---
title: How to use the taskbar in Windows 10
description: Use the taskbar for more than seeing your apps and checking the time. You can personalize it in many ways—change the color and size, pin your favorite apps to it, move it around on your screen, and rearrange or resize…
url: "https://cleversupport.ca/docs/windows-10/how-to-use-the-taskbar-in-windows-10/"
updated: "2024-01-18"
category: Windows / Windows 10
---

# How to use the taskbar in Windows 10

Use the taskbar for more than seeing your apps and checking the time. You can personalize it in many ways—change the color and size, pin your favorite apps to it, move it around on your screen, and rearrange or resize taskbar buttons. You can also check your battery status, minimize all open programs momentarily so that you can take a look at your desktop, lock the taskbar to keep your options, and customize your settings for search highlights, news and interests, and more.

## Pin an app to the taskbar

Pin an app directly to the taskbar for quick access when you're on the desktop. (Or unpin it, if you want.) You can do it from **Start** or the Jump List, which is a list of shortcuts to recently opened files, folders, and websites.

Pin or unpin an app from Start

In the **Search** box on the taskbar, type the name of the app you want to pin to the taskbar. Press and hold (or right-click) on the app, then select **Pin to taskbar**.

To unpin an app, follow the same steps and select **Unpin from taskbar **.

Pin or unpin an app from the App list

If the app is already open, right-click or press and hold the app's icon on the taskbar, then select **Pin to taskbar**. Or select **Unpin from taskbar** if you're unpinning the app.

![Taskbar jump list](https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/2326ea4b-55a5-fb80-17d3-8c9c3398cd2c.png)

## Change your taskbar settings

Customize the taskbar from the taskbar itself. If you want to change multiple aspects of the taskbar at one time, use Taskbar settings. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, and then select **Taskbar settings**.

![Taskbar settings](https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/871a931c-7b15-c062-e741-2bcb263eb6ac.png)

In the Taskbar settings, scroll to see the options for customizing, sizing, choosing icons, battery information and much more. 

Select any of the following to see more info.

Lock and unlock the taskbar

Locking the taskbar is handy to make sure it remains how you set it up. Unlock the taskbar later when you want to make changes or change its location on the desktop.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar.
2. Select **Taskbar settings**  and turn on **Lock the taskbar**.

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

If **Lock the taskbar**has a check mark next to it, you know it’s already locked. To turn it off, under **Lock the taskbar** set the toggle to **Off**.

If you have multiple monitors that display the taskbar, you'll see **Lock all taskbars**.

Change the taskbar location

Typically, the taskbar is at the bottom of the desktop, but you can also move it to either side or the top of the desktop. When the taskbar is unlocked, you can change its location. See the [Lock and unlock the taskbar](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-use-the-taskbar-in-windows-0657a50f-0cc7-dbfd-ae6b-05020b195b07#bkmk_lock) section to find out if yours is locked. When you've confirmed that your taskbar is unlocked, you can change its location.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar and select **Taskbar settings **.
2. Scroll down to**Taskbar location on screen**, and then select **Left, Top, Right,**or**Bottom**.

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

Change the height of the taskbar

Like many other changes in the taskbar, you'll need to first unlock the taskbar. Then, move the pointer over the border of the taskbar until the pointer turns into a double arrow. Drag the border to the size you want and release.

See your battery status on the taskbar

You can add the battery icon to the taskbar.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar.
2. Select **Taskbar settings** , scroll down, and choose** Select which icons appear on the taskbar.**
3. Set the toggle for **Power**to **On**.

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

You can check battery status by selecting the battery icon in the taskbar.

![To see the desktop, select the space at the end of the taskbar.](https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/8361457d-087b-b3ed-5132-46494c947a45.png)

**Note: **You might need to select the **Show hidden icons** icon on the taskbar before selecting the battery icon. Power is not an option on systems without a battery.

Rearrange taskbar buttons

Whenever you want to change the order of app buttons on the taskbar, just drag a button from its current position to a different one. You might want to choose how taskbar buttons are grouped, especially if you have multiple windows open. By default, all open files from the same app are always grouped together, even if you didn’t open them in succession.

**Change how taskbar buttons group together**

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, then select **Taskbar settings** > **Combine taskbar buttons**.
2. Select from the list:

- **Always, hide labels**. This is the default setting. Each app appears as a single, unlabeled button, even when multiple windows for that app are open.
- **When taskbar is full**. This setting shows each window as an individual, labeled button. When the taskbar becomes crowded, apps with multiple open windows collapse into a single app button. Select the button to see a list of the windows that are open.
- **Never**. This setting shows each window as an individual, labeled button and never combines them, no matter how many windows are open. As more apps and windows open, buttons get smaller, and eventually the buttons will scroll.

If you use multiple displays, you can make a different choice for your extra displays. 

1. Select **Taskbar settings **.
2. Scroll down to **Multiple Displays**and select from the **Combine taskbar buttons** **on other taskbars**list.

![Choose Combine taskbar buttons when taskbar is full](https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/75c811bf-ee2c-5989-6935-2695e6196475.png)

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

Use smaller or larger taskbar buttons

###

If you want to show more of your apps on the taskbar, you can show smaller versions of the buttons.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, select **Taskbar settings**, and then select **On**for **Use small taskbar buttons. **
2. Select **Off**to return to the larger taskbar buttons.

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

**Note: **Badges aren't displayed on small taskbar buttons.

Show badges on taskbar buttons

A badge on a taskbar button is an alert to let you know that some activity is happening or needs to happen with that app. For example, a bell badge on the Alarms & Clocks app alerts you to an active alarm that will notify you at the time you set. This feature is turned on by default, but you can make sure it’s on (or turn it off). 

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, and select **Taskbar settings **.
2. Scroll down to **Show badges on taskbar buttons** and set the toggle as desired.

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

Use the taskbar to peek at the desktop

Use the Peek feature to take a quick look at what’s on your desktop behind all the open windows.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, select **Taskbar settings**, and then turn on **Use Peek to preview the desktop when you move your mouse to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar**.
   [Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)
2. Move the mouse pointer over (or press and hold) the far-right edge of the taskbar to see the desktop.
3. To restore the view of all your open windows, move the pointer away or press and hold the edge one more time.

![To see the desktop, select the space at the end of the taskbar.](https://support.content.office.net/en-us/media/8361457d-087b-b3ed-5132-46494c947a45.png)

Automatically hide the taskbar

You can hide the taskbar based on whether you’re in desktop mode or tablet mode.

1. Press and hold (or right-click) any empty space on the taskbar, and select **Taskbar settings**.
2. Turn on either **Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode** or **Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode**(or both).

[Open Taskbar settings](taskbar?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

### Change the color of your taskbar

1. Select **Start** > **Settings ** > **Personalization**.
2. Select **Colors** and scroll down to **Show accent color on the following surfaces**.
3. Select **Start, taskbar, and action center**. This will change the color of your taskbar to the color of your overall theme.

[Open Colors settings](personalization-colors?activationSource=SMC-Article-29280)

[https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fwindows%2Fhow-to-use-the-taskbar-in-windows-0657a50f-0cc7-dbfd-ae6b-05020b195b07](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fwindows%2Fhow-to-use-the-taskbar-in-windows-0657a50f-0cc7-dbfd-ae6b-05020b195b07)