The Windows 7 taskbar is one of the most noticeable changes from previous versions of Windows.  This week Prime Insight is going to take you through the new functionality so you can get the most out of it.

Pinning Applications to the Taskbar

In previous versions of Windows there was a “Quick Launch” area of the taskbar.  By default it was just to the right of the Start button, and housed icons you could use to quickly launch your favorite applications.  This is gone from Windows 7.  Where did it go?

To answer that, I’d like to point out an issue people had with the previous taskbar.  When you launched an application it would put an icon on the taskbar that represented that running application.  When you launch a second application, it would put a second icon next to the first, and so on.  The first application you launched would be all the way to the left. For many people, this was their email client.  Then maybe Internet Explorer, and then perhaps a Word document.  Everyday, you launch these three applications, in the same order.  However, one day you have to open the Word document first.  Then Internet Explorer then Outlook for your email.  This rearranges your icons and is a little disconcerting for the day.

What Microsoft has done with Windows 7 is to allow you to “pin’ your most common applications to the taskbar, where you want them to be.  Then when you launch them (no matter what order your launch them in, they are accessible in the same place they always are.  If you forgot to launch Internet Explorer this morning, the same action you would take to switch to it (click on it’s icon on the taskbar) launches it.  This is very intuitive and easy to get used to.  It replaces the Quick Launch area, and solves the problem with “shuffled” icons.

To pin an application, simply right click on a running application and choose to “Pin this app to the taskbar.”  Then even when you close the application, the icon stays. 

 

Notice that the icon does subtly change to indicate that it is running.  There is a very faint shading around the icon.  When there are multiple windows open for the same application, there is a line down the side of the icon to indicate that there are “stacked” windows present.


Jumplists

Jumplists are a new feature implemented with Windows 7.  The idea is to try to give you the most useful tools, within any application, right at your fingertips.

Jumplists are accessed by right-clicking on any icon in your task bar.  When you do that the context sensitive jumplist opens giving you access to recently opened documents or websites.  More and more integration with jumplists are planned with Office 2010 for example the ability to compose a new email, or to print a Word document.

You can pin your favorite websites to your Internet Explorer icon for easy access to them:

You can pin your most frequently used documents or templates to the jumplist.

 

You do this by opening the document or website, then access the jumplist for that application by right clicking on the icon.  When you move your mouse over the name of the open document you will see a push pin appear.  Clicking on it once will pin that document to the jumplist. 

This also works with Windows Explorer.  By pinning your most frequently used folders to the Windows Explorer jumplist it gives you easy access to where you store your data.

You can even pin a Library to a jumplist.  (If you’ve forgotten about Libraries, check out our coverage here)

 

You can even pin icons to the Start Menu.  So explore the taskbar in Windows 7.  If you have a tip for using the taskbar, please tell us about it in the comment area.