The Windows 10 taskbar is the system’s access point to applications and the Start menu. Unlike the seventh and eighth iterations of the operating system, Microsoft now allows us to customize the bar to our liking, in such a way that we will not have to resort to third-party software to proceed with certain actions. On this occasion we have made a compilation of several Windows 10 taskbar tricks to get the most out of it from any computer.
Taskbar with transparency in Windows 10, so you can do it
Making the taskbar have certain transparencies is extremely simple. To do this, we will go to the Windows 10 Settings section, which we can access through the Start menu by clicking on the gear on the left side. Once inside, click on Personalization and then on Colors.
To enable the design by transparencies we will have to previously select the Custom option in the Choose the color section. Finally, We will activate the Transparency Effects option that will be enabled next.
Side taskbar on the left or right with this trick
Windows 10 also allows us to change the position of the taskbar, either to the right, to the left and even at the top of the screen. Previously we will have to unlock its edition, a process that we can do by right-clicking on the bar and unchecking the option Lock taskbar. Then, we will drag the bar to the part of the screen where we want to place it.
Make the taskbar transparent with this app
By default, Windows doesn’t allow us to make the taskbar completely transparent. In this case, the simplest solution is to resort to third-party applications, such as is the case of TranslucentTB, tool that we can download from the official Microsoft store through this link.
After installing the application, we will start it from the same store to enable the direct access, which will appear next to the rest of the icons that are located next to the clock and the WiFi, Sound and Bluetooth settings with the ‘TB’ icon. Now we just have to click on the application icon to access its settings.
If we want to make the taskbar transparent, we will click on Regular and then on Clear, as can be seen in the following screenshot. For the settings to be applied automatically, we will have to enable the Open at boot option. If what we want is for the bar to appear transparent in the rest of the system sections (windows, full-screen games …), we will have to modify all the sections of TranslucentTB manually (Maximized Window, Start Menu opened…).
Change the color of the Windows 10 taskbar
From the TranslucentTB application we can also change the color of the Windows 10 taskbar to our liking. Within the Regular section, we will click on Opaque to make the bar opaque. Then click on Accent Color to modify the accent color, that is, the background color of the bar.
As with the previous setting, to apply the color in all sections of Windows 10 we will have to modify the bar section by section.
Center the taskbar icons, it’s that simple
If until a few versions of Windows 10 it was necessary to resort to third-party applications or registry files, today we can carry out this same process through the system’s own options.
The first thing we will have to do is unlock the taskbar, a process that we can carry out right-clicking on the bar and clicking on Lock taskbar if the option is enabled. Next, we will right click on the bar again to access the Toolbar section and activate the Link option. Now the taskbar will enable a new access next to the WiFi, Sound and Bluetooth icons; We will only have to move it to the left side of the bar to move the application icons to the right side.
The last step is to move the application icons to the place where we want to place them on the toolbar. To remove access to the link we just created, we just have to right click on the icon and disable the Show title option.
Hide the Windows 10 taskbar permanently
It is a fact that Windows 10 does not allow us to hide the taskbar permanently. For this purpose we will have to resort yes or yes to third-party applications, such as TaskBar Hider, a tool that we can download through the developer’s page clicking on this link.
After installing the tool and opening it from the corresponding icon, we will perform the key combination Control + Shift + A to hide the taskbar, although we can modify the command through the program options. It should be noted that the execution of the program may conflict with the Desktop, so from tuexperto.com we recommend deactivating it if any type of error is detected with the rest of the system sections.
Keyboard shortcuts for the taskbar
The Windows 10 taskbar also supports the use of keyboard shortcuts, in such a way that we can access the different functions and programs anchored in the bar with a simple combination of keys.
- Shift + Mouse click on a Taskbar button: open an application or quickly open a new instance of the active application.
- Control + Shift + Mouse click on a Taskbar button: open an application with administrative privileges
- Shift + Right-click on a Taskbar button: display the menu of the active application window.
- Shift + Right-click a button on the Grouped Task Taskbar: display the group window menu of the active application.
- Control + Mouse click on a button on the Taskbar for grouped tasks: scroll through group windows.
- Windows icon + T– Toggle between active taskbar windows. To access the selected application, click on Enter.
- Windows icon + (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…)– Open the active application window in the order it is displayed on the taskbar.
