Enable and Customize Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 11 for Faster Access

How to Add the Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 11: A Simple Guide

Well, folks, you know, back in the old days, we had all sorts of neat little tricks on the computer, didn’t we? One of them was the Quick Launch Toolbar. It made life so much easier by letting us open our favorite programs with just a click. Now, with this newfangled Windows 11, they’ve gone and made things all fancy and different, but don’t you worry! You can still bring that old Quick Launch back, and I’m here to tell you how.

Why Do You Want the Quick Launch Toolbar, Anyway?

You might be asking yourself, “Why bother with all this Quick Launch business? Windows 11’s taskbar is already right there, and you can pin stuff to it.” Well, that’s true, but the Quick Launch toolbar does things a little differently. Instead of just sticking everything on the main taskbar where it’s all crowded up, the Quick Launch toolbar gives you a nice little space for your most-used programs and files. Just a little click, and bam, there they are, ready to go!

Now, as good as it is, I gotta tell ya, Windows 11 doesn’t make it easy to add it back. You gotta dig around a bit, but it’s not impossible. Let me show you how to do it step by step.

Steps to Add the Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 11

• First thing, right-click on your taskbar. A menu’s gonna pop up—look for an option that says “Taskbar settings.” Click that.
• Once you’re in there, scroll down till you see the “Taskbar behaviors” section. You won’t find the Quick Launch toolbar option directly, but you’ll find something that says “Combine taskbar buttons.” Uncheck that box! It’ll give you more room to work with.
• Next, you’ll need to go ahead and open up File Explorer. You’re gonna need a little bit of space for your Quick Launch bar, so head over to the top of your screen where it says “View,” then click on “Show,” and make sure “Item checkboxes” is selected. This will let you select things easier as you go along.
• After that, you wanna right-click on an empty spot on your taskbar, then hover over “Toolbars” and click “New toolbar.” You’ll get a box asking you where you want to place your toolbar—just type in the path for your Quick Launch items, like C:Users[Your Name]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick Launch.
• Now, you’ll see that Quick Launch toolbar on your taskbar! You can drag your favorite apps, folders, or websites straight into that toolbar. Easy peasy.

What If You Can’t Find the Quick Launch Option?

Now, listen, I gotta tell ya, if you can’t find the Quick Launch option no matter what you do, don’t be too upset. Microsoft has made it so that they prefer folks pinning their apps directly to the taskbar instead. They think it’s simpler that way, but I can understand how you might miss the old way. Don’t worry, though, you can still pin programs to your taskbar by right-clicking on them and choosing “Pin to Taskbar.”

More Tips for Customizing Your Taskbar

• If you’re like me and want things looking neat and tidy, you can always make sure your taskbar icons are a little smaller. Just go back into those settings, and under the “Taskbar behaviors” section, you’ll see an option to adjust the size of your icons.
• Also, you can get rid of that “Search” bar or the “Cortana” thing if you don’t need it. Makes the whole taskbar feel a little less crowded, especially if you’re working with a smaller screen.
• If you want to add more space for your Quick Launch items, you can always resize the taskbar itself. Just right-click on the taskbar and drag it to make it bigger or smaller.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it. Getting the Quick Launch toolbar back on Windows 11 might not be as easy as it used to be, but it sure isn’t impossible. Just follow these steps, and you can have your favorite apps and folders at your fingertips once again. It’s like going back to the good ol’ days of Windows—but with a bit more of that newfangled style, I guess. Good luck, and happy clicking!

Tags: [Quick Launch Toolbar, Windows 11, Taskbar, How to Add Quick Launch, Windows 11 Customization]