How to Lock the Windows 7 Taskbar

Locking your Windows 7 taskbar can be helpful in organizing your desktop, especially if you have taken the steps to customize the taskbar based on your preferences. Locking the taskbar will prevent it from resizing, moving to a different monitor or appearing on opposite ends of the viewspace. There are two simple methods in Windows that allows you to lock and unlock your taskbar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Locking from the Taskbar Menu

Point to an empty space on your taskbar, then right-click on it to bring up the taskbar menu. The taskbar is the bar in which the Start menu (or Windows logo) resides.
Click on "Lock the taskbar." You will then see a blue checkmark appear to the left of this option after the taskbar has been successfully locked. You will not be able to resize or move your taskbar until you repeat this process to remove the checkmark.^{[1]XResearch source}
There are several ways you can adjust the taskbar. Try to adjust it to your liking before locking the taskbar in place. You can reposition the taskbar to the different edges of the monitor by clicking and holding on a blank space on the taskbar and moving the mouse to the edges of your monitor. You can also place the taskbar on a different monitor if you have more than one monitor connected to your computer.
Click and hold on the edge of the taskbar to resize it. Your mouse cursor will appear as an ↔ icon. Click and hold the mouse button and slide the edge up or down when on the top or bottom of the viewspace or slide the edge left or right when on the sides of the viewspace.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Locking from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties

1
Access the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window. You have two ways to access this window.
- Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Start button menu. Click on “Properties” to bring up a new window.
- Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar to bring up the taskbar menu. Click on “Properties” to bring up a new window appear.
2
Lock the taskbar to its current position. Click on the tab labeled "Taskbar," then place a checkmark next to "Lock the taskbar" within the Taskbar Appearance section.
- You can also change other options including the ability to auto-hide the taskbar, change it’s position and adjust how buttons appear on the taskbar.^{[2]XResearch source}
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, click on the button that reads Apply then click on OK to save your taskbar preferences. The taskbar will now be locked, and you will not have the ability to reposition or modify the taskbar preferences until it is unlocked.
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Question
Every time I unlock the taskbar (and 'apply'), as I am unable to 'pin' anything to it, nothing changes. I have tried over and over to save my browser to it. What can I do?
Community Answer
Simply right click on the empty space on Taskbar and select the option "Lock the Taskbar."
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Question
How do I unlock the taskbar?
Community Answer
Use the same method as locking the taskbar, however, the taskbar will unlock instead of lock.
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Tips

If you want to hide the Windows 7 taskbar to free up room on your computer screen, access the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties menu using the method outlined in the steps above, then place a checkmark next to the option that reads "Auto-hide the taskbar." After you have applied the changes, your taskbar will only appear on the screen when you point to its location using your cursor.^{[3]XResearch source}
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The Windows 7 taskbar can be unlocked at any time by returning to the "Lock the taskbar" option that can be accessed using one of the methods outlined above. You can then click directly on the checkmark next to "Lock the taskbar" to disable the lock feature.
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To lock an application button onto the taskbar, right-click on it to bring up a menu then click on “Pin this program onto the Taskbar.” You will still be able to slide the pinned program across the taskbar, but the program will not leave the taskbar unless you unpin the program by right-clicking on the icon then choosing “Unpin this program from the taskbar.”
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