10 tricks and functions of the Windows 10 taskbar

10 tricks and functions of the Windows 10 taskbar

The Windows 10 taskbar is the center of almost all the activity that takes place on your computer. Although a large part of the tools, programs and folders are located on the desktop, to manage a good number of functions it is necessary to go to the taskbar .

In it we can locate different shortcuts, launch functions and organize a large part of the tools that we use most often. Today we have proposed to recommend a total of 10 tricks and functions of the Windows 10 taskbar that can be very useful in your day to day. Read on to find out.

Lock and unlock the taskbar

1. Lock and unlock the taskbar

What is the purpose of locking and unlocking the taskbar? It would not be the first time that it happens: you are fiddling between the different options and suddenly, everything changes place . Options disappear and you don't know how to integrate them back into the taskbar.

Well, as you can imagine, locking the taskbar serves precisely for this. In this way, you will even avoid moving it involuntarily. Right-click on the taskbar and choose the Lock the taskbar option . Activate and deactivate it according to your needs.

cortana

2. Turn Cortana on and off

Cortana is the assistant that comes built into Windows 10 . It is there by default, but the truth is that not everyone uses it. As soon as you start the operating system you will find it in the start bar. If you don't use it and find it annoying, you can disable it.

Right-click on the taskbar and select Cortana (it's the second option, starting at the top). Choose Hidden . Make sure Show Cortana Icon and Show Search Box are turned off. This second is important because it takes up a lot of space.

Be careful: if it bothers you a lot, a lot ... you always have the option to deactivate Cortana completely.

anchor bar start

3. Pin a Startup app

You can pin anything to the taskbar. But what about the programs found in the Start menu? Well too. All you have to do is press Start and select the application that interests you. You just have to stand on top. Then, right-click to choose More> Pin to taskbar .

You will see that the icon of the program you have chosen is located immediately at the bottom of the bar. Then you can move it as you want , if you consider it necessary.

hide taskbar

4. Auto hide

It is a classic option, which you can activate from the configuration section. Right-click on the taskbar and then activate the option: Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode .

If you also work with a tablet that runs Windows 10, you can turn on Auto-hide the taskbar in tablet mode .

The bar will immediately disappear and will be activated each time you hover the mouse pointer over the section where it is usually located. And then you can operate normally.

small buttons

5. Make the buttons small

If you plan to add buttons and more buttons to the taskbar, it might be interesting if you made them smaller. This way you can include more. Actually, doing it is very simple. All you have to do is right-click on the taskbar and access Settings .

Next, you will have to activate the option Use small taskbar buttons . They will instantly be reduced to a minimum. If you don't like the effect and you prefer to use the larger icons, disable the option. Everything will be as before.

taskbar location

6. Change the location

If the location of the taskbar does not convince you, you will always have the option to move it. The first thing you have to do is unlock it. Click with the right mouse button on the bar and deactivate Lock the taskbar .

Next, go to the Settings section. You will see that a new menu has been activated that says Location of the taskbar on the screen . Choose any of these options: Left, Up, Right, and Down. The bar will move automatically based on the location you have selected. You can go back whenever you want.

 activate desktop

7. Add desktop shortcut items

Sometimes you are browsing and you need to access a regular folder, of all the ones you have located on the desktop. If you activate this option, you will always have a menu operating to access any of these elements whenever you want. No need to physically return to the desk. 

If you want to activate this feature, right-click on the taskbar. Select Toolbars> Desktop. You will see that this option appears instantly on the right side of the taskbar. If you want to disable it, follow the same steps and uncheck Desktop.

badges buttons

8. Enable button badges

The badges for the buttons, within the taskbar, are useful because they warn us that we have some configuration activated or a pending alert. For example, within the Alarm and clock section it may mean that we have an alarm configured .

In any case, if you want to activate this option, go to the Settings section of the taskbar. From here you will have to enable Show badges in the taskbar .

peek desk

9. Use the taskbar to get an overview of the desktop

Want to see what's on your desktop when you have a bunch of windows open? It is an option that you can use to speed up your performance. You can activate this option by accessing the Settings section of the taskbar and clicking on Use Glance to preview the desktop by moving the mouse to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar .

Next, you will have to move the cursor or hold down the right section of the taskbar .

display settings

10. Show the taskbar on a single screen

We finish with this last tip, which will help us to show the taskbar on a single screen. And hide it in the rest. It is an interesting option if you are one of those who use different screens. Depending on the work you are doing, the bar may be annoying .

In this case, all you will have to do is go to Start> Settings> System> Display and choose screen number 2 as the main one. Next, within the customization section of the taskbar, you will have to access Multiple displays and deactivate the option Show taskbar on all screens.