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 - 8?

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


Newest Tips