Windows 10: Windows 11 programs pinned to the taskbar not opening

I was forced to reset Windows a month ago, and after finished to move my back up back in place, some of my pinned taskbar programs didn't have icons they had the blank file icon. I thought that was normal since the icon cache was probably not updated, but that lasted even after a restart or deleting `IconCache.db`. I didn't noticed but they weren't working: "Impossible to open that item. It has mabe be moved, renamed or deleted.". The shortcuts are there in the "%appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar", with their icons, but when seing in the properties from th

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Unable to pin programs to the taskbar

After a system restore I cannot pin programs to the taskbar any more (apart from certain Windows programs like the snipping tool, but not explorer.exe for example).

I have tried every single solution/suggestion I have found online, but it still won't do it.

I have also tried to reinstall Windows 11 keeping all my files and settings.

When I try to pin a program, for example explorer.exe, it says that the program has been pinned, but it hasn't.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

Help with Pinning Excel Files in the taskbar

Hello! PianSa

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community

Certainly! Let’s tackle this step by step. To pin an individual Excel file to the taskbar, we’ll create a custom shortcut and then pin it.

Here’s how you can achieve that:

1. Create a Shortcut:
   
   • Right-click on your desktop.
     
   • Select “New” and then choose “Shortcut.”
     
   • In the location field, paste the actual path to your Excel file (replace the dummy file path).
     
   • Click “Next.”
     
   • Type a name for the shortcut and click “Finish.”
     
2. Customize the Shortcut (Optional):
   
   • By default, the shortcut’s icon will be the File Explorer icon. If you’ve already pinned File Explorer to your taskbar, this can be confusing.
     
   • To change the icon, right-click the shortcut and select “Properties.”
     
   • In the properties window, click “Change icon.”
     
   • Choose an icon or download a custom one in .ico format.
     
3. Pin the Shortcut to the Taskbar:
   
   • Drag and drop the shortcut onto the taskbar.
     
   • Now your Excel file is pinned to the taskbar, and you can open it with a single click.
     

Remember that Windows doesn’t directly allow pinning individual files to the taskbar, but creating a custom shortcut provides a workaround. Enjoy quick access to your favorite Excel file!

I have also tried pinning a specific file into the Taskbar, it seems that this doesn't allow you to pin files directly to the Taskbar but only to shortcuts for applications such as Office programs, Browsers, and utilities: notepad and all. However, you can pin the files inside the file explorer as favorites and this will be pinned under Quick Access.

I would suggest to use the feedback hub app for this feature to be added in Windows: Start menu > Search Feedback hub app > I have a suggestion: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app - Microsoft Support

I hope this helps!

Thank you,

Vince
Microsoft Community Moderator

 

windows 10 home missing pin to taskbar for installed applications

I added a third step to the first suggestion, which worked for me:

1. Choose start> All apps,

2. Scroll to the application you want to pin, right click and then click
Pin to taskbar.

3. When the desired icon tile appears in the desktop box, left click on it and drag it into the task bar.