How To Add Apps and More to the Taskbar in Windows 11

Adding your frequently used apps to the taskbar gives you one-double-click access and saves precious time. Not only does Windows 11 allow you to pin your favorite apps to the taskbar, but you can also add folders, drives, files, and even websites.

Read on to learn how to add apps and other frequently used items to your taskbar.

Adding Apps to the Windows 11 Taskbar

The taskbar has the “Start” menu, “Chat,” “Widgets,” “File Explorer,” “Task View,” “Microsoft Edge,” and the “Microsoft Store” pinned to it by default, but you can pin more. Follow these steps to pin an app you have open onto your taskbar:

  1. To pin an app to the taskbar, right-click on the “currently active app” you wish to add. Of course, it will appear in the taskbar while open.
  2. Select “Pin to taskbar.” The app will stay in the taskbar whether it gets opened or not.
  3. To pin an app from the “Start” menu, click on the “Start Menu icon.”
  4. Right-click the “selected app,” then choose “Pin to taskbar.”
  5. To pin an app not found in the “Start Menu,” click on the “All Apps” option.
  6. Right-click on the “selected app” you wish to add.
  7. Click on “More” then select “Pin to taskbar.”

How to Add a Folder to the Windows 11 Taskbar

Besides pinning apps to the taskbar in windows 11, you can also pin a folder. Here are the steps:

  1. Right-click on the “selected folder” you wish to add to the taskbar.
  2. Choose “Show more options,” then choose “Send to” followed by “Desktop (create shortcut).”
  3. Right-click the “folder shortcut” on your desktop and choose “Properties.”
  4. Under the “Shortcut” option, add the following target: explorer [disk or partition]:[folder name][folder name 2]. For example, “explorer C:UsersStevePCPicturesScreenshots.”
  5. Click on the “Apply” button when finished with the target address.
  6. Select the “Change icon” button.
  7. In the “Look for icons in this file:” field, type “imageres.dll“ then press “Enter.”
  8. Choose the “folder icon” you’d like to use from the list.
  9. Click “OK” then “OK” again from the folder properties.
  10. The folder’s shortcut icon now displays the one you chose. Right-click it, select “Show more options,” then choose “Pin to taskbar.”
  11. Your folder now appears on your taskbar.

How to Add a File to the Taskbar in Windows 11

You also have the option to add files that you frequently use to your Windows 11 taskbar.

  1. Right-click on the “selected file” that you want to add to your taskbar.
  2. Select “Show more options,” then choose “Send to” followed by “Desktop (create shortcut).”
  3. Right-click on the “file shortcut” on the desktop, then choose “Properties.”
  4. In the “Target” path within the “Shortcut” tab, type the following and adjust the text in brackets to your file’s address: explorer [disk]:[folder name][folder name 2 if needed][file's name].
  5. Click on “Apply” to save the changes—do not click the “OK” button.
  6. Next, click on the “Change icon” button at the bottom.
  7. In the “Look for icons in this file:” text field, type “imageres.dll” then press “Enter.”
  8. Choose the folder icon you prefer from the list.
  9. Click “OK” then “OK” again.
  10. Your file’s shortcut icon now appears on the Desktop. Right-click on it, select “Show more options,” then choose “Pin to taskbar.”
  11. Your file is now pinned to your taskbar.

How to Add a Drive to the Taskbar in Windows 11

Adding a drive/partition to your taskbar is helpful for quick access. Follow these steps to pin a drive to your Windows 11 taskbar:

  1. Open “File Explorer,” then select “This PC.”
  2. Right-click on the drive you want to add and select “Show more options,” then choose “Create shortcut.”
  3. Select “Yes” in the prompt asking to create the shortcut on the desktop.
  4. Right-click on the drive’s shortcut, then choose “Properties.”
  5. In the “Target” section found in the “Shortcut” tab, type the following while changing the text in brackets: explorer [disk]:. For example, type “explorer D:” in the field.
  6. Select “Apply” then click on “Change Icon.”
  7. Type “imageres.dll“ in the “Look for icons in this file:” text field, then press “Enter.”
  8. Choose the “drive icon” you like, then click “OK” followed by “OK” again.
  9. The drive’s shortcut icon now displays as the one you chose. Right-click it and select “Show more options,” then “Pin to taskbar.”
  10. Your drive is now pinned to the taskbar.

How to Add a Website to the Taskbar in Windows 11

Besides pinning apps, files, and folders, you can also add some of your favorite websites to your Windows 11 taskbar.

Add a Website using Microsoft Edge

  1. Launch the “Microsoft Edge” browser.
  2. Navigate to the “website” you want to add to the taskbar.
  3. At the top right, click on the “horizontal ellipsis” (three-dotted menu icon).
  4. Click on “Settings and more.”
  5. Go to “More tools,” then “Pin to taskbar.”

Add a Website using Chrome

To add a website or web page from Chrome to your Windows 11 taskbar, use the following steps:

  1. Navigate to the “chosen website,” such as Gmail, Minecraft Forums, or Amazon.
  2. For sites that separate usernames and passwords on two pages, like Google websites, type in your “email or username” on the sign-in page, then click on “Next.” Don’t type the password on the next screen. For any other site, skip this step.
  3. Click on the “vertical ellipsis” (three-dotted menu icon) in the top right section. Don’t forget to not type your password on any site that opens a separate password page.
  4. Click on “More tools,” then select “Create shortcut.”
  5. Name your new shortcut. Think of a good name for easier identification. Using the Gmail example, you could call it “Gmail [your name],” then click “Create.”
  6. The shortcut now displays on your desktop. Right-click it, select “Show more options,” then “Pin to taskbar.”
  7. Now, the icon appears in your taskbar.

The ability to launch your most-used apps, files, websites, and folders with a single double-click can be a time-saver. When you create a desktop shortcut to the item, you can pin it to the taskbar. The Windows 11 Taskbar makes it easy to access your most commonly used items. That’s the bottom line. Od course, items can be unpinned at any time if you need more space, accidentally added the wrong item, or just want to clean up your system’s appearance.

Windows 11 Taskbar Editing FAQs

How do I remove an app from the taskbar?

You can unpin most apps by right-clicking the icon and selecting “Unpin from taskbar.”

For the apps you can’t delete, you can hide them. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on the “taskbar.”

2. Choose “Taskbar settings,” “Personalization,” then “Taskbar.”

3. Here you can toggle any four default icons on or off to show or hide them.

How do I move my taskbar menu to the left?

Follow these steps if you prefer to have your taskbar appear on the left of your screen:

1. Right-click the “taskbar” and choose “Taskbar settings.”

2. Click on “Taskbar behaviors.”

3. Find the “Taskbar alignment” option and click the button on the right labeled “Center,” then change it to “Left.”

4. Close the “Taskbar Settings” window, and the taskbar will display on the left.

— Update: 19-03-2023 — us.suanoncolosence.com found an additional article How to pin any app to the Taskbar in Windows 11 from the website www.thewindowsclub.com for the keyword how to pin any app to the taskbar in windows 11.

Although Windows 11 blocks you from pinning any app to the taskbar by dragging, you can bypass that restriction using this tutorial. Here is how you can pin any app to the taskbar in Windows 11. Two methods are mentioned below, and you can use either of them according to the situation.

How to pin any app to the Taskbar in Windows 11 using context menu

To pin any app to the Taskbar in Windows 11 using the context menu, follow these steps:

Source: us.suanoncolosence.com

  1. Right-click on the app’s .exe file.
  2. Click on the Show more options.
  3. Select the Pin to taskbar
  4. Find the app in the Taskbar.

Let’s check out these steps in detail.

At first, you have to right-click on the app’s .exe or executable file. There are two ways to find that. One, during installation, some installers ask users to add a desktop shortcut automatically. If you have done that earlier, you can find a desktop shortcut on your Desktop. Two, if you haven’t created any desktop shortcuts in the past, you have to navigate to the installation folder.

There are two installation folders on Windows 11 where apps can be installed:

  • C:Program Files
  • C:Program Files (x86)

You need to navigate both paths to find out the app you want to pin to the taskbar. Following that, right-click on the .exe file and select the Show more options menu.

After that, you can find an option called Pin to taskbar. Click on that to pin the app to the taskbar in Windows 11.

How to pin any app to the Taskbar in Windows 11 from Start Menu

To pin any app to the Taskbar in Windows 11 from Start Menu, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Start Menu visible on the Taskbar.
  2. Click on the All apps 
  3. Right-click on an app that you want to pin.
  4. Select More > Pin to taskbar.

To know more about these steps, continue reading.

At times, you might find the Pin to taskbar option without clicking the More option.

However, if you do not want to go through the huge list of installed apps, you can use the taskbar search box to find that out quickly. For that, click on the taskbar search box and search for the app.

Once you find the app in the search result, click on the Pin to taskbar option.

Now you can find the app in your taskbar. To change the position of an app icon, you can click on it and hold the click as you move the mouse to the position where you want to place the icon in the taskbar.

Interesting read: Posterpedia Microsoft Store app will help you understand Microsoft technologies.

How do I pin apps to the taskbar in Windows for all users?

As different users have different Taskbars, you cannot pin apps to the taskbar in Windows 11/10 for all users. If you have multiple user accounts, you have to open each account at a time and pin the set of apps accordingly.

Useful read: New Shortcuts, Shell Commands and CLSID in Windows

Why can’t I pin a program to the taskbar?

There might be numerous reasons why you can’t pin a program to the taskbar. To fix the issue, you can restart File Explorer, re-register Taskbar, run SFC scan, etc. For a detailed guide, you can check out this tutorial that explains what you can do if you can’t pin apps to the Taskbar.

That’s all! Hope these methods work for you.

Related reads:

  • Pin or Unpin Program icons from Taskbar or Start Menu
  • How to pin a Folder or Drive to the Taskbar.

Source: https://www.alphr.com/add-apps-taskbar-windows-11/

Article post on: us.suanoncolosence.com

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