The Windows Taskbar is the row of buttons often found across the bottom of the screen, although it can be relocated to the top or either side, and it can even be hidden until the user moves the mouse pointer (cursor) to the edge of the screen. See
Win Move Taskbar,
Win Hide Taskbar and
Win Task Manager.
The Taskbar contains a button with the logo of each currently open application, and prior to Windows 8, the Start menu button. Clicking the application icon takes the app off screen ("minimized") and clicking it again restores it on screen. When the application is closed, the icon leaves the bar.
Pinning Your Favorites on the Taskbar
Users can pin programs and folders permanently on the Taskbar for quick access, even quicker than pinning them on the Start menu (see
Win Start menu).
Pin Program to Taskbar (Win 7 and 10)
Windows 7 and 10 use the same procedure, except Win10 adds one more step.
1. Right click program icon in Start menu.
2. Click More (Win 10)
3. Click Pin to Taskbar.
Unpin Program from Taskbar (Win 7 and 10)
Windows 7 and 10 use the same procedure.
1. Right click icon in Taskbar.
2. Select Unpin from Taskbar.
Windows 7 Taskbar
In Windows 7 and 10, the Start menu button is part of the Taskbar. In Win7, Explorer is pinned to the Taskbar fresh out of the box (white arrow). The red arrows show two programs pinned by the user, and the gray arrows on the right point to two more programs launched from the Start menu. If the icon leaves the Taskbar when the application is closed, it was not pinned.