Move location of "Desktop" toolbar in Windows 7 task bar?

Having used XP for something like a decade, while I much appreciate almost everything about Windows 7, it's been hard to let go of the cascading menus from the start menu for finding my commonly used applications. I've been using this little app called 7stacks for a while, which is very close, but it seems to be not quite up to snuff with Windows 7 in that it sometimes lags for a while before the menus will pop up. It's pretty good but can be annoying sometimes.

I recently realized that I can get much the same thing by putting shortcuts in folders on my desktop, and activating the "Desktop" toolbar.

Before clicking:

before clicking

After clicking:

example menu

This is great, except that I would really much prefer the "Desktop >>" link be at the left, where the other "quick launch" icons are. It's mostly annoying because when the cascading menus pop up, the first one is to the right, then successive ones must go to the left, because there's no room to the right. And besides I'm just used to launching stuff from the lower left!

Is there any way to change the location of these "toolbars"?

jamietre

Posted 14 years ago

Reputation: 168

When you do that, it leaves the >> at the right, and just fills up all the space to the right of "Desktop" with stuff (I believe) from the windows menu. I want the >> that pops up the cascading menus to move. – jamietre – 14 years ago

Does pinning a program to the taskbar not meet the objectives you have in mind? If not, what is it that you need that pinning can't do? – apathos – 14 years ago

Pinning a program to the taskbar does not give you cascading menus, that is the point. – jamietre – 14 years ago

@James - that is perfect, can you make it an answer? I guess I just gave up when it looked all crazy as I started to move it left. – jamietre – 14 years ago

Answers

If you right-click the taskbar you can toggle the Lock the Taskbar option. When it's turned off then you can drag toolbars around. You need to drag the Desktop toolbar all the way to the left so that it is next to the Start button. Then resize it so that it is as small as it can go.

James P

Posted 14 years ago

Reputation: 9 542

1At first I had trouble following this advice. Turns out, one of the toolbars had (Dutch) 'Automatisch aanpassen' turned on. I think that is something like 'Size automatically' or 'Adjust automatically' in English. – Jan Doggen – 11 years ago

This may, or may not, be perfect for you. The only rub is that the new Windows task bar is replaced with the traditional XP taskbar. In other words, the OLD quick launch. Frankly, I hate the new taskbar, so I love this program.

You can download the Free Launch Bar here:

http://www.freelaunchbar.com/

Here is a view of what you are looking to do:

enter image description here

Here is a screenshot of my Quick Launch, although not grouped as you wanted and as in the link above:

enter image description here

Once installed, you enable it by right-clicking the Taskbar>Toolbars>Free Launch Bar.

From there, to create your sub-menus, you right-click the Quick-Launch area>New and then either Menu, Separator or Shortcut.

I also have never had any lag using it. So if you don't mind, or even like, the old XP Quick Launch, this is your tool.

KCotreau

Posted 14 years ago

Reputation: 24 985

I think I had checked this out some time ago when I first moved to Windows 7 and I didn't want the downsides that came with it, I just wanted everything else to stay the same but have the ability to organize things in cascading menus. – jamietre – 14 years ago

For the record, so if anyone else reads this, the only downside I have seen is that it is like the XP taskbar, not the newer Windows 7 taskbar, and I consider that a major upside. – KCotreau – 14 years ago