Open more than one instance WITHOUT Shift

I recently installed Windows 7 onto my computer and am completely frustrated with the start menu/task bar.

My issue is that in Windows XP and Vista, I was able to click the icon on the task bar, and it would open up a window, and then I would be able to click that SAME icon, and it would open another window.

The problem with Windows 7 for me is, let's say I open Google Chrome, and I want to open a completely new instance, so naturally, I would click the icon, but to my disbelief, all it did was minimize and maximize the page.

I have done googled this, and found that Shift-clicking solves the issue, however, I want to achieve this with only clicking, no Shift clicking, no middle-mouse clicking, just left clicking.

Omar Qureshi

Posted 2013-09-23T20:24:09.123

Reputation: 11

See https://superuser.com/a/643747/367018

– BurnsBA – 2019-03-26T16:58:21.613

Do you want to open up a completely seperate instance of Chrome or just open a new window? One is considerably easier than another. – Green – 2013-09-23T20:34:01.970

I'd like to open a completely separate instance of Chrome. – Omar Qureshi – 2013-09-23T20:36:20.440

What are you attempting to achieve by opening a second, completely separate instance? – Green – 2013-09-23T20:52:01.617

What I am attempting to achieve, put simply, is, when I open the first window of Google Chrome, I want to be able to click that SAME ICON, on the task bar, and open up a brand new window, rather than it minimizing and maximizing the first window. – Omar Qureshi – 2013-09-23T20:56:07.627

Answers

The behavior that you want to change is a Windows Explorer-wide behavior, click on any other icon in the task bar and you'll see the same kind of maximize/minimize behavior. There may be a UI tweaking utility somewhere that will change the behavior on an application by application basis but I've never heard of such a thing. Shift clicking seems like your best bet.

Green

Posted 2013-09-23T20:24:09.123

Reputation: 556

Instead of pinning apps, you can activate the XP-style Quick Launch bar by right-clicking on the taskbar, choosing "Toolbars", and then "Quick Launch". If you then add a Chrome shortcut to the Quick Launch taskbar, it will behave the way you expect.

Aaron Miller

Posted 2013-09-23T20:24:09.123

Reputation: 8 849

1"Quick Launch" is no longer available in the "Toolbars" in Windows 7. You can add a custom folder but you have to deselect "Show Text" and "Show Title" to get something similar as "Quick Launch". – Rik – 2013-09-23T21:36:57.070

@Rik That's odd; I'm pretty sure I've got it enabled on my Windows 7 box at home. It may just be that I've got a folder set as a toolbar with the text and titles disabled, and small icons set; I'll check when I get home and update my answer if necessary. – Aaron Miller – 2013-09-23T22:03:50.067

Or maybe upgraded from vista? Here, Windows 7 ultimate clean install, i could not find it. – Rik – 2013-09-23T22:32:28.980

"Quick Launch" is (was) nothing more than a folder and can easily be replicated as @Rik describes. I believe that it was previously located at "%UserProfile%\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch". (FWIW: I run Windows 8 and wouldn't be without my Quick Launch folder!) – BillP3rd – 2013-09-23T23:15:15.650

@Rik Yup, it's just a folder, like BillP3rd describes -- I don't know why I thought it was "Quick Launch" specifically, except maybe the site where I found out the functionality still existed called it that? Anyway, you can absolutely get something just like it, and shortcuts in a folder toolbar don't have the annoying "we'd really like to rip the dock straight from OS X, but then Apple would sue us" behavior of pinned applications. – Aaron Miller – 2013-09-24T01:37:37.400