Use and tweak the Windows Taskbar

Stay notified
The right-hand side of the Taskbar is occupied by the Notification Area (often referred to as the System Tray). As well as a digital clock, this is a place where – in Windows Vista and XP at least – applications are free to place a small icon that can serve various purposes.

Windows itself, for example, places a master volume control here. Left-click the speaker icon for instant access to a volume slider control. Similarly, the Microsoft Security Center uses the Notification Area to display a warning badge that pops up security alert messages.

Right-clicking on an icon in the Notification Area will generally display a pop-up menu, with the specific options dictated by the relevant application or process. Hovering the mouse pointer over an icon here may also display useful information.

The Notification Area can quickly become overrun with such icons, which is why both Windows 7 and Vista introduced more control over this space.

Tweaking the Taskbar
So far we’ve talked about the Taskbar as it appears on a new Windows PC – a thin strip permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen. However, it can be customised in many ways, including size, position and even whether or not the Taskbar remains visible.

To try this out, first right-click on any blank area on the Taskbar and, on the pop-up menu, left-click to remove the tick from Lock the Taskbar. This unlocks the Taskbar for tweaking.

To make it taller, for instance, hover the mouse pointer over the top edge until the pointer becomes a double-headed arrow: now click and hold down the left mouse button while dragging up. Release the mouse button to set the new size.

Try repositioning the Taskbar by clicking and holding down the left mouse button on any blank part and then dragging it to the right, left or top of the screen.

New toolbars can be added to the Taskbar, too. There’s a ready-made one called Quick Launch, for example. Enable this and application launch icons can be dragged from their position in the Start menu to the Quick Launch area, so they’re available directly from the Taskbar. To do this, right-click a blank part of the Taskbar, point to Toolbars and left-click to tick Quick Launch.

Make it your own
Using the Windows Taskbar soon becomes second nature but we urge you to explore some of the customisation options touched on here. By adding the Quick Launch toolbar, for instance, you’ll gain access to a Show Desktop button that immediately minimises all open windows – a fantastically useful feature.

Similarly, explore the Taskbar’s Properties dialogue box for even more tweaking options: right-click a blank area and select Properties. Among much else here, you will also find options to make the Taskbar hide itself after a few seconds and, in Vista, a Notification Area tab that allows more control over those annoying Taskbar alerts.

The Windows 7 Taskbar
Microsoft reinvented the Taskbar with Windows 7. Though the Start button and menu look and work in much the same way, the Taskbar and Notification Area are quite different.

For its part the Taskbar now acts more as a ‘dock’, where running applications sit side by side with application icons than have been ‘pinned’ to the Taskbar for quick access.

Running applications are distinguished on the Taskbar by square highlights. The Notification Area, meanwhile, has been reined in, with the user able to dictate exactly which programs have access to this space. Click here for detailed instructions on working with the Windows 7 Taskbar.

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