How to Get the Good Old “Quick Launch” Toolbar and “Show Desktop” Shortcut Back in Windows 7 and Later?

If you are using Windows 7 or later, you might be wondering where are the good ol’ “Show Desktop” shortcut and “Quick Launch” toolbar in Taskbar?

Actually “Show Desktop” shortcut has been moved to extreme end of Windows 7 Taskbar in form of a small rectangle and Microsoft has disabled “Quick Launch” toolbar intentionally because the same functionality is provided using the new PIN feature in Windows 7.

But you can enable “Quick Launch” toolbar back in Windows 7 and it’ll also contain the good old “Show Desktop” shortcut using following simple steps:

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1. Right-click on Taskbar and select “Toolbars -> New toolbar…“.

Creating_new_toolbar.png

2. It’ll open Browse dialog box. Now paste following string in the “Folder:” text box:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Press Enter and click on “Select folder” button.

3. It’ll immediately add Quick Launch toolbar to Taskbar.

4. Now right-click on Taskbar and uncheck “Lock the taskbar” option.

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Unlocking_taskbar.png

5. You’ll see a placeholder to drag the Quick Launch toolbar.

6. Right-click on the toolbar placeholder and uncheck “Show Title” and “Show Text” options.

Disabling_Show_text_and_title.png

7. If you want to increase the icon size, right-click on the toolbar placeholder and enable “View -> Large Icons” option.

Enabling_large_icons.png

8. Drag-n-drop this toolbar to the left of Taskbar.

9. That’s it. Now you have the good ol’ “Quick Launch” toolbar and “Show Desktop” shortcut back in Windows 7 Taskbar.

Quick_launch_in_Win_7.png

Also Check:

[Tip] Create a Portable Quick Launch Toolbar for Windows Taskbar

Published in: Windows 7

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

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  1. The other instructions on the Web — including Microsoft’s — didn’t work. This one did work. Thank you very much.

    PS They left out your #4 and #5.

  2. This is awesome, thanks a lot !, I was looking for it for quite a while. Now my 7 is like I always wanted. The QuickLaunch and ShowDesktop are unquestionable and nonnegotiable options.

  3. Actually, we had already two options available to us in order to show the desktop:
    1. Right-click on the Taskbar and there you find “Show the destop”.
    2. Then you could have the Desktop toolbar installed by right-clicking on the Taskbar, then Toobars, then Desktop. This give a menu with all your desktop icons. Why not after all ?
    But with the ShowDesktop button and QuickLaunch toolbar, it’s even handier.
    Thanks for the clear instructions provided here.

  4. Now, is there an option to include “add to Quick Launch” to context menu when clicking at a random icon, e.g. on the Desktop?
    I saw a tutorial on adding “Send to -> Quick Launch”, but this is not what I want…

  5. Oh, sorry I just realized you just click delete on it! Oops. Thanks for this great article! I’ve been looking for an hour nothing else works this well or easily!

  6. Thank you for this. I have done as suggested, and now the icons that I had for Internet Explorer, Outlook, Media Player, and Explorer have now gone blank and don’t work. Please tell me how to undo this so called fix.

  7. ^^ This method has nothing to do with your blank icon problem. This method is only adding a new toolbar to Taskbar which can be removed anytime using Taskbar context menu.

  8. THANKS! Worked, and better method than adding a command-line destkop toggler lnk I was using before. Why o why did MS get rid of the desktop shortcut!? So useful, practical, and everyone used it.

  9. I’ve managed to install the show desktop icon, but it wont let me move it to the left hand side of the taskbar. Any ideas?

  10. ^^ Make sure you first unlock the Taskbar and then you’ll be able to move the toolbar.

  11. Any way of moving the quicklaunch bar to the top of the screen (without taking the task bar with it)?

  12. I added the quick launch toolbar but it won’t let me add any programs to it. I have the toolbar unlocked.

  13. Yes it did work but every time I unticked the toolbar option Quick launch disappeared and I had to keep setting it up again. Also it won’t go all the way to the left of the taskbar.It’s the same problem on both Windows 7 and 8 .It seems that it only creates a temporary task bar folder but when you untick the toolbar or restart your computer it QL disappears again.

  14. What I mean to say is that I am able to create the QL toolbar under new toolbar option but the minute I untick the toolbar to turn it of the tolbar disapears but that’s not the case with the Windows default toobars. Maybe it’sa bug or one of the updates is blocking Quick Launch on Windows 7 & and 8?

  15. Thanks, but what is needed and not found yet by Googling is the reg key that would place new toolbars to the left on the TaskBar. Under Win. Tech. Preview is very very hard to drag Quick Launch or whatever to the left, as only the separator lines to the left are visible (TB is not locked).

    Must be around HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\

  16. Hey, I wanted to know for Windows XP, I couldn’t find it 🙁 but yes this info was useful thanks a bunch 😀

  17. Thanks again! I think this is the 4th time I’ve used this, over several years’ time. 🙂

  18. Thank you for the instructions. I cannot move the Show Desktop icon right next to the Windows Start icon, there is always a small gap to the left of the Show Desktop icon. If I open a program, the opened program’s icon populates this small blank area instead of showing to the right of the Show Desktop icon on the Task Bar. Is this anomaly something I just have to accept with Windows 7?

  19. I have Windows 10. I want my good old trusty desktop, “show desktop” wud wrk just fine. Stop changing what works, Please

  20. I just need away to get one app from old bar so I can talk google I can’t fine one on place can you help me I not that good with the computers?

  21. Thanks for your help, VG. I never understood why M$ always get the Quick Launch toolbar away foolishly. Here’s reasons:

    1. People get sick of that Quick Launch toolbar.
    2. Micro$oft founded out why their Quick Launch Toolbar is ABANDONED.
    ==================================================
    Fortunately, I’m not sick of it.

  22. Thanks VG for the instructions on shifting the “Show Desktop” icon to the bottom LHS of the screen.

  23. So here I am, late in the Windows 10 era (2017), perfectly liking our Win 7 set up we’ve had since I built my wife this desktop computer 8 years ago, with the QuickLaunch left intact. I was dinking around and decided, “Why not see what happens, as I Right-Click on the TaskBar & click on Toolbars, if I uncheck ‘Quick Launch’? I can always check it again, right?” … Duh!
    Henceforth I will be careful modifying ANYTHING in M$ Win-doh’s that “ain’t broke”!
    Thanks, VG, for saving me hours of frustration and attempted un-dinking.

  24. Why classic Start Menu & Old Quick Launch Toolbar disappear on every reboot restart?
    I have to recreate every time using the procedures on this site?
    Any body has solution?

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