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How to pin multiple folders to your Windows 7 taskbar
Abhishek's exact directions didn't work for me, so here's how I did it.
The first step is to make sure you have the hide extensions for known file types option unchecked. Click the windows button and type folder into the search box, the click folder options when it appears (it's also in Control Panel). You can also open the run box and paste this command: rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0
Next, right click your freshly-renamed file and choose pin to taskbar. Once your icon appears there, hold down the shift key on your keyboard, right click the icon, and choose properties. A regular right-click may not give you the properties option-- it might only display the name you entered and unpin from taskbar.
Once the properties screen is displayed, change the target to the full path to your folder -- mine is going to point to C:\Users\Lee\My Pictures\Screencaps. I also changed the start in field to the same path. After you've changed the target, it's OK to delete the file you created from your desktop.
All that's left is to pick a better icon than the default Windows .EXE. Click the change icon button and pick something from imageres.dll (Windows will probably open that by default).
You can find more icons in %SystemRoot%\System32\Shell32.dll and %SystemRoot\System32\DDORes.dll (hardware icons) -- or you can always download something from your favorite icon site if you want. Your icon may not change instantly. If it doesn't, simply right-click your taskbar, choose task manager, click processes, and end the explorer.exe process. When it restarts, your new icon should appear. You can also log off and log back in if task manager isn't something you like to mess with.
Repeat as many times as you like until you've got all the folders you want on your taskbar. Nice!
update: as with many Saturday morning discoveries, someone else has come up with a far less complex method than the one my foggy brain concocted:
"why bother with all that rubbish...
simply create a shortcut to Explorer.exe "My Folder Path" then drag it onto the taskbar.
eg Target : C:\Windows\explorer.exe D:\Downloads"
For some reason, I thought this pinned items to the Explorer icon, but lo and behold...separate icons. Doh!
Thanks, Davey! I need more coffee.
Comments
12
Subscribe to commentsDaveApr 24th 2010 11:49AM
This works like a charm. I did notice that the icon didn't change until I killed explorer.exe and restarted it but that's just a few seconds extra work.
@davey_ladApr 24th 2010 12:25PM
why bother with all that rubbish... simply create a shortcut to
Explorer.exe "My Folder Path" then drag it onto the taskbar.
eg
Target : C:\Windows\explorer.exe D:\Downloads
mmbbApr 24th 2010 3:50PM
Or just change the "Start in..." folder under icon properties.
KheldarApr 24th 2010 2:51PM
How do I do this if I want to add My Documents this way? I don't quite understand the tech jargon (only a middling tech savvy guy)
I have C:\Users\USername\Documents but when I tried both methods, it instead left me with the Explorer pin.
Lee MathewsApr 24th 2010 2:45PM
Try this in the target:
%USERPROFILE%\Documents
kblackmaneApr 24th 2010 2:55PM
Mathews: Thanks for that. That worked. Now trying to figure out how to do the same specifically with My Computer. I tried using %explorer but it instead opens up to a window listing my documents/photos/music etc rather than showing me C, D, E, F etc.
Wish I could reliably use the Quick Launch hack that was found, but because I have to live with the language toolbar, every time I restart my computer the quicklaunch goes poof.
PeteApr 24th 2010 5:09PM
%windir%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
PeteApr 24th 2010 5:15PM
To open your Videos library directly:
%windir%\explorer.exe ::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}
abhishekApr 24th 2010 7:09PM
Those instructions did not worked for you - because show file extensions is not turned on by default - thanks for pointing out, I have updated article for the same. :)
Warner YoungApr 24th 2010 10:22PM
Can the same trick be used to pin folders to the Start Menu? I'm not at my Win7 system right now, so I can't check. That's one of the few annoyances for me in Windows 7: there are a few things I'd like to keep grouped together in the Start Menu if possible, so they don't take up room on the Taskbar.
@davey_ladApr 25th 2010 4:56AM
This article may be of interest also,
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/02/07/command-line-switches-to-display-special-objects-or-folders-when-opening-windows-explorer/
247highwayMay 3rd 2010 10:12PM
Could you not achieve the same thing by doing the following:
Create a shortcut for whatever folder you want on your desktop
Drag the shortcut down to the task bar and it should ask you if you want to pin it to windows explorer.
Select Pin it
You will see all the folders you have pinned by right clicking on the Windows Explore icon in the taskbar.
This way doesn't clutter up the task bar at the bottom
Just a thought ...