Anyone know how to add Quick Launch to the taskbar in Windows 11?


thewizardoz

New member
Local time
4:42 AM
Posts
21
OS
Windows 10 Insider Preview 21390
Does anyone know how to add Quick Launch to the taskbar in Windows 11
please?

Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Insider Preview 21390
Gonna keep an eye on this thread because I would like to know as well
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Dual Boot Win 10/ Win 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    Intel 9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI CODE
    Memory
    32Gb Corsair Dominator 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS RTX 3080 TUF OC
    Sound Card
    AVR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 38GL950G
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro
    Samsung 960 Pro
    Samsung 950 Pro
    Samsung 850 Pro
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titatium 750w
    Case
    OpenTest bed
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U14S
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB MK.2
    Mouse
    Logitech lightspeed G502
    Internet Speed
    76Mb
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    BitDefender
Hello, :)

If you like, you could pin the %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch folder to the taskbar using option 8 in the tutorial below.

It's not the same, but at least you can quickly open the folder.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I'm interested in this as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build (Cooler Master case)
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-10600K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime B460M-A Micro mATX Aura Sync RGB, Dual M.2
    Memory
    Crucial 2666 MHz DDR4 32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX-970
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD Audio via HDMI (Home Theater PC)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer monitor for Home Theater PC, Samsung 58 Series 4K Panel in Theater
    Screen Resolution
    1920/Acer & 2K x 4K/Samsung
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (boot), 3 x 4TB WD mechanical HDD's (storage)
    PSU
    Corsair 1080 Watt
    Case
    Custom Rack Mount
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper H412R Compact CPU Air Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless keyboards x 2 (one for theater seating, one behind stage wall at PC location
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless mice x 2 (one for theater seating, one behind stage wall at PC location
    Internet Speed
    200MB Spectrum Cable
    Browser
    Vivaldi
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Malwarebytes
See my post here:

Restoring the Taskbar from Windows 10 will bring back the ability to add Toolbars to the Taskbar, after which you will be able to link a Toolbar to the folder that @Brink mentioned and drag the Toolbar to the area between the Task View icon and the pinned apps area of the Taskbar:

Quick Launch.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
A little app called SystemTrayMenu.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64Bit
    CPU
    Intel Core i3 10100 @ 3.60GHz Comet Lake 14nm Tech
    Motherboard
    ASRock H410M-HDV (CPUSocket)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    2048MB ATI Radeon RX550/550 Series (ASRock)
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    (2)DELL S2721HS (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    931GB Crucial CT1000MX500SSD1 (SATA (SSD))
    465GB Samsung SSD 870 EVO 500GB (SATA (SSD)) 25 °C
    931GB Inateck ASM1153E SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA) ) 32 °C
    1863GB JMicron Generic SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA) )
    PSU
    Gamdias Kratos M1-750B 750W ATX12V v2.2 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Non-Modular Active PFC Power Supply with Built-in RGB Lighting Effects and Addressable LEDs
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    ARTECK
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    252.23 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes premium
    Other Info
    Sound Cards
    Playback Devices
    Speakers (2- Xonar SoundCard)
    Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) (default)
    Speakers (Yeti Stereo Microphone)
    SPDIF Interface (2- Xonar SoundCard)
    Recording Devices
    Microphone (Yeti Stereo Microphone)
    Line (2- Xonar SoundCard)
    Microphone (2- Xonar SoundCard) (default)
    Microphone (Live Streamer CAM313 Microphone)
How would a quickstart menu be different from just pinning icons to the taskbar?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
How would a quickstart menu be different from just pinning icons to the taskbar?
On Windows 7 and later, the Quick Start (Quick Launch) is actually a Toolbar that is essentially the same as all the other Toolbars (like the one that I have in the middle of my Taskbar, see the pic I posted in my previous reply). It differs only by the fact that it is positioned to the opposite side of the 'pinned' area so it is next to the Start button (or next to Search and/or Task View). Putting shortcuts on a Toolbar gives you the ability to stay organized when it comes to what item goes where on your Taskbar, as there can be multiple Toolbars, and they can also be placed in an area where they don't convolute the 'pinned' area or be individually disabled temporarily if needed, which can help people to stay focussed better. The contents of each Toolbar matches a folder tree. Users can edit/manage the contents of each folder tree, simply by using File Explorer to navigate through them, and, each (optional) subfolder's contents shows up on the Toolbar as a popup menu (cascade style). Another nice benefit is that the contents of folder trees can be automated via scripts and/or via Power Automate Desktop, for example. By contrast, the 'pinned' area of the Taskbar doesn't even let you add a separator or spacer to keep your pinned shortcuts away from your opened apps or anything like that so, it looks and feels like icon chaos, which, if I may be so bold to say so Sir, it most certainly is.

On a side note, it also is possible to make the (classic) Taskbar height smaller:

Classic taskbar.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
simple... Right click the shortcut application (that you want to pin to task bar) then click > shows more options > Pin to taskbar

thats it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I am using "Freelaunchbar". It is based on the QuickLaunchBar (InternetExplorer; see Brink). But you need to install "Explorer Patcher" first ! (Download the dxgi.dll, put it into "Windows" and restart Explorer. Then rightclick the Start button, choose "Properties" (= new entry which wasn't there before) and chose your options.

But back to Freelaunchbar (edit: after install, rightclick on a free space in the tTskbar and choose "FreeLaunchbar"): in the picture below you can see what it does: you see my shortcuts to "astronomy" (my hobby). But every icon you can see in the taskbar at the bottom of the picture is a (sort of) folder. You can put as many shortcuts as you want into every ""folder"".

[Btw: I installed the well known "OpenShell" (also with Explorer Patcher) to replace the WIN 11 Startmenu (you can switch between both) which does the same thing. You can put the more "system-orientated" shortcuts into the Startmenu and the more "private life" orientated shortcuts into the Taskbar).

Much better than the WIN 11 Taskbar and Startmenu !
 

Attachments

  • Capture d’écran (1).jpg
    Capture d’écran (1).jpg
    560.2 KB · Views: 22
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
I am using "Freelaunchbar". It is based on the QuickLaunchBar (InternetExplorer; see Brink). But you need to install "Explorer Patcher" first ! (Download the dxgi.dll, put it into "Windows" and restart Explorer. Then rightclick the Start button, choose "Properties" (= new entry which wasn't there before) and chose your options.

But back to Freelaunchbar (edit: after install, rightclick on a free space in the tTskbar and choose "FreeLaunchbar"): in the picture below you can see what it does: you see my shortcuts to "astronomy" (my hobby). But every icon you can see in the taskbar at the bottom of the picture is a (sort of) folder. You can put as many shortcuts as you want into every ""folder"".

[Btw: I installed the well known "OpenShell" (also with Explorer Patcher) to replace the WIN 11 Startmenu (you can switch between both) which does the same thing. You can put the more "system-orientated" shortcuts into the Startmenu and the more "private life" orientated shortcuts into the Taskbar).

Much better than the WIN 11 Taskbar and Startmenu !
One thing to remember when using ExplorerPatcher together with Open-Shell, the right-click menu that lets you choose Properties to access ExplorerPatcher's settings will be replaced by default with another menu to access Open-Shell settings whereas Shift + right-click on the Start button will bring up the original menu. (This behavior can optionally be changed in Open-Shell settings, on the Controls tab.)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
Install ExplorerPatcher and you can pin Quick Launch just like in Windows 10/8/7/6/5
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Omen
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz 3.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Board: HP 8437 1.3 Serial Number: PGUCR0HP1B90LD Bus Clock: 100 megahertz UEFI: AMI F.53 10/23/2020
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
    Sound Card
    NVIDIA High Definition Audio Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 2778X [Monitor] (27.2"vis, s/n GJGJ7HA027112, July 2018) DELL U2412M [Monitor] (24.0"vis, s/n XX-00FFXD-XXXXX-529-64AS, February 2015)
    Hard Drives
    c: (NTFS on drive 0) * 999.21 GB 857.61 GB free
    d: (NTFS on drive 1) 1984.45 GB 741.65 GB free
    e: (NTFS on drive 1) 15.95 GB 1.78 GB free
    h: (NTFS on drive 2) 239.93 GB 231.23 GB free
    i: (NTFS on drive 2) 14.81 GB 1.71 GB free
    Keyboard
    Omoton
    Mouse
    Omoton
    Internet Speed
    9Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky
    Other Info
    Have discovered 31/01/2022 Internet speed at router 41 mbps. At this PC 9. Internet is via wired ethernet.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
But nevertheless. ... We won !
Umm, no you didn't.

The "Taskbar" is a totally different thing than the Quick Launch "toolbar".

As seen below, this is my "Taskbar" that has been expanded up to double height. This allows for the 3-line clock/calendar. But it also allows me to put the Quick Launch "Toolbar" on the bottom row and the Address "Toolbar" on the top row.

None of that is possible now.

Quick Launch.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
Hi Digerati,

I dare to pretend (and I continue to do so) that it's the same !

(I am observing the whole thing since Windows 98).

Good luck

Edit: And the sucess is mostly or exclusively due to ... Valentine :money:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 / WIN 10 dual boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No clue (x64 based) from 2016
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G 4400 (Skylake)
    Motherboard
    MS 7971, Bios: American Megatrend C.E0 (2018)
    Memory
    DDR4 12 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    internal (Intel HD 510)
    Hard Drives
    2x Western Digital (no SSD)
I dare to pretend (and I continue to do so) that it's the same !
Sorry, but I do not understand what you are saying here. Do you not understand the image I posted? The Quick Launch "toolbar" is on my "Taskbar".

Are you saying (pretending) that the Taskbar and toolbars are the same? If so, I assure you they are not. If you have a W10 machine, right click on the Taskbar and you will see options to add toolbars to it. Google.
(I am observing the whole thing since Windows 98).

I will not hold your obvious youthful lack of experience against you! :wink:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
Sorry, but I do not understand what you are saying here.
Here's my taskbar with the address bar positioned above a taskbar toolbar:

taskbar.jpg

I am running Windows 11, and, if you still can't figure it out, then look inside my address bar. :ROFLMAO:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
Umm, no you didn't.

The "Taskbar" is a totally different thing than the Quick Launch "toolbar".

As seen below, this is my "Taskbar" that has been expanded up to double height. This allows for the 3-line clock/calendar. But it also allows me to put the Quick Launch "Toolbar" on the bottom row and the Address "Toolbar" on the top row.

None of that is possible now.

View attachment 12032
Quite possible, I think.
1635751223308.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom