Windows 10: Unable to remove taskbar shortcut

I accidentally dragged and dropped a desktop shortcut into the taskbar. The shortcut was added as a blank icon into the taskbar. Since that happened, I haven't been able to remove this shortcut icon from the taskbar, even after several restarts and system updates. Is there currently any way to remove it different to the 'Unpin from taskbar' option when right-clicking the icon?Here's a screenshot of how it looks:OS specs:Windows 11 Pro Insider PreviewVersion 22H2Build 25272.1000

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How do I add a shortcut to the Taskbar on Windows 10

Hi,

Thank you for posting your concern on Microsoft Community.

As per the issue description you are unable to add a shortcut to the taskbar in Windows 10. You are right that there is no option to pin the shortcut to the taskbar. However, you should be able to drag and drop the shortcut to the taskbar. If you are unable
to do that try the steps provided below and see if it helps you to fix the issue.

• Open the network connection page by clicking on the shortcut.
• Once that page is open, you could see the same in the taskbar.
• Now, right click on the icon of network connection in the taskbar which is representing your shortcut.
• Select the option pin to the taskbar.
• Now the shortcut will be pinned to the taskbar.

Hope this would help. If issue still persists post back with current status of your computer and result of the proposed suggestion, we will be happy to assist you.

Regards,

 

How do I add a shortcut to the Taskbar on Windows 10

This answer is troubling. Yes, after opening the calculator, I could right-click the icon in the taskbar and select Pin to Taskbar. BUT, why was I unable to simply drag the shortcut from the desktop? This answer says I "should be able to drag and drop",
but I wasn't. What's the root cause of THAT failure?

 

In Windows 10 taskbar shortcuts all say "the item you selected is unavailable it might have been moved"

All the taskbar items and shortcuts from the start menu are unable to complete their links.

The phrase "the item you selected is unavailable it might have been moved, renamed, or removed. Do you want to remove it from the list".

The items have not been moved, nor renamed, nor removed. The list does update with recent items, but I can never get the short cut to work. I have tried to delete these shortcuts, but the "delete" does not delete them.

Any suggestions?

Gavin