Although we are now getting used to the new features of Windows 10, some may lack some classic features of previous versions of Windows, such as the quick launch bar that in Windows XP allowed users to quickly access frequently used programs and files, without clogging the space of the main taskbar. The taskbar (the one at the bottom with the clock) has been updated since Windows 7 showing program buttons and with the feature of grouping open windows of the same program.
The behavior of the taskbar of Windows 7 and Windows 10 can, however, be brought back to what you had in Windows XP, with the possibility of adding a quick start button for programs
READ ALSO: Windows taskbar tricks (TaskBar)
To go back to the old style of the taskbar you have to right click on an empty point of the low Windows bar and choose Properties from the menu (or Settings in Windows 10)
The choice is to never combine the buttons like this, each open window will have its own key to minimize or display it.
In Windows 10 you can choose to combine buttons only if necessary which is the best option for me.
The keys are then changed by putting the small icons that was the setting of Windows XP and that remains the most convenient configuration if you use a vertical taskbar (which is highly recommended for me).
On the taskbar you can remove the buttons by pressing on them with the right button and choosing Remove.
To add new buttons you can open a program or a file and then press the icon on the taskbar to find the option to add it.
To have the quick start of Windows XP programs, the Quick Launch, on the toolbar in Windows 10 and Windows 7 you can proceed in this way:
Right click on the empty bar, go to " Toolbars " and click on " New ".
On the address bar at the top you have to write the following path (advice to copy and paste):
% appdata% \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Quick Launch
From here, choose " Select folder " and you should see the Quick Launch with some buttons including the "Show Desktop" and the " Switch from one window to another " function explained in another guide.
If you press the right button on the bar again, you can remove the flag from the "Lock" and move it with the mouse, pressing on the dotted lines, the quick start or Quick Launch to the left (or up if the applications is vertical), near the Start.
Right click on the dotted lines and remove the " Show text " and Show Title
At the end, after adjusting the length to show the icons you need, you can lock the bar again.
To choose the Quick Launch programs, right-click on the writing or on the line to move it and click on Open folder .
From the desktop or from the Start menu, drag the icons of the programs or files you want to keep in the Quick Launch into this folder and remove the links that do not interest you.
Just for the record, you can also manage the appearance of the quick launch bar by going to Start -> Run -> gpedit.msc -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and taskbars and locate them under " Show Quick Start ".
Quick start is still a great feature of Windows because it allows you to add any program or folder for quick start.
The Quick Launch, in fact, is a Launcher or a Jumplist in all respects and can be customized as you wish.
By always going to the % appdata% \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Quick Launch folder, you can add links to all files or folders inside and you can also create sub folders with different launch paths .
Anything that is dragged into that folder takes the form of a link and you cannot move real files or folders.
Indeed, it is possible to add separation lines between groups of programs and another, simply by creating a new link (right click on the blank on the Quick Launch folder), rename the file with a line made of -------- --- and change the icon to a white one.
The white icon needed in this case is located on the path % SystemRoot% \ system32 \ SHELL32.dll and is in the thirteenth column, second row.
The result is a separator line that can be used to organize program groups in the quick launch bar.
In this bar you can sort the programs by simply dragging them up or down with the mouse.
Wanting to have launch bars of different programs, you can instead install some programs such as those described in the article on the best launchers for Windows .
