Windows 11/10, by default, allows all the apps to pin to the Taskbar. Pinning a program to the Taskbar is easy in Windows; simply right-click on any app from the Start menu and choose Pin to Taskbar. Or you can directly drag and drop any application shortcut on the Taskbar – but pinning any drive or folder to the Taskbar is not an option. In this post, we will guide you on how to pin a Folder or Drive to the Taskbar in Windows 11/10.
Before we jump right into it, a little bit of background.
In Windows, pinning a program to the Taskbar is a handy way to access that particular application or program easily. It acts as a shortcut, and it’s better than a shortcut. It is very handy to access any application easily without searching or scrolling through all the apps listed.
The default location of Pin to Taskbar folder is indicated below. You can add any apps directly to this location, and it will reflect in the Taskbar after the system restart.
File Explorer location:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar
Registry location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband
How to Pin a Folder to the Taskbar
To pin a Folder to the Taskbar in Windows 11/10, follow the instructions outlined below.
- Choose the Folder that you want to Pin to Taskbar.
- Right-click on the selected Folder and choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
- Right-click on the newly created shortcut on the Desktop and choose Properties.
- Next, click on the Shortcut tab and type explorer with a space in front of the Target field.
- Click on Apply > OK.
That particular Folder/Drive shortcut will now appear like a File Explorer icon.
Now you can directly drag and drop the shortcut folder on the Taskbar. However, the File Explorer and Shortcut Folder icons will look the same, which might confuse you. So it’s better to change the folder icon.
After changing the folder icon, you can right-click on the shortcut folder and choose Pin to taskbar or drag and drop on the Taskbar to Pin the Folder.
Read: How to pin User files or folders to Windows Taskbar
How to Pin a Drive to the Taskbar
To pin a Drive to the Taskbar in Windows 11/10, follow these instructions:
- First, choose the Drive that you want to Pin to Taskbar.
- Right-click on the Drive and click on Show more options > Create shortcut
- You will see a message that says, “Cant create a shortcut here …“
- Click Yes to place the shortcut on the Desktop
- Right-click on the desktop shortcut and choose Properties.
- Next, click on the Shortcut tab and type explorer with a space in front of the Target field.
- Click on Apply > OK.
Now drag and drop the shortcut folder on the Taskbar. However, the Explorer and Drive icons will look the same – so it’s better to change the icon.
That’s it!
