Taskbar Shortcuts Missing


ColMac

Well-known member
Member
Local time
7:31 PM
Posts
8
OS
Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
24H2 (OS Build 26100.4061)

Minor query which is puzzling me - not a problem, but solely a matter of interest.

I have a number of icons on my TaskBar. When I looked at

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

Most of them are listed, but quite a few including (amongst others)

Notepad
Revo Uninstaller
Google Maps

do not appear at that location even though they do appear on the taskbar

I have checked under other user names and "Default" user. I also searched for the file name using everything but cannot find any entry for these shortcuts.

Any thoughts how they appear on the taskbar?

Thanks


Colin
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Chillblast
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI) (AM4)
    Memory
    32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1330MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    DELL P3424WE (3440x1440@60Hz) S24D330 (1920x1080@60Hz) 4091MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 34in, Samsung 24 in
This is what I just learned: Windows 11's taskbar pinning system doesn't store all pinned shortcuts in that folder. Some applications handle their pinned state differently, often due to how they are registered within Windows or their installation method.

  • Modern Apps & UWP Apps – Apps like Google Maps (if installed as a Progressive Web App) use a different pinning mechanism tied to the Windows Shell. Their shortcuts are managed elsewhere.
  • System Apps & Built-in Tools – Notepad is a built-in Windows app, and its pinning data is likely embedded within the registry or internal configurations rather than a simple “.lnk” shortcut.
  • Certain Installed Programs – Some applications, like Revo Uninstaller, may register themselves differently—often interacting with Windows in a way that bypasses traditional shortcut storage. This can depend on the installer type (EXE vs. MSI) or even whether the app requests elevated privileges.

Some other places of interest:

Code:
Registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

Code:
AppData Local:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
If you were looking to locate all pinned taskbar app locations for future advantage, you could try the following. Maybe use it to compare if all pinned apps are accounted for?

It should (hopefully) write to a text file log and save on your Desktop named “PinnedTaskbarApps.txt”

To save the log file to a different location, please update the second line or use the edited script in Post Number 7:

Powershell:
# Define output path
$logFile = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\PinnedTaskbarApps.txt"

# Collect data
$taskbarFolder = "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar"
$shellFolder = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Shell"
$registryKey = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband"

$shortcutFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $taskbarFolder -Filter "*.lnk" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName
$registryData = Get-ItemProperty -Path $registryKey
$shellContents = Get-ChildItem -Path $shellFolder | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

# Format output
$output = @()
$output += "`nPinned Taskbar Shortcuts:"
$output += $shortcutFiles
$output += "`nRegistry Taskband Data:"
$output += $registryData
$output += "`nShell Folder Contents:"
$output += $shellContents

# Write to file
$output | Out-File -FilePath $logFile -Encoding UTF8

Write-Output "Data saved to $logFile"
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
Sorry, edited. If it works, this Powershell script should open the text log file in Notepad on completion:

To save the log file to a different location, please update the second line or use the edited script in Post Number 7:

Powershell:
# Define output path
$logFile = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\PinnedTaskbarApps.txt"

# Collect data
$taskbarFolder = "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar"
$shellFolder = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Shell"
$registryKey = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband"

$shortcutFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $taskbarFolder -Filter "*.lnk" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName
$registryData = Get-ItemProperty -Path $registryKey
$shellContents = Get-ChildItem -Path $shellFolder | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

# Format output
$output = @()
$output += "`nPinned Taskbar Shortcuts:"
$output += $shortcutFiles
$output += "`nRegistry Taskband Data:"
$output += $registryData
$output += "`nShell Folder Contents:"
$output += $shellContents

# Write to file
$output | Out-File -FilePath $logFile -Encoding UTF8

# Open file upon completion
Start-Process -FilePath $logFile

Write-Output "Data saved to $logFile"
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
Thanks very much for that info. I appreciate the amount of effort you've put into it.

It was looking at

Code:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

that led me into looking at the taskbar, so thanks for that extra info.

I then had a look at the code, and as you say it creates a text file on the desktop for me which is useful to check all those pinned ones that are pinned in the traditional way.

Just a note in case others try this, I got an error when I ran it. My Desktop has been relocated to "D:\Desktop" and I had to change the first line of code to input that location specifically even though it is properly defined as the correct shell location for the Desktop folder on my PC.

Very helpful. Thanks

Colin
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Chillblast
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI) (AM4)
    Memory
    32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1330MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    DELL P3424WE (3440x1440@60Hz) S24D330 (1920x1080@60Hz) 4091MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 34in, Samsung 24 in

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
This edit should hopefully check the location of the Desktop folder.

I say things like “Should” and “Hopefully” because I am currently working on my iPad outdoors under the night sky.


Powershell:
# Retrieve user's desktop folder location
$desktopPath = (New-Object -ComObject Shell.Application).Namespace(0x10).Self.Path
$logFile = "$desktopPath\PinnedTaskbarApps.txt"

# Define paths
$taskbarFolder = "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar"
$shellFolder = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Shell"
$registryKey = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband"

# Gather shortcut files
$shortcutFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $taskbarFolder -Filter "*.lnk" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty FullName

# Retrieve registry data
$registryData = Get-ItemProperty -Path $registryKey

# Check shell folder contents
$shellContents = Get-ChildItem -Path $shellFolder | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name

# Format output
$output = @()
$output += "`nPinned Taskbar Shortcuts:"
$output += $shortcutFiles
$output += "`nRegistry Taskband Data:"
$output += $registryData
$output += "`nShell Folder Contents:"
$output += $shellContents

# Write to file
$output | Out-File -FilePath $logFile -Encoding UTF8

# Open file upon completion
Start-Process -FilePath $logFile

Write-Output "Data saved to $logFile"
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Chillblast
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI) (AM4)
    Memory
    32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1330MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    DELL P3424WE (3440x1440@60Hz) S24D330 (1920x1080@60Hz) 4091MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 34in, Samsung 24 in
And the new code did work perfectly, (As I expected it would)!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Chillblast
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI) (AM4)
    Memory
    32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1330MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    DELL P3424WE (3440x1440@60Hz) S24D330 (1920x1080@60Hz) 4091MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 34in, Samsung 24 in
Nice !
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom