Windows 10: Backup and Restore Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10

How to: Backup and Restore Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10

How to Backup and Restore Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10


This tutorial will show you how to back up and restore all pinned apps on your taskbar in Windows 10.

This can be handy if you do not want to have to manually pin apps to your taskbar again say after a clean install of Windows 10.

By default, the pinned apps on your taskbar are saved in both locations below. The downloadable .bat files in this tutorial will be back up and restore these locations for you.

In the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

In the hidden TaskBar folder:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar


EXAMPLE: Pinned Apps on Taskbar







Here's How:

1 Do step 2 (backup) or step 3 (restore) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Back Up Pinned Apps on your Taskbar
This downloadable .bat file will save a Taskbar-Pinned-Apps-Backup folder on your desktop as the backup.

You can move this folder to where you like for safe keeping, but do not rename this folder since it must remain the exact same name to be able to restore it in step 3 below.


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4 below.

Backup-Pinned_Apps_on_Taskbar.bat

Download

3. To Restore Pinned Apps on your Taskbar
A) If you have not already, make sure that any apps that were pinned to your taskbar when the backup was created in step 2 above are still installed or saved at the same location first.
Since the pinned apps on your taskbar are just shortcuts, they must still be installed or saved at the same location when the backup was created before restoring the backup, or the pinned app will not work when restored.


B) Copy or move the Taskbar-Pinned-Apps-Backup folder from step 2 above to your desktop.

C) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and go to step 4 below.

Restore-Pinned_Apps_to_Taskbar.bat

Download
4 Save the .bat file to your desktop, and run it.

5 If prompted, click/tap on Run.

If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by [/I]unblocking the downloaded .bat file

.
6 You will now notice your screen flicker as explorer is restarted.


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable or Disable Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows
• How to Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps in Windows
• How to 'Pin to taskbar' and 'Unpin from taskbar" Apps in Windows 10
• How to Pin any File to the Taskbar in Windows 10
• How to 'Pin to taskbar' Folder and Drive in Windows 10
• How to Reset and Clear All Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10
• How to Backup and Restore Taskbar Toolbars in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Pin to Taskbar Context Menu in Windows 10

:)

 

how to unpin from taskbar

Hi,

More information on unpinning from taskbar.

How to 'Pin to taskbar' and 'Unpin from taskbar" Apps in Windows 10

'Pin to taskbar' and 'Unpin from taskbar' Apps in Windows 10

How to Reset and Clear All Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10

Reset and Clear Taskbar Pinned Apps in Windows 10

See the "Related Tutorials" at the end section both of those for more.

Hope this helps.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob Brown -
Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows and Devices for IT : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

 

Windows 10 taskbar

Hi

I followed
this link until I had done (7) "Perform an in-place upgrade"

Now my taskbar is empty, all the pinned stuff is cleared.

Where is the taskbar stuff stored in Windows 10, and is the a way I can restore the taskbar (I have a total backup of my PC) ?

Best regards

Eigil

 

Hello questorfla, *Smile

As long as the software was also installed using the same path (ex: C:\Program Files), it'll work.

 

THANKS! One more piece to add to the "loader pack" Installing Office does not add the icons and everybody has to have them on task-bar. They are all installed in the same folders. I had looked everywhere for way to get all those added automatically before I saw your tip. *Smile

 

I'm glad it could help. *Smile

 

Hi Brink,

Great piece of info! I was wondering if you could help me out. I have the restore script set to run on login. It doesn't seem to work properly.

The script doesn't get rid of Edge from the task bar, it also seems to reset my default app associations. If I run the script as the user, it seems to work properly and doesn't break anything. Do you have any tips that you can give me?

 

Hello criebrie2, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

It wouldn't be able to affect app associations though, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

Do you see explorer restarting after you sign in and the ,bat file runs? If not, then that would be why it's not being applied on login.

Here's the contents of the restore .bat file.

Code: DEL /F /S /Q /A "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*" copy /y "%userprofile%\Desktop\Taskbar-Pinned-Apps-Backup\TaskBar" "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar" REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband /F REG IMPORT "%userprofile%\Desktop\Taskbar-Pinned-Apps-Backup\Taskbar-Pinned-Apps-Backup.reg" taskkill /f /im explorer.exe start explorer.exe[/quote]

 

Thanks Brink!

I think I got it. It seems that when you run the bat file using GPO log in scripts, it seems to conflict with some other settings and elongates the log in time.

I ended up getting the script to run from the "shell:startup" folder under the default user profile. This seems to get the script to run with every domain user that logs in. Nothing seems to break (knock on wood).