The taskbar is one of the main controls, usually located at the bottom of the screen. The taskbar is a long horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen. The taskbar has three main parts. When you hover your mouse over a specific icon, you can see the icon name or parameter value. For example, hovering your mouse over the volume icon in the notification area of the taskbar will show the current computer volume level. Hovering the mouse pointer over the network icon in the notification area of the taskbar will display information about network connectivity, speed, and signal strength. Double-clicking on an icon in the notification area usually opens the program or provides access to setting options associated with it.
- The middle part, which displays open programs and files, allowing you to quickly switch between them.
- Minimized windows are also displayed as buttons in the Taskbar.
- The notification area, which contains a clock and icons (thumbnails) that show the status of some programs and computer settings.
These icons represent the status of some systems on your computer or provide access to setting options.
For example, double-clicking the audio volume icon opens the volume controls. Double-clicking on the network connections icon opens the Network Control Center.
There are some special buttons in the Taskbar, for example:
-Keyboard indicator – indicates the current alphabet
(En – English), clicking on this button allows you to select the desired alphabet from the list;
-clock -shows the current time, when the mouse pointer pauses on this button, the current date will be displayed next to it. Double-clicking on the clock will open the date/time setting window.
In addition, the taskbar can contain icons of programs launched immediately after Windows starts
Introducing the Windows 10/8 taskbar
With the release of Windows 10, the taskbar has changed markedly compared to previous versions of this operating system. And I think all the innovations are very successful, they significantly simplify the work.
Windows 10 taskbar
To the right of the Start menu is the Explorer button. Take a closer look at it: it is voluminous, this indicates that the explorer is running, and the green indicator on the button indicates that some operation is being performed. I ran up, rolled up the window, and I can control the process on the indicator. The second and fourth icons are flat, which means that these programs are not running, but are pinned to the panel.
The third button on the taskbar is not just bulky, but also double. This means that two windows of this program are open. If we move the mouse cursor over this button, then a preview of open windows will appear Thumbnail panel appears on mouse hover. It is very convenient if you have many documents open, you can quickly select the one you need. The fifth icon is three dimensional and is highlighted, this indicates that some message has appeared in this program.
Small definition:
The menu that appears after clicking the right mouse button on any item is called the context menu. Remember, we will come in handy more than once. So, if you open the context menu of any program button on the taskbar, you can see many useful items.
Context menu of a taskbar button
This menu is different for different programs, but there are similar lists: “Frequently used/visited”, “recent documents”, “Pinned”. If you want to pin an item, then hover over it with the mouse cursor, a “button” with a hint “Pin to the list ” will appear, click it and the item will move to the very top.
How to pin a program to the taskbar? Pinning a program is very simple:
- Run the program
- Right-click on the program icon
- In the menu that appears, select the item “Pin the program to the taskbar”
Fixing the program
Now you can close the program, its icon will remain. If, on the contrary, you do not need the program here, then select the “Remove program from the taskbar” item: We remove the program
Easy control
Some programs allow you to perform actions minimized using the Windows taskbar. Just hover the mouse over the program button and control buttons will appear under the thumbnail panel:
Program function control buttons
Some players, Skype, QIP, and other programs have this function. Hotkeys for launching programs. At the beginning of this tutorial, you saw a picture in which all buttons are numbered. So, if you press the key combination “Win + 1”, then the program that is pinned first after the “Start” menu will start:
Hotkeys for launching programs
If you hold down “Win + 2”, then the second program will start and so on. Very convenient, try it. If the program is already running but minimized, it will expand, and if expanded, it will be minimized. Thus, we have another tool to simplify the work with programs pinned to the Windows taskbar.
Calendar and clock
Through the Windows 10 and 8 taskbar, you can quickly view the calendar for the current month, to do this, just click on the clock in the notification area:
Calendar and clock
Convenient menu for folders on the Windows taskbar And for dessert, the most interesting or a long time I have been using this convenient panel:
Panel with a menu for the “Music” folder
By clicking on the arrows, you can open a menu in which a complete list of the contents of the music folder, run files from here, rename them, etc. In general, very convenient!
Expanded menu for the “Music” folder
I am usually asked, “how to make such a fantastic menu?” In fact, it’s easy to do this:
- Right-click on the Windows taskbar;
- Select the item “Panels”;
- In the submenu that opens, select “Create toolbar”
- A dialog box will open in front of you, in which you will only have to select the desired folder and click the “Select folder” button.
For sure, this can be done with any folder: “Photos”, “Videos”, and “Documents”. If you need to remove the menu from the taskbar, right-click on it, select the “Panels” item, in the menu that opens, find the name of your folder, uncheck it.