Tweaking The Taskbar

Taskbar components summarize what's happening on your computer and provide quick access to running software. But the taskbar is very interesting because you can customize it for your individual needs and preferences. In this article I will describe the taskbar for Windows XP, but other versions of Windows have similar facilities.

The taskbar, usually located along the bottom of the Window's desktop or screen display, is composed of the Start button on the left side, notification and some system icons on the right side, and application buttons in between.

Right-clicking on any blank area of the taskbar displays a context menu which can be used to customize the taskbar:

* Toolbars allows you display or hide built-in toolbars or create your own. A checkmark indicates which toolbars are displayed. My favorite toolbars are Desktop, a handy pop-up list which duplicates your desktop icons, and Quick Launch, which you can customize to hold icons of applications you want to have immediately available by dragging the application icons on or off the toolbar.
* Cascade and Tile options specify the arrangement of open application windows such as fanned like playing cards or arranged in a grid, respectively.
* Lock the Taskbar controls whether or not you can change the size and location of the taskbar. When unlocked, you can change its size (drag its edge towards or away from the screen's edge), resize individual toolbars (grab a toolbar handle at the perforated line), and move the entire taskbar (grab any blank area of the taskbar and move). When the Taskbar is unlocked, three extra options are available in the Desktop toolbar right-click context menu - View, Show text, and Show title, which can be used for further fine tuning of the taskbar display.
* Properties will display a detailed options dialogue box for customizing the taskbar. Although it's safe to experiment, change only one thing at a time until you learn your way through all the choices. If you choose to auto-hide the taskbar, moving the mouse near it makes it visible again. Or, if you choose allow the taskbar to be covered by other applications, pressing the Ctrl and Esc keys simultaneously displays it. Finally, you can have multiple sessions of an application be represented by a single application button, which saves taskbar space (left-clicking the group button displays all open files, and right-clicking lets you manipulate the files simultaneously). You can also customize the Start Menu appearance and operation, and add applications to the Start menu by dragging a desktop icon onto the Start button (the application will appear in the top area of the Start menu display).

The notification area, called the system "tray" in earlier versions of Windows, displays icons for applications, utilities, and the computer clock and date. Placing your mouse over an icon displays its name. Using the Properties menu, you can control which icons are displayed and whether icons for programs not used for a while are hidden, and right-clicking on an application icon displays its options. Because each program consumes computer resources, it's worth monitoring these icons and pruning those which aren't necessary. Closing some applications prevents them from automatically starting at system boot, while others offer an explicit option to not be run.

Although the taskbar operates just fine as installed, tweaking its settings can make your time at the computer more efficient and pleasant. And since there are usually multiple ways to accomplish tasks in Windows, it's worth exploring the various context menus and customization options to see what's available. Don't be afraid to tinker, and remember that what you change you can also undo!