UNAWAVE

Pin file to taskbar

Sometimes it is desirable to pin a file on the taskbar. This can be useful if you like to have very fast access to a special file again and again.

Two approaches would be obvious:

Open Windows Explorer, search for the desired file and click with right mouse button on the file. There would be expecting now to find "Pin to Taskbar". But this menu item does not appear for files - only for programs.
Open Windows Explorer, search for the desired file and drag the file with the mouse from Windows Explorer directly onto the taskbar. But in this case Windows 7 offers only e.g. for a text file ("*.txt") "Pin to Notepad":

Windows 7 Pin file to taskbar drag file to taskbar

Then the file is attached to the jump list of "Notepad" icon:
Windows 7 Pin file to taskbar jump list

But the access of the file from this position is time-consuming:

Right mouse click on the Notepad icon
then move mouse up to "Pinned" file
and click on "Pinned" file

Especially when the list of "Recent" used files increases by time and become longer and longer. And also the number of "Pinned" files can grow, too. Then it can be rather difficult to hit exactly the right file with mouse. It would be more easily if the file is directly placed as an icon in the taskbar and could accessed with only one mouse click.

Here's how:

Open Windows Explorer and search for the desired file. Hold down the "Shift" key and simultaneously click with right mouse button on the desired file. Only this way the context menu shows the context menu entry "Copy as path". This way allows copying the complete path detail of the file into the Windows clipboard.

Now drag and drop the file to the taskbar. Next, click with right mouse button on the "Notepad" icon in the Taskbar and then again with the right mouse button on "Notepad". In the context menu select "Properties".

Windows 7 Pin file to taskbar Properties

Now change on tab "Shortcut" the "Target". Clear this field and press "Ctrl + V". This inserts the previously copied path from the Windows clipboard into the "Target" field.

A suitable icon can now be selected with the button "Change Icon". The DLL-File C:\Windows\System32\imageres.dll offers many nice icons. Here is a list of other files with attractive icons which are already included in Windows 7.

The new shortcut in the taskbar can now be used immediately. However, the changed icon appears only after a reboot.

Remark: If you want to add more then one files of the same type (e.g. TXT-files) then you must choose the more complicate way as described here and replace "path to folder" with "path to file".

Pin file to taskbar

Here's how:

Side Column