The Windows taskbar is an excellent tool for quick navigation. Most computers are shipped from the factory with the Taskbar set up to work as it should. However, there are numerous instances when the Taskbar or windows can act up and become a serious source of frustration. Have you ever heard the horror stories of laptops crashing just as an important email arrives from a client?
Error messages, freezes, ghost cursor, and many other malfunctions can make the Taskbar or windows a nightmare to use. The Taskbar can develop glitches of its own, resulting in unexpected behavior. The 1st step to fixing such an issue is determining which type of problem you are dealing with. We’ve prepared a list of known solutions to fix various taskbar malfunctions in Windows 10.
How Do I Restore Bottom Taskbar?
When Windows 10 Taskbar freezes up you can restore the bottom taskbar if you do the following steps:
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- Press Windows+R to open the “Run” box.
- Type “cmd”. Click “OK” to open Command Prompt.
- When you see a black screen type: sfc \scannow.
- Wait a couple of minutes to scan and fix the problem on your Windows.
- Restart the computer and your taskbar will be restored and unfrozen.
As you can see, Windows 11 or Windows 10 taskbar frozen issue will occur usually after a Windows update. Sometimes some software can create troubleshooting too. When we fix the problem in Windows, the taskbar will work again.
How To Open A Frozen Window in Windows?
Frozen windows are frustrating. Doing a troubleshooter may help you successfully open a window again. Read the instructions below:
Locate the frozen window & click on it. Press the Esc key on your keyboard. This key is usually located above arrow keys, next to function F1-F12 keys, or above (such as on a MacBook). This step will attempt to unfreeze the window. If this does not work, press Alt + F4 on your keyboard.
This combination of keys will prompt you to ask whether or not you want to close the window. Select Yes and attempt to re-open the window you just closed or refresh the viewing page. If these steps fail, restart your computer and try again after the reboot.
Why Do Computer Windows Get Stuck?
Usually, a window stops responding because the application or the program has crashed or frozen. Such can be because there are a lot of programs open or if a program takes up a lot of memory to run.
You know when you are using your computer, and the windows stop working? It’s the worst. Really, nothing is so much more frustrating than trying to click on a window and realizing it’s not responding. Maybe you have restarted your computer, which is a pain, or sat there for a couple of minutes waiting to start working again. Well, we are telling you now that it’s okay! You can do simple things to help fix this issue before it gets too out of hand.
When a window stops responding, it’s usually because the application or the program has crashed or frozen. Such can be because there are too many programs open, or one program takes up most of your memory to run. You can try closing other windows to see if this works, but if that doesn’t help, try restarting your computer & starting over with fewer programs.
Why Is A Taskbar Important In Windows?
A taskbar is where the applications and files are displayed for a user’s easy access. The Taskbar sits at the lower bottom of your desktop screen, allowing a user to interact with essential parts of the computer.
The Taskbar comprises three sections: the Start button, the taskbar buttons, and the notification area. The Start button is located in the lower-left corner of the screen. Such is the gateway to applications on your computer. You can click on it to see recently used apps or search for a specific application. The taskbar buttons are located next to the Start button, and they show open windows and any other items that have been pinned to the Taskbar. When you open a new window or document, its icon will appear in this section. Finally, the notification area sits in the far right section of your Taskbar. It includes icons for frequently used features like network settings, volume control, and programs running in the background.
Sometimes, toolbars get stuck, and a user can’t use such for browsing the web or finding files on the computer. Luckily, users can try basic troubleshooting to unfreeze the toolbar.
First, try rebooting your computer. Even when this doesn’t work, it’s worth it to try! If such does not solve the issue, you can do a hard reboot by holding down the Power toggle/button until the computer completely shuts off. Power it back up once it’s off and see if the toolbar is unfrozen.
If that didn’t work, don’t panic! It means you have got another solution to try simply restarting your web browser. Such is easy: close the tab or window your browser is open and restart it. If these solutions don’t work for you, don’t worry—you have one last option: downloading and using a different web browser. Most commonly used browsers are available as free downloads from their respective websites (some examples include Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox). This solution should fix any remaining problems with your frozen toolbar!
How Do I Fix My Taskbar Not Responding?
If a Taskbar is not responding, and you did the “scannow” procedure in CMD (explained before) there are a lot of possible causes and, thankfully, steps a user can take to troubleshoot. First, make sure the Taskbar is not merely hidden.
To do this:
- Hover your mouse over the lower bottom of your desktop screen to see if a toolbar pops up.
- If it does, right-click on it and ensure that “Lock the taskbar” is checked.
- Click on any icons in the Taskbar and see if they respond.
If you are still having issues, try restarting your computer. If that would not work, then you may need to update your drivers. You can do this by going to your Device Manager and viewing the list of devices connected to your computer. Check for devices marked with a yellow exclamation point indicating that their drivers are out of date. Right-click on each device & select “Update Driver Software.”
Could A Virus Be The Reason For Frozen Taskbar?
If a Taskbar is not responding, the computer may have a virus. A user can run a virus scan to see if such is the case.
To do this, open up your antivirus software and find the button that says “scan.” Click it and wait for the scan to complete. If you don’t have antivirus software, you can download some from the internet or use something like Microsoft Security Essentials. If the scan comes up with no results, you may have a missing or corrupt Windows file. You can fix this in just a few steps:
- Open up Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key + R on your keyboard and typing “cmd” into the pop-up box.scannow” (without quotation marks) into the opening window.
- Wait for the scan to complete & reboot your computer when prompted.
Where Is The Update Option Located In Taskbar?
The Taskbar is an excellent place to check for updates. Updates are essential for security and performance, plus updates can help fix bugs, probably causing the Taskbar not to respond.
To check for updates:
- Click the search bar in the lower-left corner of your screen and type “taskbar.”
- Select Taskbar Settings
- Under the “Notification Area” section, choose which icons and notifications should show up on your Taskbar.
- Ensure that automatic updates are turned on by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and turn on “Automatic Updates.”
If you have checked for updates, but your Taskbar is still not responding, your next option should be to restart it. You can re-open the Taskbar by typing “restart” into the search bar in the lower left of the screen & selecting Restart from the pop-up menu.
How Do I Fix Unclickable Taskbar In A Windows 10?
If users have trouble clicking on the Taskbar, such as in Windows 10, there are simple fixes for such an error. The first thing a user should try to do is restart the computer—doing such may solve the issue quickly, but if not, there are a lot of solutions available a user can try.
- Check to see if the Taskbar is on auto-hide
- If so, click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of your screen and try to drag the Taskbar up.
- If not, check to see if any processes are running that could be interfering with your computer’s ability to register mouse clicks by opening the task manager (“right-click” on Taskbar, choose Task Manager). Make sure none of these processes take up a large amount of memory or CPU time.
- Try restarting your computer. Sometimes, problems/issues like this can be resolved by rebooting your PC (this is especially true if you haven’t restarted in a while).
- If nothing else works, try uninstalling programs from your computer that you don’t need anymore. Such will free up resources for the programs you use and can potentially solve your problem!
Why Is The Taskbar Stuck?
There are diverse possible causes for Taskbars getting stuck. The first is an issue with the application; the second is an issue with the computer’s hardware.
The first is an issue with the application trying to dock to the Taskbar. If you are having trouble docking a specific application, it may be that the application has been improperly coded or has experienced some bug during installation.
The second is an issue with your computer’s hardware. If your computer’s processor cannot handle all of the applications you have open at one time, it can result in things like the Taskbar getting stuck, or worse!
How To Modify Taskbar Location?
Right-click anywhere on your desktop to change the Taskbar to the normal position (lower bottom of your desktop screen). Then, select “Display settings” from the drop-down menu.
The Taskbar on your computer is, by default, set to be set to the bottom of your screen. If the Taskbar is currently at the top or side of your screen, likely, you have accidentally moved it to that position and not pinned it there. To move Taskbar to its normal position at the bottom of your screen, right-click anywhere on the desktop, and select “Display settings” from the drop-down menu. Find & click on “Taskbar” in the left-hand column in the new window. Under “Taskbar location on the screen,” ensure that “Bottom” is selected.
How To Modify Icons on Taskbar?
Shifting the icons on the Windows taskbar is easy. Options for modification are changing, adding, or moving/arranging icons. To do such, read the instructions below.
A user can do such things on the Taskbar with almost similar instructions for all changes; read below for instructions.
Change Icon
- Right-click on the icon you want to open a drop-down menu, then select “Properties.”
- Under the Shortcut tab, select “Change Icon.”
- Find an icon from your list of icons, browse for one online, then click “Open.”
Move an Icon
- Right-click the Taskbar & choose Toolbars, then New Toolbar.
- Browse to the folder containing your icons and click Select Folder
- Click on one of the new icons, but don’t open it. Then click on the icon again, hold down your mouse button, drag the icon to any position on the Taskbar, and release the mouse button.
With a right-click on the space in the Taskbar, you can access all options for customizing the Taskbar so that you can make your changes there as well.
How To Make Taskbar Smaller Or Larger?
Modifying the icons on a Taskbar, such as adjusting to smaller or larger, is easy. A user can alter depending on preferences and the needs of the screen. To change/modify the display of icons on the Windows taskbar:
- Access your Taskbar properties by right-clicking in the space of the Taskbar, then clicking Properties.
- Under “Taskbar appearance,” select Small or Large icons.
The Taskbar is such an essential part of Windows 10. It helps you access files and folders quickly, switch between multiple applications, and navigate different destinations. However, sometimes your Taskbar may appear too large or small. Such can make the icons on the Taskbar hard to read or click on. Luckily, this is a simple problem to fix.
Can I Change the Color Of the Taskbar?
A user can change the color of the Taskbar in the Settings app in Windows. A user may choose from the default white tint to such colors available. A user can also change the transparency level if desired.
- Right-click on a space in the Taskbar and click on Properties in the pop-up menu.
- If it isn’t already selected in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, click on the Start Menu tab.
- Click the Customize button at the lower bottom of your desktop window.
- Please scroll down to Advanced and click the Advanced button that pops up to its right.
- Click on Item in the list and choose Active Title Bar from the drop-down menu.
- Choose a new color for your title bar from the Color 1 drop-down menu under Item, and then click OK twice to close out all open windows and save your changes to your settings.
How Do I Restart Taskbar?
Restarting your taskbar is a very simple process. A user can restart the Taskbar by following the steps below:
- Right-click a space on the Taskbar & select the Task Manager.
- In the Processes tab, right-click on Windows Explorer, and select End Task.
- Under File, select Run new task.
- Type explorer.exe into the field and then click OK.
- The Taskbar will now be restarted and should appear as before you began.
The Windows Taskbar is a bar that appears along the bottom of your screen. It contains a list of your applications, allowing you to switch between them without minimizing or closing anything.
Why Did My Taskbar Disappear Windows 10?
Windows Taskbar is the primary place for a lot of things, and such is understandable to be concerned when the Taskbar disappears! Fortunately, there is usually a relatively easy fix.
If you have any open windows, hold the Windows key and press Tab: you should see them on the screen. Hit Ctrl+Alt+Del & choose “Lock” from the menu if you don’t. It should take you to your lock screen; hopefully, your Taskbar will be visible there. If not, try holding Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager. In the Task Manager, click File, then Run a new task. You should type “explorer.exe” into the box & press Enter to run it. Hopefully, your Taskbar will reappear!
If that doesn’t work, try right-clicking on a space on your desktop, go to View in the context menu that appears, and make sure that Show desktop icons are checked. If not? You guessed it: turn it on! If all else fails, try restarting the pc/computer or running a system scan to check for Windows files and driver issues.
How Do I Bring Up Task Manager?
Bringing up Task Manager is as simple as pressing specific keys. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC simultaneously, and Task Manager will then appear with a list of currently running programs.
If this doesn’t work, “right-click” on your Taskbar on the desktop. Then select the Task Manager from the menu that appears. Press Command+Option+Escape (⌘⌥⎋) to open the Force Quit Applications dialog box if using a Mac. Task Manager allows you to view tasks running on your computer and close any that are not responding. It’s helpful in troubleshooting application crashes and checking the performance of your computer overall.
Why Has My Taskbar Turned Black?
If a user has ever tried to change the Taskbar’s color in Windows, chances are changing such sometimes does not work out so well. But the good news is there is a straightforward fix for such a mishap.
Here’s what you can do:
- Right-click on your desktop & select “Display Settings.”
- In a new window that opens, scroll down to “Choose your default app mode,” and make sure it’s set to “Light” or “Dark.”
- If a user is using a dark mode theme for your device, you can temporarily try switching to a light theme to see if it helps.
If none of these work, try restarting your computer! We know it sounds silly, but sometimes it works.
Do I Need Desktop Window Manager?
Desktop Window Manager is not an essential Windows process. A user can disable Desktop Window Manager if such is the preference, but doing so will disable features using the Desktop Window Manager, such as Aero Flip 3D (formerly Flip 3D).
If you have Windows 10, then you probably have it. And there are a few things you should be aware of regarding this component and its importance. The Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) is a component of Microsoft’s Windows operating system that provides the rendering for the Aero theme that most people use as their default Windows look. It also handles stuff like window transparency, thumbnails, and video display on your monitor.
In addition, while previous versions of Windows would ask you to choose a theme to handle all aspects of your desktop appearance, the Desktop Window Manager separates these into blocks called visual effects. Doing such allows you to mix and match different visual elements from different themes, so it’s sometimes called a compositor.
How Do I Reset My Taskbar To Default?
If a user is having trouble with the Taskbar, the fastest way to fix such is to reset to default settings. To do so, first, right-click on your Taskbar and then select the Task Manager.
Once the Task Manager is open, find Windows Explorer in the running process list and right-click on it. Then choose Restart from the menu that appears. You should see your Taskbar reset itself to its default settings within a few seconds. If you don’t see any change after you restart Windows Explorer, there’s a chance that it might be stuck or unresponsive. In such a case, you can try running a process called “End Task” on the process instead of restarting it. To do this, right-click on Windows Explorer in the running process list and select End Task from the menu that appears. Doing such should force Windows Explorer to close, which will allow you to re-open it without it being stuck or unresponsive.
Conclusion
A new development from Microsoft, the Taskbar, is the central platform through which users interact with the programs of their computers. The most common issue users face is its slow performance when used for extended periods. The Windows taskbar has problems most of the time because the system is not updated correctly. Uninstalling or reinstalling the Taskbar could be a potential solution to this issue.
It is of great importance to developers and users to understand the main problems with the Taskbar and how to fix them. As we can see, most malfunctions have several causes, and only in minor cases is one malfunction caused by one reason. So, knowledge about malfunctions and how to fix them is essential for developers. Thank you for reading about taskbar issues and how to fix them. We hope this guide resolved the problem you were having with your Taskbar.
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