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How to back up the Taskbar in Windows 10

Transfer your Taskbar settings to another Windows system or PC

3 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Having your taskbar backed up inWindows 10can help you out whenever you want toreinstall your Windows operating systemor perhaps upgrade to a newer version of Windows.

Thisbackupof your taskbar will allow you to restore the apps you had in the previous version of Windows or in the previous copy, just by following a few easy steps.

So, before you go and reinstall your operating system, we would suggest you follow the tutorial listed below and create a backup copy of your taskbar to use later when you need it.

Note:When you place thebackupof the taskbar to a new Windows operating system, be sure to have all the apps you had in the previous version that were pinned to the taskbar.

If not, install them again for theMicrosoft Store.

How can I back up the Taskbar in Windows 10?

How can I back up the Taskbar in Windows 10?

1. Tweak your Registry and backup the taskbar

You can backup your taskbar by editing the Registry. The Registry Editor allows you to save backups of your pinned taskbar apps for later use.

1. Press and hold the buttonWindowsand the buttonRon your keyboard.

  1. A run window should appear where you will have to type in thereregedit.

  2. HitEnteron the keyboard.

  3. The Registry Editor window should pop up on the screen.

  4. On the left side in that window, you will need to left-click on theHKEY_CURRENT_USERfolder.

  5. Now, you need to left-click onSoftware.

  6. In theSoftwarefolder,selectMicrosoft.

  7. Navigate to theWindowsfolder.

9.While there,left-clickon theCurrentVersionfolder.

  1. Go to theExplorerfolder.

  2. From there, open theTaskbarfolder.

  3. Right-click on theTaskbarfolder you have on the left.

  4. From the menu presented,left-clickon theExportfeature.

  5. Now you will need to name the backup file as you like.

  6. Save the .reg file to an external USB stick or an external hard drive for backup because you will need it later.

  7. After you saved the export of the taskbar to your desktop, you will need to press and hold again the buttonWindowsand the buttonR.

17.When theRunwindow pops up, you need to type in there the next command:%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar

  1. Press theEnterbutton on the keyboard to run the command.

  2. You will now have in front of you the folder taskbar with all the apps you had pinned to it.

This is only the first part of our tutorial on how to backup yourWindows 10 Taskbar. The steps to follow in the second part are listed below.

2. Restore the copied taskbar shortcuts from an external drive

Now comes the most important part of this tutorial where you will need to copy all of the shortcuts from the folder above to an external drive.

In this manner, whenever you reinstallWindows 10, you can restore this backup taskbar to the new system.

After following all these steps, we can only hope you managed to make a backup copy of your taskbar and install it in your new Windows operating system.

For a pleasant PC experience, feel free to take a closer look at ourWindows 10 Tips section.

You don’t need to be a pro. Our mission is to make your job a lot easier, so bookmark thisTech Tutorials Hubfor further reference.

If you have any questions on this subject, you can write to us below in the comments section. We’ll help you as soon as possible.

More about the topics:All the Windows 10 tips you need to Know

Ivan Jenic

Windows Hardware Expert

Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.

When he’s not tackling diverse driver-related problems, Ivan enjoys watching good movies and spending time hiking with his family and friends.

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Ivan Jenic

Windows Hardware Expert

Ivan has delved deep into understanding the Windows OS, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.