Windows 10: Enable or Disable Pin and Unpin Apps on Taskbar in Windows

How to: Enable or Disable Pin and Unpin Apps on Taskbar in Windows

How to Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps in Windows


Windows includes a special application desktop toolbar called the taskbar that shows on the bottom of a display screen by default. The taskbar allows you to find, see, open, and switch between your apps. You can also see the specify how taskbar buttons group together when you have more than one window open.

If you like, you can enable a policy that allows you to control pinning apps to the taskbar for users.

If enabled, users will no longer be able to Pin to taskbar and Unpin from taskbar apps. If any apps are already pinned to the taskbar, these apps continue to show in the taskbar. However, users cannot unpin these apps already pinned to the taskbar, and they cannot pin new apps to the taskbar.

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the ability to pin and unpin apps on the taskbar for specific or all users in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

*Warning You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps in Local Group Policy Editor
• Option Two: Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps for All Users using a REG file

EXAMPLE: Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps














OPTION ONE [/i] Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps in Local Group Policy Editor

*note In Windows 7, the Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions.

In Windows 8, the Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Pro and Enterprise editions.

In Windows 10, the Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two.
1. Open the all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.

2. In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, click/tap on to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, and Start Menu and Taskbar. (See screenshot below)



3. In the right pane of Start Menu and Taskbar, double click/tap on the Do not allow pinning programs to the taskbar policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4. Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you would like to do.


5. To Enable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps
A) Select (dot) either Not Configured or Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

*note Not Configured is the default setting.

6. To Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps
A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)




7. When finished, you can close Local Group Policy Editor if you like.





OPTION TWO [/i] Enable or Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps for All Users using a REG file

*note The downloadable .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD value in the registry keys below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

NoPinningToTaskbar DWORD

(delete) = Enable
1 = Disable

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


2. To Enable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps for All Users
*note This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Enable_pin_and_unpin_apps_on_taskbar.reg

Download

3. To Disable "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" for Apps for All Users
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Disable_pin_and_unpin_apps_on_taskbar.reg

Download
4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. restart the computer to apply.

8. You could now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable or Disable Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows
• How to "Pin to taskbar" and "Unpin from taskbar" Apps in Windows 10
• How to Hide or Show App Icons on Taskbar in Tablet Mode in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Pinning Store app to Taskbar in Windows 8 and Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Pin to Taskbar Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Backup and Restore Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10
• How to Reset and Clear All Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows 10

:)

 

Enable Back Taskbar

Possibly you are referring to
Enable or Disable Pinned Apps on Taskbar in Windows
Enable or Disable Pin and Unpin Apps on Taskbar in Windows

A searchable list is useful to bookmark:
Windows 10 Tutorial Index

Also note that most tutorials have a list of related tutorials immediately following the main text. Thus if you find one on 'taskbar' you can go the the list in that tutorial and find relevant ones quickly.

 

Query re pinning and unpinning apps to taskbar

I tried using Edge and as I liked it I right clicked the app listing and the pinned it to the taskbar.

What I want to know is how to put that Edge listing back with the other apps because if I unpin it from the taskbar how does one reattach Edge to the listings.

 

Can't pin or unpin apps to the taskbar!

My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 13 7000, updated to Windows 10 Home version 1083. I am having trouble pinning and unpinning apps to my taskbar. The issue is a bit hard to explain, but I will try my best to describe it. I've also attached screenshots to help
clarify.

When I unpin an app, and then right-click on the black area of the taskbar, a menu pops up as if that app is pinned there. So for example, I unpinned OneNote the other day. Now if I right-click on the black empty space of a majority of the taskbar, a menu
will pop up as if OneNote were there. The options are "OneNote, Pin to Taskbar, and Close All Windows." I don't have any OneNote windows opened. I right-clicked directly beneath that OneNote menu box.

When I open an app that isn't pinned to the taskbar, such as Settings, it appears all the way to the right close to the notifications area. The taskbar is acting as though there are apps pinned everywhere between the Windows Store and the newly opened Settings
page. Every time I try to pin and then unpin an app, the issue gets worse. Is there a way to reset my taskbar or fix this issue?

 

Query re pinning and unpinning apps to taskbar

Pinning an app to taskbar does not remove it from Start all apps list. It list in Start under letter M as in Microsoft Edge, you should find it there even when it is pinned to taskbar.

 

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.

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