Maximum PC - UK (2019-09)

16

Make Use of the Taskbar

The Taskbar is the best location

for any, and all, shortcuts that you need.

Right-click your existing desktop or Start

menu shortcuts, and choose “Pin to

Taskbar” to add them. You can then drag

and drop icons within the bar to order

them logically.

17

Minimize the Search Box

Does the new search bar take up

too much room on your Taskbar? Right-

click an empty part of the Taskbar, and

choose “Cortana > Show Cortana Icon” to

replace it with a clickable icon; or choose

“Cortana > Hidden” if you never use it.

18

Resize the Taskbar

Running out of space for shortcut

icons? Make them smaller by right-

clicking the Taskbar, choosing “Taskbar

Settings,” and flicking the “Use Small

Taskbar Buttons” switch to “On.” Or right-

click the Taskbar and uncheck “Lock the

Taskbar.” Click the top edge of the Taskbar

and drag up to add space for an extra row.

19

Move the Taskbar

While it’s unlocked, you can also

click and drag the Taskbar to a different

edge of the screen—pin it left or right for a

vertical list, or at the top if it suits your way

of working better.

20

Show Labels

If you only have a handful of icons

on the Taskbar, open Taskbar settings,

scroll down, and change “Combine

Taskbar Buttons” to “When the Taskbar

is Full” or “Never” to view a label, which

helps you to easily view—and switch

between—open documents within the

same application.

21

Add Toolbars

Right-click the Taskbar and you’ll

see a Toolbars menu, enabling you to

add extra features to it—you can select

“Address” to add a URL bar for opening

websites in your default web browser, for

example. To add eas y access to your entire

PC, choose “Toolbars > New Toolbar.”

Select “This PC” and click “Select Folder.”

From here, click “>>” next to “This PC”

to access any folder or drive with just a

few clicks.

22

Increase the Size of

Taskbar Peek Thumbnails

When you roll your mouse over an

open program’s Taskbar icon, you get a

pop-up thumbnail of open document(s)—

it’s a bit small, so open Ultimate Windows

Tweaker, navigate to “Customization >

Taskbar,” and try setting the minimum

and maximum thumbnail size sliders to

400. Click “Apply Tweaks,” and after File
     Explorer restarts, you should instantly
     see an improvement.

23

Tweak the

Notification Area

You don’t need to delve deep into Taskbar

settings to change the behavior of the

Taskbar’s notification icons. Simply drag

icons between the notification area and

its “holding area” (click “^” to reveal it).

To remove icons permanently without

closing the parent application, check out

the program’s own settings.

24

Clear System Icons

Windows places several icons of

its own in the Taskbar notification area—

some elements, such as the touchpad or

Task bar and Notifications

Increase the size of Taskbar Peek thumbnail s to make them easier to read on screen.

WinStep Nexus is a visually slick—and practical—alternative to the Taskbar.

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