Add Toolbars to Taskbar in Windows 10  

is there a way to add a named folder to toolbar/add new toolbar with cmd or powershell? i'd like to try and automate making a folder named the computer name and display this in the toolbar to identify the computer. i've been doing this manually for years, but i was seeing if there was a way to automate this to deploy on many machines in my setup .bat file.

thanks

-i see now that it had been asked in like page 4 and i didn't catch it. i didn't see how i could remove this question.

Backup & restore

lavinnyv said:

is there a way to add a named folder to toolbar/add new toolbar with cmd or powershell?
-i see now that it had been asked in like page 4 and i didn't catch it. i didn't see how i could remove this question.

Create and position the toolbar
Open cmd:
> reg export HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Desktop Taskbar_Toolbars.bak.reg
> reg export HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3 Taskbar_Toolbars_position.bak.reg

Using those 2 files, you can add the toolbar with a .bat script:
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
reg import Taskbar_Toolbars.bak.reg
reg import Taskbar_Toolbars_position.bak.reg
start explorer.exe

Partial icon bug workaround

George S said:

There is an issue with locking the taskbar to hide the move/resize handles (as of Windows 10 version 1903). If a toolbar with a short name has been moved or resized in the taskbar, then locking the taskbar leaves its width unchanged, exposing its first icon. Resizing a toolbar moves or resizes the toolbar to its left, so the problem cascades.

Attachment 287363

The only workarounds I have found are:

1. Leave the taskbar unlocked.🙁
2. Remove the toolbars and add them again in order (left to right).😒 Lock the taskbar immediately if it is not already locked.

Attachment 287364

If workaround 2 becomes a bother, you could look into backing up and restoring your toolbars. I have not tried it.

Workaround 2 didn't work for me.

Finally found a workaround that seems to work (Windows Server 2022):

1. Create the toolbar starting from an empty folder.
2. Position it, lock the taskbar. No icon shows.
3. Afterwards, add files and subfolders to your empty folder.
4. Once the toolbar definition and layout is backed up using the above method, no icons will show upon restore, even when there are subfolders.

Taskbar_Toolbars.bak.reg is a filename I made up (as you can tell I edited it afterwards from the original "TSPrograms"); the key you and I have is the same (HKCU/.../Desktop). I got that registry key off the internet.

Now that I tried it, Post #20 section 3 also worked :) So the gist there is to first uncheck show text & show title, then drag to the left and make it as small as possible, finally check show title.

what i'm trying to do -
i'm setting up a large batch of computers and putting the name in the taskbar by the only way that i can find so far - making a new toolbar with the name of that computer. when i set the computer up and i change it's name with code, it also makes a folder with that same computer name. so i'm trying to find a way to run a command/bat to create a new toolbar, pick that folder (or at least make a new toolbar folder with %computername%) and then have that in the taskbar.

but what's being talked about here is building a .bak file after making the new toolbar and then calling that up to build the taskbar the same. but, i need every taskbar to be different, since each computer will have a different named toolbar folder.

that's what seems to be not possible based on earlier posts in this thread.

making a new toolbar with the name of that computer

That'd be interesting to be able to do.
If there's no solution, alternatively one could automate setting the desktop background to display the computer name?

bginfo can do that, but if you have any widows open it can block that information. the toolbar is the best way to see the computer name and i've been doing it for years. i was just looking for a way to automate that process. i automate naming the computer. i automate creating the folder with the computer name. but i have to remote to the computer and manual click the taskbar and set up the custom toolbar. i was hoping i could get that process more efficient, but it seems like it's not going to happen.