This helped me How to Lock the Windows 7 Taskbar Explore this Article methods 1 Locking from the Taskbar Menu 2 Locking from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties Other Sections Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Co-authored by wikiHow Staff
Last Updated: January 21, 2022
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 61,544 times.
Locking your Windows 7 taskbar can be helpful in organizing your desktop, especially if you have taken the steps to customize the taskbar based on your preferences. Locking the taskbar will prevent it from resizing, moving to a different monitor or appearing on opposite ends of the viewspace. There are two simple methods in Windows that allows you to lock and unlock your taskbar.
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 2:
Locking from the Taskbar Menu
1 Access the taskbar menu. Point to an empty space on your taskbar, then right-click on it to bring up the taskbar menu. The taskbar is the bar in which the Start menu (or Windows logo) resides.
2 Lock the taskbar to its current position. Click on "Lock the taskbar." You will then see a blue checkmark appear to the left of this option after the taskbar has been successfully locked. You will not be able to resize or move your taskbar until you repeat this process to remove the checkmark.[1]XResearch source Advertisement
3 Position the taskbar to edges of the screen. There are several ways you can adjust the taskbar. Try to adjust it to your liking before locking the taskbar in place. You can reposition the taskbar to the different edges of the monitor by clicking and holding on a blank space on the taskbar and moving the mouse to the edges of your monitor. You can also place the taskbar on a different monitor if you have more than one monitor connected to your computer.
4 Adjust the taskbar size. Click and hold on the edge of the taskbar to resize it. Your mouse cursor will appear as an ↔ icon. Click and hold the mouse button and slide the edge up or down when on the top or bottom of the viewspace or slide the edge left or right when on the sides of the viewspace. Advertisement
Method 2 Method 2 of 2:
Locking from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties
1 Access the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window. You have two ways to access this window.
Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Start button menu. Click on “Properties” to bring up a new window.
Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar to bring up the taskbar menu. Click on “Properties” to bring up a new window appear.
2 Lock the taskbar to its current position. Click on the tab labeled "Taskbar," then place a checkmark next to "Lock the taskbar" within the Taskbar Appearance section.
You can also change other options including the ability to auto-hide the taskbar, change it’s position and adjust how buttons appear on the taskbar.[2]XResearch source
3 Apply your changes to the taskbar. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, click on the button that reads Apply then click on OK to save your taskbar preferences. The taskbar will now be locked, and you will not have the ability to reposition or modify the taskbar preferences until it is unlocked. Advertisement
Community Q&A
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Question Every time I unlock the taskbar (and 'apply'), as I am unable to 'pin' anything to it, nothing changes. I have tried over and over to save my browser to it. What can I do? Community Answer Simply right click on the empty space on Taskbar and select the option "Lock the Taskbar." Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 0
Question How do I unlock the taskbar? Community Answer Use the same method as locking the taskbar, however, the taskbar will unlock instead of lock. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
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Tips
If you want to hide the Windows 7 taskbar to free up room on your computer screen, access the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties menu using the method outlined in the steps above, then place a checkmark next to the option that reads "Auto-hide the taskbar." After you have applied the changes, your taskbar will only appear on the screen when you point to its location using your cursor.[3]XResearch sourceThanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
The Windows 7 taskbar can be unlocked at any time by returning to the "Lock the taskbar" option that can be accessed using one of the methods outlined above. You can then click directly on the checkmark next to "Lock the taskbar" to disable the lock feature. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
To lock an application button onto the taskbar, right-click on it to bring up a menu then click on “Pin this program onto the Taskbar.” You will still be able to slide the pinned program across the taskbar, but the program will not leave the taskbar unless you unpin the program by right-clicking on the icon then choosing “Unpin this program from the taskbar.” Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Co-authored by: wikiHow Staff wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 61,544 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 9Updated: January 21, 2022 Views: 61,544
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Co-authored by: wikiHow Staff wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 61,544 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 9 Updated: January 21, 2022 Views: 61,544 
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1 Access the taskbar menu. Point to an empty space on your taskbar, then right-click on it to bring up the taskbar menu. The taskbar is the bar in which the Start menu (or Windows logo) resides. 
2 Lock the taskbar to its current position. Click on "Lock the taskbar." You will then see a blue checkmark appear to the left of this option after the taskbar has been successfully locked. You will not be able to resize or move your taskbar until you repeat this process to remove the checkmark.[1] Advertisement 
3 Position the taskbar to edges of the screen. There are several ways you can adjust the taskbar. Try to adjust it to your liking before locking the taskbar in place. You can reposition the taskbar to the different edges of the monitor by clicking and holding on a blank space on the taskbar and moving the mouse to the edges of your monitor. You can also place the taskbar on a different monitor if you have more than one monitor connected to your computer. 
4 Adjust the taskbar size. Click and hold on the edge of the taskbar to resize it. Your mouse cursor will appear as an ↔ icon. Click and hold the mouse button and slide the edge up or down when on the top or bottom of the viewspace or slide the edge left or right when on the sides of the viewspace. Advertisement 
1 Access the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window. You have two ways to access this window. 
2 Lock the taskbar to its current position. Click on the tab labeled "Taskbar," then place a checkmark next to "Lock the taskbar" within the Taskbar Appearance section. 
3 Apply your changes to the taskbar. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, click on the button that reads Apply then click on OK to save your taskbar preferences. The taskbar will now be locked, and you will not have the ability to reposition or modify the taskbar preferences until it is unlocked. Advertisement 
Community Answer Simply right click on the empty space on Taskbar and select the option "Lock the Taskbar." Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 0 
Community Answer Use the same method as locking the taskbar, however, the taskbar will unlock instead of lock. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0 
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