How to Customize Taskbar in Windows 10 (6 Ways)

The taskbar offers shortcuts and quick access to apps and programs in Windows 10. Windows 10 provides several kinds of ways to allow you customize taskbar Windows 10 to make it run as you want it. This post lists 6 ways to let you configure and customize Windows 10 taskbar.

Tip: If you lost some data or mistakenly deleted files or folders on Windows 10, you can use MiniTool flag data recovery software to recover deleted/lost files fast and easily.

How to Pin Apps to the Taskbar Windows 10

To quickly access apps and shortcuts in your Windows 10 computer, you can pin preferred apps into Windows 10 taskbar.

Way 1. You can open the program from the shortcut icon or Start menu. When the app is running, it will appear on the taskbar. You can right-click the app icon on the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar to pin this program to the taskbar.

Way 2. You can also click Start and find the app in Start menu. Then you can right-click the app and click More -> Pin to taskbar, to add the shortcut for the app to the taskbar.

If you want to remove an app from Windows 10 taskbar, you can right-click this app and click Unpin from taskbar.

If Windows 10 taskbar is not working, you can check: How to fix Windows 10 taskbar not working.

Windows 10 Taskbar Icon Size – How to Make It Smaller

You can also customize taskbar Windows 10 by making taskbar icons smaller if you want to have more icons on the taskbar. Check below how to configure it.

Step 1. You can right-click the blank space of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

Step 2. Turn on Use small taskbar buttons option, and you can see the icons in taskbar are smaller now.

How to Change Windows 10 Taskbar Location

Windows 10 taskbar doesn’t have to be located at the bottom of the screen. You can move the taskbar to the top, right or left of the screen.

Step 1. You can right-click the blank space of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

Step 2. Then you can change the taskbar location on screen: Left, Right, Top, or Bottom.

How to Auto-hide Windows 10 Taskbar

If you want to auto-hide Windows 10 taskbar when it’s not in use, you can easily realize it by following the steps below.

Step 1. You can right-click on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.

Step 2. Then you can choose to turn on Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode, or Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode.

The hidden taskbar can be shown when you move the mouse cursor to the bottom edge of the screen or where the Windows 10 taskbar is located. You can also press Windows logo key to reveal the taskbar.

How to Add or Remove the Search Box or Cortana

The Search Box or Cortana allows you to quickly search the PC and the web, but it takes a lot of space on the taskbar. If you want, you can hide it or show a small search icon.

You can right-click the taskbar, click Search, and choose Show search icon. Then the Search Box will disappear and become a small icon located on the taskbar.

If you want to hide the Search Box, you can also choose Hidden. To add the Search Box to the task bar again, you can click Show search box to display it on the taskbar.

How to Add or Remove Icons on Windows 10 Taskbar

To pin programs to the taskbar, you can click Start and right-click the program, click More -> Pin to taskbar to pin the application to the taskbar. To remove a program from taskbar, you can right-click the program and click Unpin this program from taskbar.

If you want to remove default icons from system tray area in the taskbar, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1. You can right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings to open Windows 10 taskbar settings window.

Step 2. Next you can click Select which icons appear in the taskbar under Notification area.

Step 3. Then you can choose to Always show all icons in the notification area, or you can turn off this option and choose to turn on/off some of the program icons.

You can click Turn system icons on or off under Notification area to turn on or off some system icons.

If you turn off an app here, you don’t really remove it, and it still shows up in the hidden area. If you turn an app on, it will appear in the main Notification Area.

Bottom Line

You can easily customize taskbar Windows 10. If you lost some files on your Windows 10 computer, you can use the best free data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery – to recover deleted or lost files in simple steps.