How to Fix / Troubleshoot Various Taskbar Problems in Windows?

Here you can find solutions for a few frequently asked problems which are related to Windows Taskbar like:

  • Taskbar context menu is disabled. No menu appears when you right-click on taskbar.
  • “Lock the Taskbar” option is disabled.
  • Can’t add toolbars using “Toolbars” option in Taskbar context menu.
  • Can’t open Taskbar Properties. An error message appears.
  • Can’t resize or move Taskbar.

So here we start:

1. Taskbar context menu is disabled. No menu appears when you right-click on taskbar.

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Sol. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete “NoTrayContextMenu” DWORD value.

2. “Lock the Taskbar” option is disabled. Whenever you right-click on Taskbar, “Lock the Taskbar” option is grayed out:

Lock_Taskbar_Option_Disabled.jpg

Sol. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

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In right-side pane, delete “LockTaskbar” DWORD value.

3. Can’t add toolbars using “Toolbars” menu in Taskbar context menu. All options are grayed out:

Taskbar_Toolbars_Restriction.jpg

Sol. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete “NoCloseDragDropBands” DWORD value.

4. Can’t open Taskbar Properties. Whenever you click on “Properties” in taskbar context menu, an error message appears:

Taskbar_Properties_Restrictions.jpg

Sol. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete “NoSetTaskbar” DWORD value.

5. Can’t resize or move Taskbar even “Lock the Taskbar” option is unchecked.

Sol. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
OR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In right-side pane, delete “TaskbarSizeMove” DWORD value.

Published in: Troubleshooting Guides, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP

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

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. I’ve had the same problem as Greigar, one day, I double clicked on the taskbar and it disappeared! I learned how to fix it, but now the browser is bigger than the taskbar, so it kicks the taskbar off, or downloads are hidden behind. Can you help me?

  2. My start icon and other icons of the windows 7 PC are the right side of the task bar. How to get it back to the left side

  3. ^^ Please post a screenshot of your problem. Did you use any software to move start button? Also try to unlock the Taskbar and drag-n-drop it to your desired location.

  4. Whenever I click my “chrome” button on the task bar, it opens a new chrome window/button instead of covering the original. I know something changed because it didn’t used to do this. Before I would click on it and the button would “turn into” the chrome window. How do I fix this to the way it was before?

  5. ^^ I think you have disabled Taskbar grouping feature. Open Taskbar properties and change the option “Taskbar buttons” to Always combine.

  6. My problem differs to these
    I place it here if you are able to help me please answer.
    this is how my task-bar looks
    i.imgur.com/NKYHLXD.png
    this is what happens when i select a tray program(i mean a program minimized in the right)
    i.imgur.com/cnwvNBE.png
    and this is what happens when I start to move the cursor to where the programs icons should have been
    i.imgur.com/eC5FXK6.png

    so in general when i click a tray icon every tray icon disappears(sometimes even the left non-tray shortcuts disappears too).
    If i drag the cursor over the task-bar to a position that a program was it appears.

    Also i have another problem to that i think started around the same time.
    When I click anything in there for example the computer nothing happens)
    i.imgur.com/sLwuYoM.png
    or there
    i.imgur.com/8tWlnki.png

  7. I don’t have “Polices” explorer – just “Policies” Ext HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ext

    not much is written under it except: Ignoreframeapprovalcheck and Listbox_Support_CLSID

    So, i need help to ungray out the menu items that allow me to stretch, resize, and move windows in windows 10 please.

  8. I also cannot right click on the taskbar, and followed the first instructions all the way through, this is what appears, prntscr.com/88uz5h

    This isn’t the right thing to delete, right? I have no idea why I cannot right click on the taskbar, and my search bar is not functioning either.

  9. ^^ Please check in the other key as well:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

  10. Hello, I have a similar problem to the one above 5. Can’t resize or move Taskbar even “Lock the Taskbar” option is unchecked. I changed the registry as instructed but I still can’t move anything, even though the cursor turns to the “move” icon. For example I try to drag the bar for the Quick Launch so I can see more than one icon and the cursor just changes back to the default icon and nothing happens. I can’t find any suggested fixes for this anywhere online.

  11. Can I get an answer to a windows 10 problem I am having here? I don’t know where else to go to.

  12. Hi, I have windows 8 and every time I click on any menu in the task bar (such as to eject the USB or printer option) the menu appears but as I go to click there it disappears..then I have to follow as….left click on the menu of the task bar ..appears USB option…drag cursor to the option by right clicking on the task bar…and the USB ejection can be done…any suggestion..????

  13. when i click on an icon and it loads it to my desktop the icon starts jumping around like its trying to download itself to the taskbar. the motion is as if you were backspacing the icon and it was going forward afterward.. when i click on it again for a while it stops doing this then it starts again
    .

  14. Whenever I hover over the icon in the Taskbar it used to display a minimized version of the screen so I could see what it was. Now when I hover over the icons it just brings up a list. How do I revert it back to how it used to be?
    Thank you in advance

  15. I have no right click on my taskbar so from Run>Regedit>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
    In right-side pane, delete “NoTrayContextMenu” DWORD value.

    I did not see any “NoTrayContextMenu” DWORD value. on the right side pane.

  16. I cannot right-click on icons in my taskbar and I have three “stuck” icons which have appeared ever since I upgraded to Windows 10. One is a store icon, the other two are old pinned taskbar items which now point to places that don’t exist (the old calculator app and a run under “My Computer” — which is now “This Computer” so the pointer is inaccurate). Please help.

  17. ^^ Unlock the Taskbar and then try to move the Taskbar to other area of screen such as top, left, right. Now try to delete those icons. You can also try a restart.

    If it doesnt work, paste following string in RUN dialog box and press Enter:

    %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\\User Pinned\TaskBar

    It’ll open new folder, if you see those shortcuts there, delete them.

  18. Thank you so much for your quick response.

    Moving the taskbar did not work, I still couldn’t right-click or delete the icons. I’ve restarted repeatedly to no avail 🙁

    The %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\\User Pinned\TaskBar folder doesn’t have the three dead icons but it does include five pinned icons which work.

  19. When windows drops my game to the task bar when I am playing, when I click on it to bring it back up it stays on the taskbar and will not come back up. How do I Fix this?

  20. ^^ It seems a 3rd party software problem. Try to disable antivirus/security suite protection temporarily.

  21. In Windows 10, Office 2013, I’m having problems retaining windows in the taskbar showing the multiple Excel files open in one Excel instance.
    I’ve had to set the display parameter off and on throughout the day to get the windows to show.

  22. Maybe you can help.
    On my taskbar I have several toolbar groups. For example “multimedia”, “drives”, etc.
    in the taskbar I have for the toolbar groups only the “show title” turned on and when I click on the little double arrow I get like a vertical menu whatever the folder contains; files, folders, shortcuts etc.
    It used to be that I could arranging the order of the menu and it would retain it.
    Now suddenly it does not save it anymore and next time I reboot it has rearranged itself.
    So far been unable to find an answer on the Internet or in the GPedit.
    Do you know?

    Joe

  23. I have an old computer with Win XP – purposely not updated or connected to the web. I don’t know what happened; maybe my cat stepped on the keyboard or something. The taskbar is now double-sized and nothing I have tried, including your instructions at the top here, fixes it. It’s driving me nuts. I’ve got to get it shrunken down somehow. Thanks in advance if you can help.

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