Quick Launch Toolbar 2021 ◎

I’ll admit: For most users, pinning is fine. But for those who run a lean setup—developers, writers, system admins—the Quick Launch toolbar offers a cleaner separation of concerns.

For clarity:

Originally, the Quick Launch toolbar was located immediately to the right of the Start button. It typically held three default shortcuts: , Show Desktop , and Switch Between Windows . Windows 11 | QuantumWarp quick launch toolbar

PCWorld 52s What is Quick Launch? How To Make the Most of It | Lenovo IN Quick Launch is a feature on the Microsoft Windows taskbar that allows you to easily access frequently used applications, files, o... Lenovo The Windows TaskBar | Hampshire College The Quick Launch bar--contains shortcuts to commonly used applications. Use this to avoid cluttering up your desktop with applicat... Hampshire College What is Quick Launch? How To Make the Most of It - Lenovo Quick Launch works by creating a toolbar on your computer desktop or taskbar, where you can add shortcuts to your favorite applica... Lenovo Customize the Quick Access Toolbar - Microsoft Support You can add, remove, and change the order of the commands on the Quick Access Toolbar by using the Options command. * On the File ... Microsoft Support How To Show Or Hide Quick Access Toolbar Below Ribbon In Microsoft ... Jul 10, 2023 —

Good news: Microsoft left the code in the operating system. You can bring it back in 60 seconds. I’ll admit: For most users, pinning is fine

Plus, there is something satisfyingly tactile about having a dedicated "Show Desktop" button that isn't buried in the far-right corner of the taskbar.

If you hate it, just right-click the taskbar, go to Toolbars, and uncheck "Quick Launch." No harm done. But if you love it… welcome back to 2003. Your CRT monitor misses you. It typically held three default shortcuts: , Show

If you're looking for the piece of software or part of the operating system that enables this, it's part of the Windows Shell or the Taskbar.

Using the Quick Launch toolbar is straightforward:

Today, Windows 10 and 11 force you to use the taskbar for both launching and managing. This creates clutter. If you have five instances of File Explorer open, your pinned Explorer icon suddenly becomes a messy dropdown list.