How to Pin to the Taskbar or Desktop in Windows 11

By Bibek Updated September 19, 2022

The taskbar in Windows 11 is very versatile. Pinning an application to the taskbar means you have a conveniently located shortcut to that application. You can pin myriads of things to the taskbar. You can launch apps pinned to the taskbar with a single click.

You might want, or even need, a frequently used application pinned to the taskbar. You might need quick access to files, folders, drives, or even specific web pages. You can do so by pinning them to the taskbar.

In this article, we will guide you through the process of pinning various applications and icons to the taskbar. Please continue reading.

Pin Open App to the Taskbar

When you launch an app, its icon automatically gets populated in the taskbar. For unpinned icons, this gets removed when you close the app. However, if you pin it to the taskbar, it stays there even after you’ve closed the app. To pin an open app to the taskbar, follow these steps:

Locate the app’s icon in the taskbar
Right-click on it
Select Pin to taskbar

Pin Any App to the Taskbar

If you want to pin an app to the taskbar without launching it, you can do so.

Press Start button
Click on All apps> button near the top right corner
Scroll to find the app you would like to pin to the taskbar
Right-click on it
Select More
Select Pin to taskbar

Use Context Menu to Pin an App to the Taskbar

You can also pin any app from outside of the Start menu by utilizing the context menu. To do so, please follow the steps below:

Find the icon or shortcut of the app that you would like to pin to the taskbar
Right-click on it
On the context menu, click on Show more options
Click on Pin to taskbar

Pin a File or a Folder to the Taskbar

You can also pin your most frequently used file(s) and folder(s) to the taskbar. Please follow these steps:

Navigate the file, or the folder you want to pin to the taskbar
Right-click on it and select Show more options
Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)
Go to the desktop and find the shortcut that was just created
Right-click on the shortcut and click on Properties
In the Shortcut tab, look for a description called Target
Inside the box, add explorer and a space in front of the target path
Select Apply and then Okay
Right-click on the shortcut icon again and this time select Show more options
Click on Pin to taskbar

This should pin your folder to the taskbar. We recommend changing the icon of the shortcut before pinning it to the taskbar since the default icon is shared with File Explorer, which is pinned to taskbar by default.

Pin Documents to the Taskbar

You can pin Documents to the taskbar as well. However, creating shortcut for it is not as straightforward as it is for files and folders. To create a shortcut to Documents:

Navigate to C:\Users\<Username>\
Right click on Documents
Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)

This will create a desktop shortcut of Documents. You can then follow the method outlined in the pinning file or folder to taskbar to complete the remaining steps.

Viola! You have a pinned icon to Documents in the taskbar.

Pin a Website to the Taskbar While Using Microsoft Edge

You can pin a website to the taskbar. This will let you launch that website faster the next time you want to visit it. To do so from Microsoft Edge, follow the steps below :

Launch Microsoft Edge
Type the website URL in the address bar and press enter
Click on the ellipses (three dots) near the top right corner
Click on More tools
Click on Pin to taskbar

Pin a Website to the Taskbar While Using Google Chrome

Google Chrome is currently the most popular browser. You can also pin a website to the taskbar while using Google Chrome. Please follow the steps below:

Launch Google Chrome
Sign into your Google account
Type in the URL of the webpage in the address bar and press enter
Click on ellipses (three dots) near the top right corner and choose More tools
Click on Create shortcut. This creates a shortcut to the webpage in the desktop.
Go to desktop and find the newly created shortcut icon; Right click on the shortcut
Click on Pin to taskbar

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Pin Steam Games to Taskbar Windows 11?

You can easily pin Steam to the taskbar in Windows 11 using the method for pinning file/folder to the taskbar. To launch a particular game in your steam library, use the following steps:

Create a desktop shortcut to the steam app.
Right-click on the shortcut and click properties
In the Shortcut tab, navigate to Target area
In Target area, append -applaunch <APPID> -nosplash

To find the APPID of your steam game:

Open Steam
Go to the Library tab and scroll to the game you want
Right-click and select Properties
Go to the Updates tab and look for APPID

How to Pin to Taskbar Windows 10?

You can pin any application that you want to the taskbar in Windows 10. To do so, simply follow the steps below:

Find the app icon that you want to pin to the Windows 10 taskbar
Right-click on it
Click on Pin to the taskbar

How to Unpin From Taskbar Windows 11?

To unpin icons from the taskbar:

Find the icon you want to unpin from the taskbar
Right-click on it
Click Unpin from the taskbar