Tip of the Week: Navigating the Taskbar in Windows 10

Computers are great tools to get work done in the office, but only if they are used effectively. Employees looking to get more out of their Windows workstations can utilize the taskbar to get around faster. We’ll discuss some of the ways your business can take better advantage of the taskbar, as well as what it’s capable of.

Quick Access to Apps

As you may have already seen, you can access several applications just by clicking their icons in the taskbar. You can pin an application to the taskbar by searching for it in the Search bar, then right-clicking it in the results. From here, all you have to do is select Pin to Taskbar. The process is the same for unpinning the app from the taskbar.

Customizing the Taskbar

Users have a lot of control over their taskbar and here are some of the ways:

Change the Color

To change the color of your taskbar, you’ll need to take a couple of steps. First, right-click on the taskbar and select the option for Taskbar Settings. From here, click on Colors in the right-hand side of the screen. Select the color you want, then check the box that says Show accent color on the following surfaces: Start, Taskbar, and Action Center.

Change the Taskbar’s Location

Did you know that the taskbar at the bottom of the screen doesn’t have to stay there? For example, you can move it to the left, right, or even the top of the screen--whichever one makes you happiest. Under the Taskbar Settings, select your preferred option from the dropdown menu.

Customize the Icons That Appear on the Taskbar

There are multiple options to customize which applications you have on your taskbar by default. You can either drag and drop an app to the taskbar, or you can pin any open app to the taskbar by right-clicking the icon while it is in the task bar and selecting Pin to taskbar.

Alternatively, when drag a file, like a PDF or Word document down to the taskbar, it will add the application that opens that file by default, and when you right-click that, it will give you quick access to that particular file. This is handy when you have a few common documents that you need to open every day.

Rearrange Taskbar Icons

By clicking and dragging the icons on the taskbar, you can change which order they appear in. This can be helpful for grouping icons together.

The Notifications Area

There’s no doubt that you noticed the plethora of icons in the corner of your taskbar by the clock. There are several things you can do here, including pinning contacts to your taskbar, checking your battery life and its settings, your current wired or wireless Internet connection, volume controls, and your device’s clock. To access settings for each of these, just click on the icon and toggle the options shown as needed.

This is just a small sample of what you can do with your taskbar. To learn more about how you can make the most of your devices, subscribe to Washington Works’s blog.