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Starting in Windows 10, version 1607, administrators can pin more apps to the taskbar and remove default pinned apps from the taskbar by adding a <TaskbarLayout> section to a layout modification XML file. This method never removes user-pinned apps from the taskbar.
Note
The only aspect of the taskbar that can currently be configured by the layout modification XML file is the layout.
You can specify different taskbar configurations based on device locale and region. There's no limit on the number of apps that you can pin. You specify apps using the Application User Model ID (AUMID) or Desktop Application Link Path (the local path to the application).
If you specify an app to be pinned that isn't provisioned for the user on the computer, the pinned icon won't appear on the taskbar.
The order of apps in the XML file dictates the order of pinned apps on the taskbar from left to right, to the right of any existing apps pinned by the user.
Note
In operating systems configured to use a right-to-left language, the taskbar order will be reversed.
The following example shows how apps will be pinned: Windows default apps to the left (blue circle), apps pinned by the user in the center (orange triangle), and apps that you pin using the XML file to the right (green square).
Configure taskbar (general)
To configure the taskbar:
- Create the XML file.
- If you're also customizing the Start layout, use
Export-StartLayoutto create the XML, and then add the<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>section from the following sample to the file. - If you're only configuring the taskbar, use the following sample to create a layout modification XML file.
- If you're also customizing the Start layout, use
- Edit and save the XML file. You can use AUMID or Desktop Application Link Path to identify the apps to pin to the taskbar.
- Add
xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"to the first line of the file, before the closing >. - Use
<taskbar:UWA>and AUMID to pin Universal Windows Platform apps. - Use
<taskbar:DesktopApp>and Desktop Application Link Path to pin desktop applications.
- Add
- Apply the layout modification XML file to devices using Group Policy or a provisioning package created in Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (Windows ICD).
Important
If you use a provisioning package or import-startlayout to configure the taskbar, your configuration will be reapplied each time the explorer.exe process restarts. If your configuration pins an app and the user then unpins that app, the user's change will be overwritten the next time the configuration is applied. To apply a taskbar configuration that allows users to make changes that will persist, apply your configuration by using Group Policy.
If you use Group Policy and your configuration only contains a taskbar layout, the default Windows tile layout will be applied and cannot be changed by users. If you use Group Policy and your configuration includes taskbar and a full Start layout, users can only make changes to the taskbar. If you use Group Policy and your configuration includes taskbar and a partial Start layout, users can make changes to the taskbar and to tile groups not defined in the partial Start layout.
Tips for finding AUMID and Desktop Application Link Path
In the layout modification XML file, you'll need to add entries for applications in the XML markup. In order to pin an application, you need either its AUMID or Desktop Application Link Path.
The easiest way to find this data for an application is to:
- Pin the application to the Start menu on a reference or testing PC.
- Open Windows PowerShell and run the
Export-StartLayoutcmdlet. - Open the generated XML file.
- Look for an entry corresponding to the app you pinned.
- Look for a property labeled
AppUserModelIDorDesktopApplicationLinkPath.
Sample taskbar configuration XML file
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>Sample taskbar configuration added to Start layout XML file
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <LayoutOptions StartTileGroupCellWidth="6" StartTileGroupsColumnCount="1" /> <DefaultLayoutOverride> <StartLayoutCollection> <defaultlayout:StartLayout GroupCellWidth="6" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"> <start:Group Name="Life at a glance" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"> <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="0" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" /> <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="4" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI" /> <start:Tile Size="2x2" Column="2" Row="0" AppUserModelID="Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App" /> </start:Group> </defaultlayout:StartLayout> </StartLayoutCollection> </DefaultLayoutOverride> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>Keep default apps and add your own
The <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection> section will append listed apps to the taskbar by default. The following sample keeps the default apps pinned and adds pins for Paint, Microsoft Reader, and a command prompt.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Paint.lnk" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\Command Prompt.lnk" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>Before:
After:
Remove default apps and add your own
By adding PinListPlacement="Replace" to <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>, you remove all default pinned apps; only the apps that you specify will be pinned to the taskbar.
If you only want to remove some of the default pinned apps, you would use this method to remove all default pinned apps and then include the default app that you want to keep in your list of pinned apps.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace"> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Internet Explorer.lnk"/> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Paint.lnk" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Office.Word_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.word" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>Before:
After:
Remove default apps
By adding PinListPlacement="Replace" to <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>, you remove all default pinned apps.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace"> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="#leaveempty"/> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>Configure taskbar by country or region
The following example shows you how to configure taskbars by country or region. When the layout is applied to a computer, if there's no <TaskbarPinList> node with a region tag for the current region, the first <TaskbarPinList> node that has no specified region will be applied. When you specify one or more countries or regions in a <TaskbarPinList> node, the specified apps are pinned on computers configured for any of the specified countries or regions.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><LayoutModificationTemplate xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification" xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" Version="1"> <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace"> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout region="US|UK"> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList > <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Office.Word_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.word" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Paint.lnk"/> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout region="DE|FR"> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Office.Word_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.word" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Office.Excel_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.excel" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Paint.lnk"/> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> <taskbar:TaskbarPinList> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" /> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Office.Word_8wekyb3d8bbwe!microsoft.word" /> <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Paint.lnk"/> <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader" /> </taskbar:TaskbarPinList> </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout> </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection></LayoutModificationTemplate>When the preceding example XML file is applied, the resulting taskbar for computers in the US or UK:
The resulting taskbar for computers in Germany or France:
The resulting taskbar for computers in any other country region:
Note
Look up country and region codes (use the ISO Short column)
Layout Modification Template schema definition
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:local="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" targetNamespace="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" elementFormDefault="qualified"> <xsd:complexType name="ct_PinnedUWA"> <xsd:attribute name="AppUserModelID" type="xsd:string" /> </xsd:complexType> <xsd:complexType name="ct_PinnedDesktopApp"> <xsd:attribute name="DesktopApplicationID" type="xsd:string" /> <xsd:attribute name="DesktopApplicationLinkPath" type="xsd:string" /> </xsd:complexType> <xsd:complexType name="ct_TaskbarPinList"> <xsd:sequence> <xsd:choice minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="unbounded"> <xsd:element name="UWA" type="local:ct_PinnedUWA" /> <xsd:element name="DesktopApp" type="local:ct_PinnedDesktopApp" /> </xsd:choice> </xsd:sequence> <xsd:attribute name="Region" type="xsd:string" use="optional" /> </xsd:complexType> <xsd:simpleType name="st_TaskbarPinListPlacement"> <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string"> <xsd:enumeration value="Append" /> <xsd:enumeration value="Replace" /> </xsd:restriction> </xsd:simpleType> <xsd:attributeGroup name="ag_SelectionAttributes"> <xsd:attribute name="SKU" type="xsd:string" use="optional"/> <xsd:attribute name="Region" type="xsd:string" use="optional"/> </xsd:attributeGroup> <xsd:complexType name="ct_TaskbarLayout"> <xsd:sequence> <xsd:element name="TaskbarPinList" type="local:ct_TaskbarPinList" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" /> </xsd:sequence> <xsd:attributeGroup ref="local:ag_SelectionAttributes"/> </xsd:complexType></xsd:schema>- Manage Windows 10 Start and taskbar layout
- Customize and export Start layout
- Add image for secondary tiles
- Start layout XML for desktop editions of Windows 10 (reference)
- Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with Group Policy
- Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with provisioning packages
- Customize Windows 10 Start and taskbar with mobile device management (MDM)
- Changes to Start policies in Windows 10
FAQs
How do I customize the taskbar in Windows 10 for all users? ›
...
Enter the following settings, and then click OK:
- Select Enabled.
- Under Options, specify the path to the . ...
- Optionally, enter a comment to identify the Start and taskbar layout.
- Click a blank portion of the taskbar.
- Hold down the primary mouse button, and then drag the mouse pointer to the place on the screen where you want the taskbar.
The First Fix: Restart the Explorer Process
This controls the Windows shell, which includes the File Explorer app as well as the taskbar and Start menu. Restarting it can thus clear up any minor hiccups, such as your taskbar not working. To restart this process, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager.
- In Windows 10, right-click or tap and hold on the taskbar.
- Select Taskbar settings to open the Settings menu.
- Next to Combine taskbar buttons, select the menu and choose Never.
Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Select Taskbar items and Taskbar corner icons to expand those sections and turn off the switches for the items you don't want to see on the taskbar. To select which icons can appear in the taskbar corner, select Taskbar corner overflow.
How do I fix the alignment on my taskbar? ›Change the taskbar alignment
Press and hold or right-click any empty space on the taskbar, then select Taskbar settings > Taskbar behaviors. Scroll to Taskbar alignment and select Left.
Click Start and open Settings or use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + I. When Settings opens, go to Personalization > Taskbar. Now, go through the list and turn taskbar items on or off.
How do I ungroup the taskbar in Windows? ›To proceed, click Taskbar in the left navigation pane. Under Tweak behavior and superpowers, click the dropdown menu that says Always hide labels next to Combine taskbar buttons. Click Never from the dropdown menu.
How do I turn off grouping? ›It's easy to disable File Grouping per folder. Right-click on the contents of any folder, click on Group by, and select None. You can easily enable File Grouping again at any time by changing None to your preferred view.
How do I change my alignment on Windows 10? ›Select Start > Settings > System > Display, and choose a screen orientation from the drop-down list labelled Orientation.
Why is my taskbar not centered? ›
Change Taskbar alignment to the center on Windows 11
Click on Personalization. Click on Taskbar. Click the Taskbar behaviors option. Use the “Taskbar alignment” setting and select the Center option to align icons to the center side.
In Windows 10, go to Settings > System > Notifications & sctions. In Windows 11, it's just Notifications. Turn off all the toggle switches for individual apps, especially the ones you find most annoying.
How do I enable the taskbar grouping? ›By default, all open files from the same app are always grouped together, even if you didn't open them in succession. Press and hold or right-click any empty space on the taskbar, then select Taskbar settings > Combine taskbar buttons.
How do I restrict the properties of the taskbar? ›- Press Win + R to open the Windows Run command dialog box.
- Type gpedit. msc and press Enter to open the LGPE.
- Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
- Double-click on the Lock all taskbar settings option on the right-hand side pane.
Right-click the taskbar on the main monitor. Click Taskbar Settings. Scroll down and enable Show taskbar on all displays. Set Show taskbar buttons on: All taskbars.
How do I change the taskbar settings in the registry? ›- Open the Registry Editor app.
- Go to the following Registry key. ...
- On the right, see the binary value Settings. ...
- Change the value data according to this list: ...
- Restart the Explorer shell to apply the change.
- Select Start , select the arrow next to All apps, right-click the app, then select More > Pin to taskbar.
- If the app is already open on the desktop, press and hold (or right click) the app's taskbar icon, and then select Pin to taskbar.
It typically shows which programs are currently running. The specific design and layout of the taskbar varies between individual operating systems, but generally assumes the form of a strip located along one edge of the screen. On this strip are various icons which correspond to the windows open within a program.
Can you customize Taskbar icons? ›To change how icons and notifications appear
Press and hold or right-click any empty space on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings. Under Taskbar corner icons: Select On for any icons you want to see on the taskbar. Select Off for any icons you don't want to see on the taskbar.
To arrange icons by name, type, date, or size, right-click a blank area on the desktop, and then click Arrange Icons. Click the command that indicates how you want to arrange the icons (by Name, by Type, and so on). If you want the icons to be automatically arranged, click Auto Arrange.
How do I arrange my icons? ›
On an iPhone or Android device, gently place your finger on an icon and drag it on top of another app. The phone will automatically create a folder containing those two apps. Tap Done.