The Windows Taskbar:

Unveiling Features, Customization,

and Optimization

Presented by - Anshul Wycliffe

The taskbar is an element of an operating system located at the bottom of the screen. It is
a graphical user interface element that has been part of Microsoft Windows since
Windows 95. The taskbar allows you to locate and launch programs through Start and
the Start menu, or view any program that's currently open. On the right side of the
taskbar is the Notification Area that allows you to check the date and time, items running
in the background

Windows 1.0

Windows 95
The purpose of a taskbar is to:
1. Locate and launch programs through Start and the Start menu.
2. View any currently open program.
3. Quickly switch between open windows and applications with a single click.
4. Provide quick access to your most-used features and applications.
 The Early Days of Windows: Before the Taskbar
The taskbar did not exist in the early Windows 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 platforms released from 1985-1992.
However, Windows 1.0 and 2.0 did include a bar on which users could minimize multiple running programs
by double-clicking their title bars. Each program on that bar had an icon to click on, a bit more like the
taskbar from Windows 7 onward. That bar can be considered the forerunner to the Windows taskbar.

However, it didn’t include a Start menu or system tray

area and wasn’t even present in Windows 3.0. Program
windows minimized to the desktop background area in
Windows 3.0.
fig: forerunner of taskbar in Windows 1.0
 Windows 95: The Introduction of the Taskbar
Daniel Oran, a former Microsoft interface designer, is credited with inventing the taskbar and Start menu
in 1993. He suggested Microsoft add a Start menu button to Windows 95 that users could access from a
new taskbar. This would make it easier to access everything from a central system menu.
The first true taskbar in Windows 95 laid the
foundations for the future with a Start button,
system tray area, and permanent clock.
However, it was still somewhat different from the
Windows 10 and 11 taskbars most users are
familiar with today. Windows 95’s taskbar was
grey and had rectangular minimized windows
with program title labels.
fig: Taskbar of Windows 95
 Windows XP: A Revamped Taskbar Appears
Microsoft gave Windows XP a new visual style and redesigned the taskbar to match it. Windows XP’s
taskbar had a default blue color scheme with a green Start button, which was quite a departure from the
gray taskbars of Windows 95, 98, and Millennium. Minimized taskbar windows also had more rounded
corners to match the rest of the new-look design.
Windows XP’s taskbar was the first to have
grouped windows. This feature enabled the
grouping of multiple open windows from the
same application on the taskbar. Users could
click to view different windows from the same
taskbar app windows.
fig : Taskbar of Windows XP
 Windows Vista: The Introduction of Window Previews
Vista didn’t go down a storm with new users during its 2007 release year. However, its taskbar did have one
welcome new feature that’s remained a part of Windows ever since. Vista’s new taskbar thumbnails
enabled users to view small previews of a window’s contents by hovering their cursors over
its taskbar icon.
Windows Vista’s taskbar was also the first to
include a Start button with no label text. Instead,
it was just a circulator button with a Windows
logo. The removal of the “Start” label reduced the
button’s width and freed up a bit more taskbar
space.
fig: Taskbar of Windows Vista
fig: Thumbnail Taskbar of Vista
fig : ALT + TAB to change multiple window
 Windows 7: Another Taskbar Overhaul From Microsoft
Microsoft gave the taskbar one of the biggest overhauls in its history for Windows 7. The most notable
change was that minimized apps on Windows 7’s taskbar did not include labels, but users could still clearly
identify them with their expanded icons. This significantly reduced the width of taskbar app windows.
For the first time, users could pin shortcuts on a taskbar in Windows 7.
Microsoft also swapped the Show Desktop
button from the Quick Launch area with an Aero
Peek alternative at the far right of the taskbar.
Clicking the Aero Peek button minimizes all
windows to the taskbar. Hovering the cursor over
that button enables users to view the desktop
area without minimizing anything.
fig: Taskbar of Windows 7
fig: Areo Peek feature in Windows 7
fig: Changing window of multiple application
 Windows 8: The Start Button Goes Missing From the Taskbar
The taskbar didn’t change much in Windows 8. However, it was the first taskbar in Windows history not to
include a Start button. The Start screen replaced the Start menu in Windows 8. So, a taskbar Start button
for accessing a menu was seemingly no longer required.

However, the removal of the taskbar’s Start

button generally didn’t go down well with users.
Microsoft later released a Windows 8.1 upgrade
that restored a new-style taskbar Start button for
accessing the Start screen. That wasn’t enough to
save Windows 8 though, and the OS never
recovered.
fig: Taskbar of Windows 8.1
 Windows 10: The Introduction of New Taskbar Icons
Microsoft added buttons for new features to Windows 10’s taskbar. The Windows Cortana virtual assistant
was originally tied to the Windows Search tool. However, Microsoft separated the search tool from Cortana
in later Windows 10 versions.
Consequently, Windows 10’s taskbar became the
first to include a Type here to search (magnifying
glass) button on it for accessing the search box,
which isn’t available through the Start menu.

Task View was another notable new Windows 10

taskbar feature. Clicking the Task View taskbar
button brings up virtual desktop options. You can
also access file and Edge webpage shortcuts from
Task View’s timeline.
fig: Taskbar of Windows 10
fig: Timeline Taskbar
fig: Multiple Desktop
 Windows 11: The Taskbar Goes Central
Microsoft released Windows 11 in 2021, and the first new thing most users noticed was the centralized
taskbar icons. Windows 11’s taskbar was the first to have center-aligned icons in the middle by default. This
makes that taskbar a bit more like the macOS Dock with its centralized icons.
Microsoft also added a new Widgets button to
Windows 11’s taskbar. The Widgets Board is one of
the biggest new features in Windows 11 on which you
can pin weather, sport, Game Pass, traffic,
entertainment, and other widgets that provide info
and content. The Widgets feature also displays a
weather icon and description on the taskbar
Microsoft removed the taskbar’s repositing and
resizing functionality in Windows 11. Nor can you pin
icons to the taskbar by dragging and dropping them
onto it as you can in Windows 10.
fig: Taskbar of Window 11
fig: News Widget
fig: Components of taskbar
fig: Timeline & New Desktop
fig: Taskbar settings
fig: Hidden Icons & System Tray
fig: Search Feature
fig: Cortana
Change Date format

To change the format of date:

Open Control Panel.
Navigate to Control Panel\Clock, Language, and
Region\Region and open it.
Click the Additional Settings button.
Go to the Date tab.
Modify the short and long date formats as desired
(e.g., change from M/d/yyyy to ddd, d MMM yyyy).
Click Apply to save the changes.
Before After
Change Time format

To customize time formats in Windows, follow

these steps:
Open Control Panel.
Navigate to Control Panel\Clock, Language,
and Region\Region and open it.
Click the Additional Settings button.
Go to the Time tab.
Under "Time formats," you can adjust various
aspects of the time format. For example, you
can modify the Short time format to use
custom AM and PM symbols, such as "PM-
A/N" or "AM-N/M."
AM/PM Symbols

12/24 Hours
Pin Apps to the Taskbar
Pinning apps and shortcuts to the taskbar:
Open the program from the Start menu or an existing shortcut.
Right-click the program's icon in the taskbar.
Select "Pin to taskbar" to keep it there for easy access.
Unpin Apps to the Taskbar
Removing an app from the taskbar:
Right-click the pinned app on the taskbar.
Select "Unpin from taskbar" to remove it.
Pin a File or Folder to Taskbar Jump Lists
Jump Lists:
Jump Lists are context menus
associated with each pinned app on
the taskbar.
They provide quick access to
actions related to the app and
display recent files and folders
accessed by the app.
To view a Jump List, right-click an
app's icon on the taskbar.
Move the Taskbar to a Different Edge of the Screen
Moving the taskbar:
Drag and Drop:
Right-click the taskbar and turn off "Lock the taskbar" (or "Lock All Taskbars" if using multiple
displays).
Click and drag the taskbar to the desired edge (bottom, top, right, or left) of the screen.
This is useful for customizing your workspace on wide or multiple displays.
Then, you can grab the taskbar in an empty area and drag it to any edge of your display.
Changing the taskbar location via settings:
Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
In the settings window, scroll down to the "Taskbar location on screen" drop-down menu.
Choose the desired side of the display (bottom, top, right, or left) from this menu.
Change the Size of the Taskbar
Resizing the taskbar:
Right-click the taskbar and turn off "Lock the taskbar".
Move your mouse to the top edge of the taskbar and drag to resize it, similar to resizing a
window.
You can expand the taskbar up to about half the screen size for additional space, especially
useful if it's on the right or left edge of the screen or if you need more room for icons.
Use Small Icons to Fit More on the Taskbar
Showing small taskbar icons:
Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select "Taskbar Settings."
In the settings window, enable the "Use small taskbar icons" option to fit more icons on the taskbar
without resizing it.
Small taskbar icons:
Icons are smaller, allowing more to
fit in the same space.
The taskbar becomes slightly
shorter vertically, so only the clock
is displayed, not the date.
Hovering over or clicking the clock
will show the date.
This effect also applies if labels are
shown instead of just icons.
Show Labels for Taskbar Icons
By default, the taskbar groups icons for windows of the same app and doesn't show labels for those
icons. This saves a lot of taskbar space but can make it difficult for newer users to recognize icons. You
can have Windows show text labels, but the downside is that you also lose the grouping of related icons.
To do this, right-click on an empty area of the taskbar and click "Taskbar Settings." In the settings
window, look for the "Combine taskbar buttons" drop-down menu.
Taskbar window grouping options:
Always, hide labels: Default setting where all windows for an app are grouped on the taskbar
without labels.
When taskbar is full: Windows are not grouped, and labels are shown until the taskbar is full. It then
switches to "Always, hide labels."
Never: Windows are never grouped, and labels are always shown, displaying separate icons and
titles for each window.
 Change the Color and Transparency of the Taskbar
In Windows 10, the default color of the taskbar is black. To change the color, press Windows+I to open the
settings interface. In the main Settings window, click "Personalization."
In the Personalization window, scroll to the colors
section.
There are two options for controlling the
appearance of the taskbar, Action Center, and Start
menu:
Transparency Effects toggle: Choose whether these
items are transparent or opaque.
Start, taskbar, and action center option:
When off: Items use the default black color.
When on: Items use the selected color or a color
automatically chosen from the background if the
"Automatically pick an accent color from my
background" option is enabled.
Enable the Peek Feature
Peek feature: Introduced in Windows 7 for quickly viewing the desktop through open applications.
In earlier versions, Peek was enabled by default.
In Windows 10, it must be manually enabled.
To turn it on:
Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select "Settings."
Enable the option labeled "Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to
the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar."
Peek option:
Hover over the far right of the taskbar to
temporarily hide all windows and view the
desktop.
Moving the mouse away restores the windows.
Clicking this area minimizes all windows for
desktop access; click again to restore them.
Alternatively, use the Windows+D shortcut to
perform the same action.
Add a Toolbar to the Taskbar
Adding toolbars to the taskbar:
Toolbars are shortcuts to folders, displayed similarly to browser or app toolbars.
To add a toolbar, right-click the taskbar and select the "Toolbars" submenu.
Built-in toolbars:
Address: Adds an address box to the taskbar for quick web browsing in your default browser.
Links: Provides access to items in your Internet Explorer favorites list.
Desktop: Gives access to items on your desktop. You can resize it and use a double arrow to view the
items in a pop-up menu.

Custom toolbar:
You can add a toolbar for any folder on your system by selecting "New toolbar" from the Toolbars
submenu and pointing it to the desired folder. This is useful for quick access to frequently used items.
Open Any Program on the Taskbar
Opening a new app instance:
Press Shift + Win + [Number] to open a new copy of an app, like a new Notepad window, without
affecting the current one.
Opening as Administrator:
Use Ctrl + Shift + Win + [Number] to open an app as an Administrator.
Browsing taskbar apps:
Press Win + T to browse apps on your taskbar.
Use arrow keys to navigate and Enter to launch an app. The Shift and Ctrl + Shift modifiers can
also be used here.
Access the System Tray and Action Center
Highlighting the System Tray:
Press Win + B to focus on the System Tray, which displays icons of running apps.
Use the arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to launch an item.
If some icons are hidden, you can select the white arrow to reveal and access all icons.

Opening the Action Center:

Press Win + A to view all notifications in the
Action Center.
Use the arrow keys to navigate between
notifications.
Press Tab to switch between sections, including
the quick shortcuts menu at the bottom.
The quick shortcuts menu allows you to adjust
brightness, activate airplane mode, and access
other useful settings.
Work With Multiple Desktops
Managing virtual desktops:
Win + Ctrl + D: Add a new virtual
desktop.
Win + Tab: Open Task View to see
all virtual desktops.
Win + Ctrl + Left/Right arrow:
Switch between desktops
instantly.
Win + Ctrl + F4: Close the current
virtual desktop.