Netbook Network

One of the best features of Windows 7 that its predecessors don’t have is the new revamped taskbar. By default, it’ll cover up the names of the windows open to save screen space, and you can pin objects to it for easy launching. Overall, it saves a lot of screen space, great for owners of any Windows 7 machine. Today, this guide will show you how to dig your hands even deeper within the new Windows 7 taskbar.

The first one I’d like to cover is the brilliant world of keyboard shortcuts. They save a lot of time, and are relatively easier to use than the mouse.

• To launch a program pinned to the taskbar, hold down the [Win] key and press [1, 2, 3... 0] to launch the object that corresponds with the number you pressed down (from left to right, starting at 1 for the first program).
• Holding the [Ctrl] key and pressing on a program pinned to the taskbar lets you cycle through the program’s open windows
• Holding [Shift] and clicking on any program in the taskbar will launch another instance of the application. If you press down the [Ctrl] key as well, you can launch the program under administrative rights.
• To open the window menu (Close, Maximize, Minimize, etc.) hold down [Shift] and right click on the open window in the taskbar.

Using the mouse:

• Press the middle click button (or MOUSE3) to launch a new instance of an application.
• If you open a jump list, you can right click on any of the jump list’s items to do things such as run the application under administrator.
• Instead of right clicking to open a jump list, you can click and hold on a program in the taskbar, and drag your mouse towards the direction of your desktop, depending on where the taskbar sits.

Some great taskbar tools:

• Want to create your own jump lists? Check out this application.
• A Windows 7 taskbar tweaker

Want to view system information in the taskbar without having to click on icons in the taskbar tray?

Using Superbar Monitor, you can have all your taskbar tray icons appear as objects on the taskbar that present you their information. Grab this neat utility here.

This post was revised as of 12/30/2010 as part of our post quality review.