Reset and Clear Taskbar Pinned Apps in Windows 10  

woter324 said:

Hi Brink,

Thanks for your reply.

Is this based on your findings? I ask as I can unpin, but on a reboot they come back. (At least the Edge icon still does).

No mandatory profiles or anything like that.

I'm thinking MS have done something to try and force it to remain. There're a few Google hits on modifying it during OSD, i.e. burning the unpinned settings into the default user hive.

Thanks again,

W.

Hey, So here comes my first post (or reply) to this forum.
I had the same issue that whenever I restart my PC, the Edge icon and Store icon where reappearing to the taskbar even if they were unpinned each time I login.
The shortcuts for them were not present at %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\Taskbar folder.

In search of the answer, I came across Tenforums and registered myself. After going back and forth to few threads I landed to the registry location Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

It seemed that the taskbar and tile layout was overwritten by the xml file mentioned in StartLayoutFile registry.

So I opened the XML from the location
%AppData%\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\LayoutModification.xml

It contained following section:
<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace">
<defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
<taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
<taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" />
<taskbar: DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" />
<taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App" />
</taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
</defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
</CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>

I deleted entries regarding Microsft Edge and Microsoft Windows Store, and finally got rid off from the automatically reappearing taskbar icon issue.

I have Windows 10, April 2018 Update (Build 1803) on my system.

After a fresh install, the only icons that appear "pinned" to my Taskbar are the following:

• Microsoft Edge
• File Explorer
• Windows Store

in that order.

After I run the following commands, as shown in the .bat file:

Code:

DEL /F /S /Q /A "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*"
REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband /F
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

ALL pinned icons, including Microsoft Edge, are cleared from the taskbar.

After a computer restart, Windows Explorer loads and the Desktop is shown and so is the Taskbar.

Initially, the Taskbar is blank, but then the icons listed above reappear if Windows Explorer (explorer.exe) process is killed with taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F and then restarted with start explorer.exe.

For instance, if I have run my .bat file to erase the icons and, let's say later, I reboot my computer because of some other random reason or whatnot, say, installing new software, and then the Desktop comes back up. Now, there are still no icons on the Taskbar. OK, so good to go. Now, let's say I run the "cmd" app as Administrator, and into it I type:

Code:

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F && start explorer.exe

And press ENTER. Then, Explorer restarts, and the icons reappear -- i.e., the Edge, File Explorer, and Store icons "grow back" (this is with me not having done the Registry change to suppress the Store icon as has been posted in the previous message).

I am wondering, it seems like Windows "insists" on always "growing back" the icons listed above. No matter what.

Is there a Registry setting for preventing Windows from "growing the icons back?"

I realize that the previous poster just commented with the comments:

I've found how to remove the store icon:
Key Path: HKCU:Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\

Key: NoPinningStoreToTaskbar

Value:
DWORD 1 = enabled (i.e. don't show)
DWORD 0 = disabled

I have not verified whether the above works, but let's say it does, for the sake of argument.

OK, so then that takes care of the Windows Store icon.

However, the File Explorer and Microsoft Edge icons continue to "grow back" if deleted.

How do I stop the Microsoft Edge and File Explorer icons from "growing back," as well?

Thanks in advance!

Brian

Brink said:

Hello Brian,

Does manually unpinning those items from the taskbar remove them for you?

'Pin to taskbar' and 'Unpin from taskbar' Apps in Windows 10

That does not even work. I have found that even when I manually un-pin the icons, and then I run

Code:

taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F && start explorer.exe

in an elevated command prompt, that I still experience the issue with the icons "regenerating."

QUOTE=Snipped and paraphrased. No offense intended to OP just a little fun rearranging on my first post.
<Snip, Snip .....>

...... overwritten by the xml file mentioned in StartLayoutFile registry.

So I opened the XML...
%AppData%\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\LayoutModification.xml

....deleted entries regarding Edge and Store

<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace">

<defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>

<taskbar:TaskbarPinList>

<taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" />

<taskbar: DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\System Tools\File Explorer.lnk" />

<taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App" />

</taskbar:TaskbarPinList>

</defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>

</CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>

....finally got rid of the reappearing taskbar icon

</..... Snip Snip >

Did you, or anyone, find anything about the Mail pin?

@Brink for me this script working in 90% i can't unplug Mail icon from Taskbar and i don't know why. Any other icon has been removed and this one has not

Brink said:

Odd. What options do you have when you right click on the Mail icon from the taskbar or Start menu?

Please go ahead and post a screenshot showing this to see if anything may standout?

I can manually unpin the mail icon without obstacles but using this script:

DEL / F / S / Q / A "% AppData% \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ Quick Launch \ User Pinned \ TaskBar \ *"
REG DELETE HKCU \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Taskband / F
taskkill / f / im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

It can not be done. Even when I upload my layout with other icons in the taskbar, the mail icon is still there.