Help
The new taskbar is one of the highlights in Windows 7. It is greatly improved, but is still one of the areas that you can tweak to your heart’s content.
In the previous versions of Windows, icons displayed in the taskbar are static; that is, you cannot move them. In Windows 7, you can freely move the icons anywhere in the taskbar simply by dragging-and-dropping them within the taskbar (see Figure 8.15).
Despite the many improvements made to the taskbar in Windows 7, some users may still miss the old Quick Launch bar available in Windows XP and Vista. Follow these steps to get the Quick Launch bar back to the taskbar:
Right-click the taskbar and uncheck the “Lock the taskbar” option.
Right-click the taskbar and select Toolbars→New Toolbar.
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When asked to choose a folder, enter the following (see Figure 8.16) and then click the Select Folder button:
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
The Quick Launch bar will now appear at the right side of the taskbar (see Figure 8.17).
Click the divider and drag Quick Launch bar to reveal the items contained within it (see Figure 8.18).
The taskbar contains many shortcuts that will make your life much easier. Here are some really helpful ones:
- Ctrl-click an application icon in the taskbar
This action will cycle through all the open windows belonging to the application. For example, suppose that you have five IE windows open. Pressing the Ctrl key while you click the IE icon in the taskbar will toggle between all the opened IE windows (including tab pages).
- Shift-click (or middle-click) an application icon in the taskbar
This will launch a new instance of the application.
- Ctrl-Shift-Click an application icon in the taskbar
This action will launch the application in administrator mode.
Besides these taskbar shortcuts, the Windows Key has many shortcuts as well. Table 8.1 shows the various shortcuts you can use with the Windows Key.
Table 8.1. Windows Key shortcuts
Key combinations | Descriptions |
|---|---|
| Windows Key + ↓ | Minimizes/restores window |
Windows Key + ← | Docks window to left of screen |
Windows Key + → | Docks window to right of screen |
Windows Key + ↑ | Maximizes window |
Windows Key + – | Zooms out when magnifier is active |
Windows Key + + | Activates magnifier and zoom in |
Windows Key + B | Switches focus to the notification area (use arrow keys to navigate) |
Windows Key + D | Shows the desktop |
Windows Key + E | Opens Windows Explorer |
Windows Key + F | Opens the search Window |
| Windows Key + G | Cycles through the Gadgets |
| Windows Key + Home | Minimizes/restores all other windows |
Windows Key + L | Locks the screen |
Windows Key + M | Minimizes all windows |
| Windows Key + n | Opens or launches the application located on the corresponding position in the taskbar (starting with 1 from the left, not counting the Start menu); if the application is not running, it launches it; otherwise, it displays the window list while you hold down the key, and activates the first item in the list |
| Windows Key + P | Shows the display options pop up |
Windows Key + R | Shows the Run dialog |
Windows Key + T | Cycles through all the icons in the taskbar from left to right |
Windows Key + U | Opens the Ease of Access Center |
| Windows Key + X | Launches Windows Mobility Center (on notebooks and mobile computers) |
| Windows Key + Shift + ← | Moves to left monitor |
Windows Key + Shift + → | Moves to right monitor |
Windows Key + Shift + T | Cycles through all the icons in the taskbar from right to left |
| Windows Key + Space | Peeks at the desktop |
Another useful shortcut is Alt-P, which shows the File Preview Pane in Windows Explorer. Figure 8.19 shows the File Preview Pane displaying the preview of a selected image when you press the Alt-P shortcut.
Besides using the File Preview Pane to preview images, you can also use it to preview known file types such as Word (see Figure 8.20) and PowerPoint documents.
If you frequently work with certain folders, you might want to pin them to the taskbar. To pin a folder to the taskbar, drag-and-drop it onto the taskbar (see Figure 8.2). The folder will now appear in the Pinned section of the Windows Explorer Jump List.
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