Solved Make "app is open" icon on taskbar same as shortcut icon on desktop

This wasn't a problem in Win 10, the two icons were the same. And I'm not talking about what icon shows on the taskbar when the shortcut icon is pinned to the taskbar. That works, and I'll pin it if I have to, but here's what I'd rather do:

Long ago I added a custom desktop icon to a shortcut for the cmd console so if I had 2 consoles open, they'd show different icons on the taskbar. So if I wanted to work on a database, I'd click the icon on the taskbar that had a SQLite image. With the upgrade to Win 11, the shortcut on the desktop retained its custom image, but when the app is open, the icon that shows on the taskbar while the app is open is a default cmd image. So if I have SQLite and another cmd console open at the same time, I have to hover the icon to read the title on the thumbnail that pops up.

The current behavior is shown in the attached image.

I tried googling this problem but was not getting results for this specific issue.

Thanks for any assistance.

I finally noticed that the cmd console has tabs now, so I won't always need to open multiple instances of it anymore. On the other hand, it would be nice to have two console windows open side by side instead of having to click back and forth on two tabs.

I just noticed that if I run a Python app, there's another console window open but only one icon on the taskbar.

I also just learned that if I resize a cmd console, when I start typing the next command, the insertion point for the text I'm typing hasn't been moved to where the command line displays. The text I'm typing appears amidst the output from the previous command. Looks like it's time to start using Powershell.

Luther said:

it would be nice to have two console windows open side by side instead of having to click back and forth on two tabs.

Click to expand...

Tabs have their place for some things,but I, too, have a lot of instances where I need 2 explorer windows or some particular app windows side by side. The solution for me was to open 2 instances of whatever app I am using, whether it be file explorer, cmd, a browser, paint, etc. Then, I use the snap feature to put them side by side. IMO snap is the best thing since sliced bread for multitasking.

I installed ExplorerPatcher and it restored Windows 10 behaviour regarding the icon shown in the Taskbar when something was running such as your SQLite icon.

All the best,
Denis

Looks like the easiest compromise might be to pin my SQLite shortcut to the taskbar and adjust to what happens when I click it (a new console opens up each time--OK for viewing side by side.) And change the shortcut to open PowerShell instead of the old cmd console.

I have no problem opening multiple cmd windows. Are you saying you can't? I know powershell is the thing now, but all the commands iI know work in command prompt. I'm too old to get with the powershell program. Something else I'm using more and more is opening a second desktop. That was a little awkward for me at first but I'm now finding it really handy.

@ glaskuter
No problem opening multiple cmd consoles, the reason I will switch to PowerShell (in spite of also being too old to want to) is that if I have a bunch of output that I'm not ready to clear out, and I resize the window to read it better, then start typing a new command, the command I'm typing doesn't show up where it's supposed to but rather amidst the old output. This doesn't happen in PowerShell, I assume because its development is prioritized over cmd.

Thanks for the suggestion about opening a second desktop, I don't recall ever hearing about that. I'll look into it.

I found a pretty good solution here: Command Prompt and Windows Powershell for Windows 11 - Microsoft Support

I opted out of Windows Terminal which shows PowerShell or something in a tabbed layout. To get most of the old behavior back, I changed 2 settings after right-clicking the title bar on Windows Terminal:
1) Settings > Default Profile > select Command Prompt (instead of Windows PowerShell)
2) Settings > Default Terminal Application > select Windows Console Host (instead of Windows Terminal)
Closed the terminals I had open, reopened them the old way, now hovering over the SQLite icon on the taskbar (which I no longer have to pin to the taskbar) shows a popup for each open terminal, shows the SQLite terminals differently from the Python terminal that's open, and when I resize the terminal, I don't get gibberish. The insertion cursor is at the bottom of the screen where it belongs instead of buried in the earlier output somewhere up above.

One or more of those settings are also available just by opening Start > Settings > Privacy & security > For developers. Which is how you have to do it once you've turned off Windows Terminal, since right-clicking the title bar on the old cmd prompt window doesn't open the same settings mentioned above.

This allows me to get back to work without learning a new routine. The only thing that's changed now compared to win 10, with these settings, is that if I open the first cmd prompt with the SQLite icon, all the open cmd prompt windows will be represented by my SQLite icon on the taskbar, as shown in the screenshot. But if I open the first cmd prompt any other way, a typical cmd prompt icon on the taskbar will represent all the open cmd prompt windows.

The "next year's model" is not for me, that's why I'm learning Linux before Windows 12 comes out.

Only reason I haven't marked this as resolved is: (read the title). I want two icons on the taskbar: one for open SQLite windows and another for open cmd prompt windows, for example if I'm running a Python module. And no icons on the taskbar (nothing pinned) if no cmd windows are open. Currently I get one icon only for all open cmd prompts but several other problems mentioned above have been solved. It's not an emergency but will leave this open for fun, in case the final solution is out there somewhere.

The reason I want two separate icons on the taskbar--one for SQLite windows and one for other cmd windows--is so that I can go Right Click > Close All Windows without closing my database windows. This is how it worked in win 10. Now even with the setup this close, I still have to click each individual window closed one at a time so my database windows don't close too.