How in the Tech

Not a Fan of Windows 7 New Taskbar – Change it Back!

By Adam Myers ⋅ January 23, 2009 ⋅ Tags: Customization, Windows 7

Many are quick to call Microsoft’s latest release, Windows 7, Vista 2.0.  There is little argument that 7 is firmly supplanted atop the foundation and design set forth in Vista. Windows 7 is a finely tuned iteration of Vista but one of the most glaring differences between the two versions is the redesigned taskbar. Loosely inspired from the OS X dock, Microsoft’s dock style forgoes text labels for icons only. Additionally, multiple windows of the same application are condensed into that single icon. Time will tell whether this is pure genius or not, but as one that is overly resistant on change of any sorts – especially when it’s unclear what benefits it provides – it’s good to know that reverting the taskbar to the pre-Windows 7 days is not overly difficult.

1. In order to get on the same page, here is what the taskbar style in Windows 7 looks like.



2. To fall back to the older style, right click on an open portion of the taskbar and select Properties.



3. From the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties you’ll want to select Never combine from the Taskbar buttons drop-down. You may also check Use small icons that will decrease the height of the taskbar itself.



4. Now you’ve returned the associated text labels to go along with the application icons.
5. Still, icons are still pinned to the taskbar, not unlike the Quick Launch in previous versions. Right click on each icon and select Unpin this program from taskbar.



6. Now that is more like it!

Myself? I’m going to try and adjust to the new taskbar. Trust Microsoft right?