Windows 7 New Taskbar Review

I’m starting to like the Windows 7 taskbar more and more. The application grouping takes a bit of getting used to, but I love how nice and clean it is. Rather than just showing you your open windows, the Windows 7 taskbar serves as more of an application launcher. I’ll share a few of my favorite features of the new and improved Windows 7 taskbar below!

Taskbar Overview

The layout is nice and clean. No more text labels to clutter up the bar. You can pin applications to the task bar for easy launching (good bye quick launch bar!) You can easily tell which application I have open and which are just pinned to the task bar but not open (In the image above Chrome is open, while Firefox and Internet Explorer are pinned but not open.) You can see that I have multiple Live Messenger windows open just by looking at the icon. You can also tell that I have an new message/alert by the yellow highlight on the icon itself.

Taskbar Icons

If you hover oven the Live Messenger icon with the mouse you get a popup window that will show all of my conversation windows along with the messenger itself. From this popup you can select a window by clicking on it, or close it by clicking on the red X. I was very delighted to find that clicking the middle mouse button on one of the conversation windows closed it, just like I had hoped and expected it to.

*PSA* If you don’t use you middle mouse button for more than scrolling, you really should. You can middle-click web links to open them a new tab in your browser or middle-click a tab to close it. I’m happy to see that you can now middle-click in the new Windows 7 Taskbar to close some things. */PSA*

Jump Lists

The above window (or Jump List as Microsoft calls them) is displayed when you right click an application’s icon on the taskbar. As you can see, this popup is customized for the application (Live Messenger) and gives you quick access to its features without actually activating the application. This window gives you access to frequently used options or other features that might be specifically programmed for the specific application. Very handy! (Note: You can also left click and move the mouse up quickly on the application’s icon to display this same window. Feature?)

Launching Apps

One thing that wasn’t immediately obvious to me was how to launch another instance of an application when I already had one open. In this screenshot I already have an instance of Visual Studio 2008 open. To open another, you right click the application’s icon and then click on the application button from the popup. You can also launch new instances of an open app by Shift + Clicking the icon (Thank BlackTigerX.)

Hold Shift to Open Files With Taskbar Apps

If you have a file that you would like to “Open with” one of your open applications, you can drag the file over the taskbar icon for the application while holding [Shift Key] down. You will notice that the popup label changes from “Pint to…” to “Open with…”. When you release your mouse button, the file will be opened with the application rather than pinning it to the taskbar.

Pinned Folders

Another initial annoyance was the way pinned folders work with the task bar. In Vista, I had a couple of work directories that I opened many times daily pinned to my quick launch bar. In windows 7 you can only have a single system folder pinned to your taskbar. Any additional folders that try to drag to the taskbar is then pinned to the single windows explorer/folder icon. By default, clicking this icon bring up your Libraries window (another handy Windows 7 feature that we wont get into yet.)

The additional folders that you pin to the taskbar are accessible by right clicking on the explorer/folder icon. Just like the paulf folder above. This screen also gives you quick access to a list of your frequently accessed directories.

Other Taskbar Improvements

The notification area of the taskbar is more customizable and allows you to decide which notifications you are interested in and which icons you would like to see. I like how I don’t have to look at 300 tiny icons for every app that wants to notify me about something (most of them doing nothing at all.)

The network icon on the taskbar has been greatly improved as well. Just by clicking on the icon I have direct access to information about the network I’m currently connected to, connect/disconnect to my VPN connection, and all wireless networks within range. There’s also a link to the Network and Sharing Center.

The button that I’ve outlined in red in the screenshot above will show/hide your desktop. Basically it opens or closes all of your currently opened windows. There is also another option that will allow you to “Peek” at your desktop which makes your windows transparent instead of hiding them completely. Nothing that the [Windows Key] + D shortcut didn't already do, but a feature none-the-less.

Tip

You can use the [Windows Key] + 1-9 as shortcuts to launch your taskbar applications. My 1st icon is my Windows Explorer, so I can easily launch it by pressing [Windows Key] + 1. Chrome is my 2nd taskbar app, so it’s [Windows Key] + 2, etc.

After spending the initial time getting used to the new taskbar, I think most people will agree that all of the new features are worth the new learning curve. I haven’t found any deal-breakers that might make me want to revert to the old windows taskbar! Hope someone find this useful.