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The Windows taskbar houses open and frequently used apps and offers a convenient way to access recent folders and files. But beyond its basic functionality, you can customize the taskbar in certain key ways; make it automatically hide when not in use or change the size of the icons, for example. Just keep in mind that the Windows 10 taskbar is a lot more customizable and flexible than the one in Windows 11. Here's what you can do in both versions of Windows.
1. Pin Apps to the Taskbar
The first thing you should know how to do is pin an app to the taskbar. You can do this from the Start menu, Start screen, or Apps list. Click the Start button and right-click on any app icon or tile. Go to More > Pin to taskbar to pin the app. To remove it, right-click on its taskbar icon and select Unpin from taskbar.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)To pin apps in Windows 11, click the Start button. In the Pinned apps section, find the program you want to add, right-click it, and select Pin to taskbar. In the All Apps list, right-click the program and go to More > Pin to taskbar. You can then drag and drop icons around the taskbar to put them in your preferred order.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)2. Move the Taskbar
By default, the Windows 10 taskbar appears at the bottom of the screen, but you can move it to the top or either side of the screen. To do this manually, click on any empty area of the taskbar and drag it to your preferred location.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)If you'd rather let Windows move it, right-click on any empty area of the taskbar and click Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu. Scroll down to Taskbar location on screen and use the drop-down menu to select left, top (as pictured above), right (as pictured below), or bottom.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)3. Hide the Taskbar
Let's say you want the taskbar to remain hidden unless you hover over its location. If you're using your Windows device in desktop mode, open Taskbar settings and turn on Automatically hide the Taskbar in desktop mode. If you're in tablet mode, turn on Automatically hide the Taskbar in tablet mode. Your taskbar will vanish and only reappear when you move the cursor to the bar's location.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)4. Adjust Icon Size
Let's say you want to squeeze more icons onto the taskbar. Go to Taskbar settings and turn on Use small Taskbar buttons to make the existing icons shrink in size. If the icons are too small, go back to Taskbar settings and turn it off to return them to their larger size.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)5. Quickly View the Desktop
The small section of the Windows taskbar in the lower-right corner of the screen is known as the Show Desktop button. Clicking the button offers you a quick way to switch back and forth between the desktop and all open windows.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)Want to sneak a peek at your desktop without closing or minimizing all your open windows? Open Taskbar settings and turn on Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to the Show Desktop button at the end of the Taskbar. Now, when you hover over the Show Desktop button, your desktop should appear. Move your mouse cursor away, and your desktop goes back into hiding.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)6. Resize the Taskbar
Let's say you have so many icons nestled on the taskbar that there's barely room for them on a single row. Did you know the taskbar can be resized to be taller? Grab the top border of the taskbar and drag it up until it expands to two or more rows. If you decide to get rid of most of the icons, you can reduce the height of the taskbar back to a single row by dragging the top border down.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)You can also take certain precautions to prevent accidental resizing of the taskbar. At the Taskbar settings screen, turn on the Lock the Taskbar option. You won't be able to resize it unless you turn this option off.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)7. Combine Taskbar Buttons
You can declutter the taskbar under the Taskbar settings page by removing certain buttons from the same program. Open the drop-down menu below Combine Taskbar buttons to choose between three available options that determine how your taskbar handles multiple instances of the same application:
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)- Always: Windows will combine multiple open files from a single application, such as File Explorer or Word, into one Taskbar button. This option also hides the labels that would otherwise appear next to each icon. Hover over an app with multiple windows open to see how this option works.
- When Taskbar is full: Windows normally displays a separate icon in the taskbar for each open window of the same application. However, with this option, Windows will wait until the taskbar is full before condensing these separate buttons into one.
- Never: If you prefer to keep these open windows separate, this option will make sure multiple open windows are never combined, no matter how full the taskbar gets.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)8. Show Badges in the Taskbar
Similar to Live Tiles, badges display notifications for a specific application, such as new messages for Outlook or updates for the Weather app. You can control the visibility of these badges from the Taskbar settings screen. In Windows 10, enable Show badges on Taskbar buttons to turn on the feature. In Windows 11, it's labeled Show badges on taskbar apps. Icons in the Windows taskbar will now function as badges.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)9. Customize the System Tray
You can choose which icons appear in the Windows 10 System Tray at the right corner of the screen (clock, Wi-Fi, volume, etc.). Scroll down the Taskbar settings screen to the Notification Area section and click Select which icons appear on the Taskbar.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)You can then turn on the app icons that you wish to see in the System Tray and turn off the ones you want to stay hidden. If you love having everything at your fingertips, turn everything on.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)You can also easily turn system icons on or off by clicking the Turn system icons on or off link via the Taskbar settings screen. You can then choose which system icons should stay in the System Tray and which should be turned off.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)In Windows 11, you have to click the up arrow in the System Tray to access the icons for all your startup programs, apps, and features. But you can set specific ones to appear directly on the taskbar. For this, click Other system tray icons and turn on the switches for the ones you wish to see.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)10. Show Jump Lists
You can configure the icons on your taskbar to show Jump Lists. These contextual menus contain links to recent and frequently used files, folders, websites, and other items from the associated app, so you can easily access them.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)To enable this feature, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn on Show recently opened item in Jump Lists on Start or the Taskbar and in File Explorer Quick Access. Now, just right-click on a Taskbar icon to see the Jump List and quickly open a recent or frequently used item.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)11. Hide Taskbar Items
In Windows 11, you can control how certain items appear on the taskbar. Open Taskbar settings and click the Search drop-down menu, then select one of the options to determine how you want the Search tool to appear. Turn off Task View and Widgets if you don’t want these app icons to be displayed.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)The next section lets you add a menu for a pen or stylus, a Touch keyboard, and a virtual touchpad to the taskbar. If you're using a touch-screen PC without a mouse or keyboard, then you might want to enable these features. Otherwise, leave them turned off.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)12. Change the Taskbar Color and Appearance
If you like Windows 10 accent colors, you'll know about the color themes available under Settings > Personalization > Colors. But did you know these themes can also be set to the taskbar? Enable Transparency effects to make the taskbar translucent against your current wallpaper background.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)You can add an accent color to the Start menu and taskbar (as long as Windows is in dark mode) by enabling Start, taskbar, and action center (Win 10) or Show accent color on Start and taskbar (Win 11). On Windows 10, pick an accent color from the menu. For Windows 11, change the Accent color drop-down menu to Manual, then select your preferred accent color from the palette.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)13. Align the Taskbar in Windows 11
There's a lot to dislike about Windows 11, including the new center-aligned taskbar. Thankfully, if you prefer the more familiar layout, you can easily change it. Open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and click the Taskbar alignment drop-down menu under Taskbar behaviors the header. Change it to Left, and the icons on the taskbar will be aligned to the left, like it always has been.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)14. Control Quick Settings in Windows 11
The System Tray in Windows 11 offers a Quick Settings menu with access to key features. To open this, click the section that contains the network access, audio, and battery icons. The first section offers access to your network, Bluetooth, airplane mode, energy saver, Night light, and accessibility settings, with additional settings for live captions, mobile hotspot, Nearby sharing, cast, and project available if you scroll down in the menu. Below are controls for brightness and volume.
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