The taskbar is the long horizontal bar at the bottom of your screen. The taskbar is almost always visible. It has three main sections:

  • The Start button, which opens the Start menu.
  • The Middle Section, which shows you which programs and files you have open and allows you to quickly switch between them.
  • The notification area, which includes a clock and icons that communicate the status of certain programs and computer settings. 
Move and Resize the Taskbar 

You can move the taskbar to any of the four sides of the screen. Do this by dragging any empty area of the taskbar to another edge. For example, the following figure shows the taskbar moved to the right edge of the screen.  


If you are unable to move the taskbar, right-click an empty area on the Taskbar and uncheck (remove the tick mark) the Lock the taskbar option.

You can resize the taskbar by dragging the inner edge (top edge when the taskbar is on the bottom) in or out. Here is a taskbar at double its normal size.  


Hiding the Taskbar

Hiding the taskbar means that it is not displayed unless you move the mouse to the edge of the screen containing the taskbar. By default, it is displayed.  

  1. Right-click an empty area and choose Properties options from the displayed shortcut menu. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box open up.  

  2. Click Auto-hide the taskbar to select the check box.
  3. Click OK to set the change.