This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable always use Last Active Click on the taskbar for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The taskbar is a horizontal bar at the bottom of your desktop in Windows 11 that shows the Start menu, Search, Task View, Widgets, Chat, File Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Store icons aligned to the center by default. The taskbar corner includes the notification area icons, Quick Settings (Win+A), and Notification Center (Win+N) with the clock and calendar.
When you have more than one window open for an app, you can hover over or click/tap on the app's icon on the taskbar to see thumbnail previews of the open windows to switch between them by default.
The Last Active Click feature will allow you to press the Ctrl key while click/tap on the app's icon to switch between the open windows for the app showing in order of the last active window.
If you like, you can enable to always use the Last Active Click feature to only need to click/tap on an app's icon on the taskbar to switch between the app's open windows.
You can continue to click/tap on the app's icon on the taskbar to switch between each of the open windows for the app.
Contents
- Option One: Enable or Disable Always Use Last Active Click on Taskbar using REG file
- Option Two: Enable or Disable Always Use Last Active Click on Taskbar in Registry Editor
This option will not work when Administrator protection is turned on.
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
2 Enable Always Use Last Active Click on Taskbar
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Enable_always_use_LastActiveClick_for_taskbar.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"LastActiveClick"=dword:000000013 Disable Always Use Last Active Click on Taskbar
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Disable_always_use_LastActiveClick_for_taskbar.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"LastActiveClick"=-4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
1 Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2 Navigate to the key location below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below step 3)
HKEY_USERS\<SID>\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Substitute <SID> in the key path above with the actual SID for the account you want to apply this to.
For example:
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2498639629-3946114050-4100787084-1001\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3 In the right pane of the Advanced key, double click/tap on the LastActiveClick DWORD to modify it. (see screenshot below)
4 Enter 0 (disable - default) or 1 (enable) for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
5 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
6 You can now close Registry Editor if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
