How to Back Up and Restore Your Pinned Taskbar Items on Windows

If you have Windows apps that you use frequently, it’s only natural to pin them to the taskbar for easy access. But if you switch computers or suddenly your taskbar items are missing, you can restore them with a backup.

So here’s how to back up your pinned taskbar apps on Windows.

How to secure your pinned taskbar items on Windows

All the items that you need to back up are in a specific folder on your Windows computer. To open it, press victory + R to open Windows Run, and then copy and paste the following file path into the text box:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

hit once Entera folder will open containing all the items you have pinned to the taskbar.

Copy all elements into the taskbar folder and save it in a safe place, e.g. B. in another folder or on an external storage drive. We also recommend backing them up to OneDrive.

Next, we create a backup of the taskbar in the registry editor. Press victory + REnter regedit in the text box and press the Enter key to open the registry editor. Then click Yes at the UAC prompt.

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Taskband. Right click on the task tape button and click export.

Save the exported key somewhere safe – it might even be the same place you keep the pinned taskbar items.

How to restore your pinned taskbar items

Restoring the taskbar items when needed is pretty easy. The first thing you need to do is return the backed up pinned items to taskbar folder. Press victory + R To open Windows Run, paste the following text into the text box and click OK:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

Once the taskbar folder opens, leave it open. Then go to the location where you saved the backed up taskbar items (whether it’s another folder, an external drive, or on OneDrive), copy the files and folders, and then paste them into the taskbar folder.

Next, you also need to merge the registry file you backed up. So go to where you saved the registry file, double click on it and then click Yes at the UAC prompt. You’ll get another prompt asking if you want to continue with the merge, so click Yes.

Once the merge is complete, restart your computer. When the PC boots back up, the taskbar items are back where they belong.

Keep your pinned taskbar items closed

Setting up the items on the taskbar is an easy task, and once you’ve found the perfect setup it’s a good idea to backup it. If you follow the steps above, you should be assured that you will never lose them.

Just like the items on the taskbar, Windows lets you back up many things, including your Start menu items. You just need to have a little know-how.