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The Windows 10 taskbar is not merely a place to see your apps. Unfortunately, most PC users use the taskbar to launch apps, open Start menu by clicking on the Start button, and to check the date and time.
The taskbar is a powerful place. You can make it even better by pinning your favorite apps, moving the taskbar around the screen, pinning websites to the taskbar, pinning items to jump lists, and more.
You probably know that Windows 10 allows you to pin apps and programs to the taskbar for easy access. However, Windows 10 doesn’t allow you to pin folders and files to the taskbar.
We have already covered how to pin folders to Windows 10 taskbar. We will use this guide to share how to pin any file to Windows 10 taskbar. For instance, you can pin that important Word document or your favorite video to the taskbar.
As said, Windows 10 doesn’t support pinning files to the taskbar. But as you likely know, it supports pinning executables to the taskbar. Using this support, we have come with a workaround to pin any file to Windows 10 taskbar.
Pin any file to Windows 10 taskbar
NOTE: In this guide, we are pinning a Word document (.docx) to the taskbar. However, you can pin any file to Windows 10 taskbar by following the given below workaround.
Step 1: Open up File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing the file which you want to pin to the taskbar. If the file is on the desktop, navigate to the desktop folder using File Explorer.
Step 2: Click the View tab and then click File name extensions check box to make File Explorer show file names with extensions.
Step 3: Now, rename the extension of the file ( the file you want to pin to the taskbar) to EXE. Before doing so, please note down the original file extension as we need it.
For instance, we are renaming IW.docx file to IW.exe file.
When you see the confirmation dialog, click Yes button to rename the file. Driver scape license key.
Step 4: Now, drag and drop that file on to the taskbar to pin it to the taskbar. No, you cannot launch the file just yet.
Step 5: Go back to the folder containing the file that you just pinned to the taskbar. Rename the file extension back to the original extension. In this case, we are renaming IW.exe back to IW.docx file.
Click Yes button when you see the confirmation dialog.
Step 6:Right-click on the file that you just pinned to the taskbar to see its jump list.
Step 7: In the jump list, right-click on the file name and then click Properties. As you can see below, the file name appears just above Unpin from taskbar option.
Step 8: Under the Shortcut tab, in the Target section, rename the file extension back to the original one. Again, in this example, we are renaming the file extension back to .docx from .exe file.
Click Apply button. That’s it! You may now click on the file pinned to the taskbar to open it with the default program.
Change pinned file’s taskbar icon
If you want to change file’s icon on the taskbar, please follow these two steps.
Step 1:Right-click on the file icon on the taskbar to see the jump list. Right-click on the file name and then click Properties.
Step 2: Under the Shortcut tab, click Change icon button. Browse to an icon file or use one of the existing system icons. Click OK. Click Apply.
Restart the File Explorer or restart your PC once to see the new icon.
-->Applies to
- Windows 10
Looking for consumer information?See what's on the Start menu
Organizations might want to deploy a customized Start and taskbar configuration to devices running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. A standard, customized Start layout can be useful on devices that are common to multiple users and devices that are locked down for specialized purposes. Configuring the taskbar allows the organization to pin useful apps for their employees and to remove apps that are pinned by default.
Note
Taskbar configuration is available starting in Windows 10, version 1607.
Start and taskbar configuration can be applied to devices running Windows 10 Pro, version 1703.
For information on using the layout modification XML to configure Start with roaming user profiles, see Deploy Roaming User Profiles.
Using CopyProfile for Start menu customization in Windows 10 isn't supported. For more information Customize the Default User Profile by Using CopyProfile
Start options
Some areas of Start can be managed using Group Policy. The layout of Start tiles can be managed using either Group Policy or Mobile Device Management (MDM) policy.
Note
The MDM policy settings in the table can also be configured in a provisioning package using Policies > Start. See the reference for Start settings in Windows Configuration Designer.
The following table lists the different parts of Start and any applicable policy settings or Settings options. Group Policy settings are in the User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu and Taskbar path except where a different path is listed in the table.
Start | Policy | Local setting |
---|---|---|
User tile | MDM: Start/HideUserTile Start/HideSwitchAccount Start/HideSignOut Start/HideLock Start/HideChangeAccountSettings Group Policy: Remove Logoff on the Start menu | none |
Most used | MDM: Start/HideFrequentlyUsedApps Group Policy: Remove frequent programs from the Start menu | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show most used apps |
Suggestions -and- Dynamically inserted app tile | MDM: Allow Windows Consumer Features Group Policy: Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCloud ContentTurn off Microsoft consumer experiences Note: This policy also enables or disables notifications for a user's Microsoft account and app tiles from Microsoft dynamically inserted in the default Start menu. | Settings > Personalization > Start > Occasionally show suggestions in Start |
Recently added | MDM: Start/HideRecentlyAddedApps Group Policy: Computer configurationAdministrative TemplateStart Menu and TaskbarRemove 'Recently Added' list from Start Menu (for Windows 10, version 1803) | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show recently added apps |
Pinned folders | MDM: AllowPinnedFolder | Settings > Personalization > Start > Choose which folders appear on Start |
Power | MDM: Start/HidePowerButton Start/HideHibernate Start/HideRestart Start/HideShutDown Start/HideSleep Group Policy: Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands | none |
Start layout | MDM: Start layout ImportEdgeAssets Group Policy: Prevent users from customizing their Start screen Note: When a full Start screen layout is imported with Group Policy or MDM, the users cannot pin, unpin, or uninstall apps from the Start screen. Users can view and open all apps in the All Apps view, but they cannot pin any apps to the Start screen. When a partial Start screen layout is imported, users cannot change the tile groups applied by the partial layout, but can modify other tile groups and create their own. Start layout policy can be used to pin apps to the taskbar based on an XML File that you provide. Users will be able to change the order of pinned apps, unpin apps, and pin additional apps to the taskbar. | none |
Jump lists | MDM: Start/HideRecentJumplists Group Policy: Do not keep history of recently opened documents | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar |
Start size | MDM: Force Start size Group Policy: Force Start to be either full screen size or menu size | Settings > Personalization > Start > Use Start full screen |
App list | MDM: Start/HideAppList | Settings > Personalization > Start > Show app list in Start menu |
All Settings | Group Policy: Prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings | none |
Taskbar | MDM: Start/NoPinningToTaskbar | none |
Note
In local Settings > Personalization > Start, there is an option to Show more tiles. The default tile layout for Start tiles is 3 columns of medium sized tiles. Show more tiles enables 4 columns. To configure the 4-column layout when you customize and export a Start layout, turn on the Show more tiles setting and then arrange your tiles.
Taskbar options
Starting in Windows 10, version 1607, you can pin additional apps to the taskbar and remove default pinned apps from the taskbar. You can specify different taskbar configurations based on device locale or region.
There are three categories of apps that might be pinned to a taskbar:
- Apps pinned by the user
- Default Windows apps, pinned during operating system installation (Microsoft Edge, File Explorer, Store)
- Apps pinned by the enterprise, such as in an unattended Windows setupNoteWe recommend using the layoutmodification.xml method to configure taskbar options, rather than the earlier method of using TaskbarLinks in an unattended Windows setup file.
The following example shows how apps will be pinned - Windows default apps to the left (blue circle), apps pinned by the user in the center (orange triangle), and apps that you pin using XML to the right (green square).
Note
In operating systems configured to use a right-to-left language, the taskbar order will be reversed.
Whether you apply the taskbar configuration to a clean install or an update, users will still be able to:
- Pin additional apps
- Change the order of pinned apps
- Unpin any app
Note
In Windows 10, version 1703, you can apply an MDM policy,
Start/NoPinningToTaskbar
, to prevents users from pinning and unpinning apps on the taskbar.Taskbar configuration applied to clean install of Windows 10
How Do I Get Cortana Search Bar On My Taskbar
In a clean install, if you apply a taskbar layout, only the apps that you specify and default apps that you do not remove will be pinned to the taskbar. Users can pin additional apps to the taskbar after the layout is applied.
Taskbar configuration applied to Windows 10 upgrades
When a device is upgraded to Windows 10, apps will be pinned to the taskbar already. Some apps may have been pinned to the taskbar by a user, and others may have been pinned to the taskbar through a customized base image or by using Windows Unattend setup.
The new taskbar layout for upgrades to Windows 10, version 1607 or later, will apply the following behavior:
- If the user pinned the app to the taskbar, those pinned apps remain and new apps will be added to the right.
- If the user didn't pin the app (it was pinned during installation or by policy) and the app is not in updated layout file, the app will be unpinned.
- If the user didn't pin the app and the app is in the updated layout file, the app will be pinned to the right.
- New apps specified in updated layout file are pinned to right of user's pinned apps.
Learn how to configure Windows 10 taskbar.
Start layout configuration errors
If your Start layout customization is not applied as expected, open Event Viewer and navigate to Applications and Services Log > Microsoft > Windows > ShellCommon-StartLayoutPopulation > Operational, and check for one of the following events:
- Event 22 is logged when the xml is malformed, meaning the specified file simply isn’t valid xml. This can occur if the file has extra spaces or unexpected characters, or if the file is not saved in the UTF8 format.
- Event 64 is logged when the xml is valid, but has unexpected values. This can happen when the desired configuration is not understood, elements are not in the required order, or source is not found, such as a missing or misspelled .lnk.
Related topics
The Windows taskbar has always offered fast access to frequently used programs, files and folders and continues to do so. While it looks like a bit of a mess at times with a riot of colored icons, it is no doubt one of the most-used elements of the Windows OS. If you are setting up a new install or a new PC and want to pin icons to the Taskbar in Windows 10, here is how you do it.
Customizing Windows is part of the fun of computer ownership. Fortunately, managing the desktop is one of the easier aspects of running this operating system.
Pin icons to the Taskbar in Windows 10
There are two ways to add or remove icons from the Windows Taskbar.
1. Navigate to Windows Explorer and find the program you want to add.
2. Right click the executable file and select ‘Pin to taskbar’. The executable usually has the suffix .exe and is listed as Type: Application in Explorer.
3. The icon should immediately appear in the Taskbar. You can now drag it along to position it alongside the other icons.
Or:
1. Navigate to Windows Explorer and find the program you want to add.
2. Highlight the executable and select Manage in the Explorer menu.
3. Select Pin to taskbar on the far left of the ribbon.
Remove icons from the Taskbar in Windows 10
If you want to remove icons from the taskbar, just do this:
1. Right click the icon you want to remove from the Taskbar.
2. Select ‘Unpin from Taskbar’.
3. The icon should immediately disappear.
For interest, your Taskbar icons are stored in ‘%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar’.
More useful Windows 10 tips and tricks:
How to add Internet Explorer desktop icon in Windows 10
How to enable or disable fast boot in UEFI firmware settings for Windows
How to refresh Windows 10
On Windows 10, the search box is located in the taskbar to give you quick access to search and interact with Cortana (although this is changing with version 1903), but it takes a lot of valuable space that you can be using to pin other apps.
However, if you would like to make the search box smaller or remove it completely from the Windows 10 taskbar, there’s an option to do this.
In this guide, you’ll learn the easy steps to remove the search box from the taskbar on Windows 10.
How to remove Search from taskbar
If you’re looking to remove taskbar search box element to make more room to pin more apps, use these steps:
- Right-click the taskbar.
- Select the Cortana option.
- Select the Hidden option or any of the available options:
- Hidden: Removes the Cortana and search box from the taskbar, but you can still open the Start menu and start typing to open experience.
- Show Cortana icon: Shows an icon instead of a search box. Clicking the icon will open the experience to start your search.
- Show search box: This is the default option that shows the search box in the taskbar.
After completing the steps, the search box will no longer appear in the taskbar giving you more space to pin more apps. Ghost recon future soldier ps3.
Update February 13, 2018: This guide has been updated to make sure it’s current with the latest version of Windows 10.