In Windows, what is the Taskbar?

The Taskbar is a feature in all versions of Windows starting with Windows 95 that displays the Start menu and currently running programs. The default location for the Taskbar is along the bottom edge of the screen.

The Taskbar is useful for seeing which programs are currently running on your computer, accessing any of these programs at any time, and managing the appearance of each program's window on your desktop. You can click any of the buttons on the Taskbar to make that application the active window on your desktop. You can also right-click any of the buttons to minimize, maximize, move, resize, or close that application's window. Windows 7 includes improvements to the Taskbar; see What's new in Windows 7?

You can change the size of the Taskbar and choose which side of the screen it runs along. First, right-click an empty part of the Taskbar and make sure Lock the taskbar is unchecked. Then, to change the size, move the cursor over the edge of the Taskbar until you see a double-headed arrow. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the edge until the Taskbar is the size that you want it to be, and then release the mouse button. To change the orientation, click an empty part of the Taskbar, hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the Taskbar to whichever edge of the screen you prefer.

To customize other features of the Taskbar, right-click an empty part of the Taskbar and, from the menu that appears, select Properties.

Note: The Windows Vista Start menu and Control Panel are different from the Windows Classic View (e.g., in Windows 2000). Therefore, navigating to certain items can be different. In the interest of broad applicability, most Knowledge Base documents assume you are using the Classic View. For information about switching your Windows Vista default view to Classic View, see In Windows Vista, how do I switch to the Windows Classic Start menu or Classic Control Panel?

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