What is windows taskbar?
Windows taskbar is a bar that by default is located at the bottom of Microsoft Windows that was first introduced with Windows 95 and included with all versions of Windows after that. It enables users to quickly and easily locate and launch programs they want to run through Start, see any program that is currently open, display the time and/or date, items running in the background through the Systray, and with later revisions of the Windows operating system, the Quick Launch.
How to use windows taskbar?
The following are some tips for using windows taskbar:
Manage Open Applications
When you open an application, a button representing it appears in the taskbar. If that application is buried under others open on your desktop, left-click once on its button to make it appear instantly. You should also know that clicking on an application's taskbar button again minimizes it, bringing another app to the foreground.
If you want to close an open application without bringing it to the foreground, you can just right-click on its button and click Close. You'll be prompted to save any unsaved data.
Items you have opened with the same application, such as multiple word processor documents, may be collapsed into the application's taskbar button if the taskbar is crowded with many open items. If you don't see an item on the taskbar, move your cursor over its application and a vertical list of open items will be displayed.
Customize the Taskbar
To customize the taskbar, just right-clicking any empty space in the taskbar, then select Properties, and then the Taskbar tab. The Lock option prevents resizing of the taskbar so you don't accidentally mess up your taskbar settings while mousing over it. Auto-hide gives you more display space by hiding the taskbar until you hover your cursor over the bottom edge of the screen.
Be sure to enable the Quicklaunch bar within the taskbar. Then you can drag any desktop icon to the Quicklaunch area, drop it, and launch the application by clicking on its Quicklaunch icon. A Desktop icon that takes you to your desktop instantly is also available when Quicklaunch is enabled.
It's also useful to hide inactive icons, but you don't have to. Click the Customize button to enable or disable any of the icons. This option also lets you turn off those info balloons that pop up in the Notifications area at the right-hand end of the taskbar.
Move or Size the Taskbar
To move the taskbar to any side of the screen, just left-click on an empty portion of the taskbar (not on an open application's button) and drag the taskbar to where you want it.
You can also make the taskbar taller or wider, depending on where it's located. If you have lots of icons on the taskbar, and it's on the bottom, you might want to make it taller. If you prefer your taskbar on the side of the screen, adjusting the width can be helpful. To resize the taskbar, hover the mouse pointer on the edge of the bar until it turns into the little double-arrow grabber, the left-click and drag. Note that the taskbar must be unlocked to move or resize it. And once you get it where you like it, you can lock the taskbar.
Features in Windows Vista or Windows 7
If you have the Aero premium desktop experience installed, move your mouse over an open item's button in the taskbar and you will see a small preview window of the item displayed. One another nice feature of the Windows 7 superbar is that it displays progress bars in place of application buttons if an application shows the progress of some task it's performing, such as a downloading file or an update installation.
Windows 7 hides the Show Desktop function by default. Right-click on the Notifications area at the far right-hand end of the taskbar and select Show Desktop to jump directly to the desktop.
