Quick Steps to Pin a Program to the Windows 10 Taskbar

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Quickly pin important apps to your taskbar for easy access

Co-authored by Scott St Gelais and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: March 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Pinning a Running Program
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• Pinning from Desktop
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• Pinning from Start
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• File Explorer Menu
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• File Explorer Ribbon
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• Video
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• Q&A

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At the bottom of your Windows 10 desktop is a horizontal black bar called the “Taskbar.” This bar contains the “Start” button, search box, and icons of programs and apps. If you use a program or an app very often, then you can “pin” it to the Windows 10 Taskbar. This way, the program is readily accessible from the Windows 10 Taskbar. Here's how to pin a program to the Windows 10 taskbar.

Pin to Taskbar on Windows 10

• Run the program you want to pin, and then right-click it. Click Pin to taskbar.
• You can also click the Start menu, search for the app, right-click it, and then click Pin to taskbar.
• On touchscreen devices, tap and hold the app icon, and then drag it towards the taskbar. When you see "pin to taskbar", release the app.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Pinning a Program to the Taskbar While it's Running

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1. 
   1
   Run the program or app that you want to pin to the Taskbar. When you open the program, its icon appears on the Taskbar; however, this icon will disappear when you close the program or app.
2. 
   2
   Right-click (or press and hold) the icon of the running program on the Taskbar. An options menu will pop up. It will list some actions that you can take with the open program or app.
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3. 
   3
   Click Pin to taskbar. On older versions, this will say Pin this program to the taskbar. This will pin the program to the Taskbar, even after it’s closed.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Pinning a Program to the Taskbar from the Desktop

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1. 
   1
   Select the program or app to pin. Click and hold the desktop shortcut of the desired program or app.
2. 
   2
   Drag the program or app towards the Taskbar. After a moment, you should see the “Pin to Taskbar” option.
3. 
   3
   Release to drop the program or app to the Taskbar. The program’s icon will appear in the Taskbar and is now pinned there for easy access.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Pinning a Program to the Taskbar from the Start Menu

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1. 
   1
   Click the Start button. It is located at the bottom of the left side of your desktop.
2. 
   2
   Locate the program you want to pin. If the program you want is not on the Most Used list or the Recently Added list, click or tap All apps at the bottom of the left pane of the Start menu to see an alphabetical list of all available programs or program folders.
3. 
   3
   Right-click (or press and hold) the program you want. A drop-down menu will open.
4. 
   4
   Select Pin to taskbar. The icon on the program will then appear in the Taskbar. You can now launch the program quickly by clicking/tapping the pinned icon on the Taskbar.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Pinning a Program to the Taskbar from the File Explorer

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1. 
   1
   Open the File Explorer. You can select the File Explorer icon pinned to the Taskbar. You can also select the Start button to open the Start menu, and then select File Explorer in the left pane.
2. 
   2
   Locate the program you want by navigating the directory tree. Select the C: drive to expand the directory tree of the C: drive. Then locate and select the Program Files folder to see the list of programs or program folders.
3. 
   3
   Right-click (or press and hold) the program. This will cause a context menu to pop up beside the program/app name.
4. 
   4
   Select Pin to taskbar. Doing so will pin the program/app to the Taskbar.
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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Pinning a Program to the Taskbar from the File Explorer Ribbon

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1. 
   1
   Open File Explorer. If the File Explorer icon is pinned to the Taskbar, select the icon to open the File Explorer window. Alternatively, you can click the Start button to open the Start menu and then select File Explorer in the left pane.
2. 
   2
   Look for the program to pin. At the left pane of the File Explorer window is a directory tree. Locate and then select the arrow beside the C: drive to expand its directory.

   • Look for and then select the “Program Files” folder. When you do this, you will see the list of programs or program folders in the right pane of the window.
   • Double-click or double-tap the program folder you want.
3. 
   3
   Open the Application tools/Manage tab of the program. When you select the program you want, the “Application tools/Manage” tab will appear. This is a contextual tab—a tab that is not visible every time and appears only when specific options are available. Select the Application tools/Manage tab.
4. 
   4
   Pin the program to the Taskbar. When you select the Application tools/Manage tab, you will see three tiles or buttons appear on the ribbon. On the leftmost side of the ribbon is the “Pin to taskbar” button (the icon looks like a push pin). Select the Pin to taskbar button, and the program’s icon will appear on the Taskbar, indicating that it is now pinned.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How make taskbar withdraw and appear?

  

  GaiusG

  Community Answer

  Right-click anywhere on your Desktop, then choose 'Personalize'. This will bring you to the Windows Settings/Personalization menu. Once there, choose 'Taskbar' and then activate the option 'Automatically hide the Taskbar in Desktop Mode' and/or 'Automatically hide the Taskbar in Tablet Mode'.

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  Not Helpful 3 Helpful 2
• Question

  How do I put an address bar on the task bar?

  

  Community Answer

  This is easy and only takes 3 steps: Right click on your Windows 10 taskbar. Select 'Toolbars'. Select 'Address'.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
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• Question

  How do I get the task bar icons to show on the bar at the bottom of the page?

  

  Noah Waite

  Community Answer

  Go to where all the apps are. Then you will right-click on the program you want to pin to the task bar. From there you will see a group of options. Just press Pin to Taskbar and you're done.

  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

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