Solved Taskbar Shortcut Properties

I want to change the icon on some of my taskbar shortcuts, but when I right-click on them there is no Properties option available. The only available option is to unpin from the taskbar. What am I missing?

rigsby said:

I want to change the icon on some of my taskbar shortcuts, but when I right-click on them there is no Properties option available. The only available option is to unpin from the taskbar. What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Hello @rigsby and welcome to ElevenForum.

You're not missing anything. It seems the properties sheet for Taskbar icons was too complicated for Microsoft to include.

Probably the easiest way to deal with Taskbar icons, is to just delete to one you want changed.
Create a new icon "on your desktop" from the program in question, and adjust it's properties there.
When you get it set the way you like... THEN... pin it to the Taskbar.

Thanks @Ghot .

That solution is OK for apps and local drive shortcuts etc, but what about website shortcuts? When I use the Edge > More Tools option to pin to the taskbar, a random icon is used which cannot be then changed

rigsby said:

Thanks @Ghot .

That solution is OK for apps and local drive shortcuts etc, but what about website shortcuts? When I use the Edge > More Tools option to pin to the taskbar, a random icon is used which cannot be then changed

Click to expand...

I have no idea about website shortcuts... I just use bookmarks for things like that.
With "bookmarks"... you can edit them when desired.

I do have thousands of bookmarks, but I have them sorted into folders fairly well.
For temporary bookmarks, I just save them in a folder called: TEMP.

Personally, I've never seen the need for desktop or Taskbar, website shortcuts.


I don't use EDGE at all, but is there a method to create the website shortcut on the Desktop, first?
I would think that those would be... editable.

rigsby said:

I want to change the icon on some of my taskbar shortcuts, but when I right-click on them there is no Properties option available. The only available option is to unpin from the taskbar. What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Try holding down shift on your keyboard and then right clicking it. If it's still not there, its probably a windows store app, which doesn't offer properties. You can also unpin and create the shortcut how you like, and then pin it again to the taskbar.

@rigsby

Apparently, you can just "drag" the "lock symbol" in the address bar (any browser), to your Desktop to create a URL shortcut there.
That shortcut can be edited. But I can't figure out a way to pin it to the Taskbar afterwards.

@Ghot
In Edge, you go to the three dots, top right, then More Tools and you can pin it to the taskbar or start menu from there. But once it is pinned you cannot modify it.

rigsby said:

@Ghot
In Edge, you go to the three dots, top right, then More Tools and you can pin it to the taskbar or start menu from there. But once it is pinned you cannot modify it.

Click to expand...

It seems you've just found another thing that wasn't "thought all the way through".
It's the same for Firefox.

I can drag the lock symbol to the Desktop to create the URL shortcut. I can then edit it as desired.
But I can't Pin it to the Taskbar or the Start Menu.

I tried that in EDGE as well. Same story.

Works for me...



icon changed...

@Edwin

Very strange then...this is all I get on right-clicking...

@andrew129260

Thanks. I tried hold the shift key down on right click and then I get this menu:



If I select Create Shortcut, the screen just flickers and then does nothing more.

I've also tried unpinning, but it then just disappears. Where does an unpinned shortcut end up being placed?

Right click on the Google that shows in your shot. Choose properties. Change icon. Restart Explorer.

rigsby said:

this is all I get on right-clicking...

Click to expand...

You can't right click on the Google placeholder???

That’s all he’s missing.

@Wisewiz

There is no Properties option on right-click - that's the whole basis of my problem!

You’re right clicking the icon in the taskbar, not the word Google in the menu, just above Unpin.

Edwin said:

You can't right click on the Google placeholder???

View attachment 82598

Click to expand...

Wisewiz said:

That’s all he’s missing.

Click to expand...

Is that the Google Chrome "program" icon or a website URL icon?
The OP's question is about website URL icons on the Taskbar.



Yeah... that doesn't work for a website's URL icon on the Taskbar.

@Wisewiz

If I do a second right-click over the Google logo, I get this:



Still no Properties option! If I Pin to Start, there's no Properties option there either

@Ghot

Yes I can, as a second right-click and get this:



Still no Properties

rigsby said:

@Ghot

Yes I can, as a second right-click and get this:

View attachment 82602

Still no Properties

Click to expand...

Yeah, I get the same.... no properties sheet.


I used EDGE to go to ElevenForum. Then went to ... > more tools and chose "Pin to Taskbar".
Then I right click that URL shortcut and then right clicked Windows 11 Forum...