How To Center Your Taskbar Icons In Windows 10
When you fire up your Windows 10 PC, the taskbar is one of the first things you see. It’s meant to be a handy dock for all your most-used apps, but sometimes it can feel a bit cluttered or just off-balance with those icons hugging the left side of your screen.
You might wonder why they can’t just scoot over and give your desktop a more symmetrical look—especially since Windows 11 has embraced this centered approach straight out of the box.
Here’s an intriguing fact: while Windows 10 doesn’t offer a built-in feature to center taskbar icons, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. By tweaking some settings or using clever tools, you can give your workspace that clean middle-ground flair without upgrading to the latest operating system.
Our guide will walk you through simple steps on how to achieve this layout transformation and throw in some extra tips for personalizing your taskbar even more. Ready to balance out your digital canvas? Keep reading, and let’s get those icons centered!
Key Takeaways
- You can center your taskbar icons in Windows 10 by unlocking the taskbar, using settings to adjust alignment, or with tools like TaskbarX and Start11.
- Making a custom toolbar can also help shift icons to the middle without downloading any software.
- For a cleaner look, you might want to resize your icons and hide the labels on your taskbar.
Why Center Your Taskbar Icons?
Centering your taskbar icons can give your computer a fresh, modern look. It lines up the icons in the middle of the taskbar, just like in Windows 11. This look is neat and can make it easier to find your apps because they’re right in the center where you expect them to be.
Many people who use both Macs and PCs like centered icons because it feels familiar on both systems.
Having centered taskbar icons might help if you do a lot of work on your computer too. When programs take up lots of power, having everything organized can make things feel smoother.
Ready for more tips? Let’s move on to how you can actually get those icons in the middle!
How to Center Taskbar Icons in Windows 10
To center your taskbar icons in Windows 10, start by right-clicking the taskbar and deselect “Lock the taskbar” to allow changes. Then, open Taskbar settings from the menu by right-clicking again and choosing ‘Taskbar settings’.
For a centered look without manual adjustment, consider downloading TaskbarX from GitHub or exploring Start11 through the Microsoft Store for a more extensive customization suite. Alternatively, you can create a custom toolbar spacer that shifts pinned icons toward the screen’s center — simply add an empty toolbar on one side of your pinned items and adjust as needed.
Unlocking the Taskbar
Customizing your taskbar in Windows 10 can give your computer a fresh look. Moving the icons to the center is one way to do this.
[the_ad id=”8362″]- Right-click on an empty space on the taskbar. This brings up a menu.
- Look for “Lock the taskbar” in the menu. If there’s a check next to it, click it. This unlocks the taskbar.
- Now you can make changes to your taskbar like moving icons around or resizing it.
- Make sure when you’re done, right-click and select “Lock the taskbar” again so everything stays in place.
Using Taskbar Settings for Adjustment
Changing the taskbar settings can move your icons to the middle. This makes your desktop look neater, just like the new style in Windows 11.
- First, right-click on an empty area of your taskbar.
- Choose “Taskbar settings” from the menu that pops up.
- Scroll down in the settings window until you see “Taskbar behaviors.”
- Click on this to see more options.
- Look for “Taskbar alignment” and change it from “Left” to “Center.”
- Your icons should now shift to the middle of the taskbar.
Introducing TaskbarX: A Third-Party Solution
TaskbarX is a tool you can use to make your Windows taskbar look different. It lets you move your icons to the center and adds cool styles and effects. This makes your computer look like it has the new Windows 11 layout, even if it’s still on Windows 10.
You get more than just centered icons; TaskbarX gives you options for how they act when you open or close programs.
Now let’s check out Start11, which gives even more ways to change how your taskbar works and looks.
Exploring Start11 for Enhanced Customization
Start11 is a tool you can use to make your Windows 10 taskbar look and feel more like Windows 11. With this program, you get new ways to change how your taskbar works. You can move icons around and choose different styles for the start menu.
It lets you take control and design the taskbar in a way that fits what you want.
Using Start11 means you can do more than just center icons. You can also pick special effects, change colors, and even add blur to the taskbar background. If you love making your computer screen look cool and work better for how you use it, Start11 might be perfect for helping with that.
It makes customizing fun by giving options that go beyond what Windows 10 offers on its own.
Creating a Custom Toolbar for Centering Icons
After looking at Start11 for added features, let’s dive into how you can center taskbar icons by making your own custom toolbar. This method won’t need extra software and keeps things simple.
- First, right-click on your taskbar and make sure to uncheck “Lock the taskbar”. This lets you move things around.
- Right-click again, hover over “Toolbars” and choose “New toolbar…” from the menu.
- You’ll get a window to pick a new folder. Make one on your desktop named “Icons” or something easy to remember. Select this folder for your new toolbar.
- Drag this “Icons” toolbar all the way to the left near the start button. It should sit next to your pinned apps.
- Now, right-click on the taskbar again and uncheck both “Show Text” and “Show Title”. This will hide any text labels near your new toolbar for a clean look.
- Click and drag to move your original app icons into the center of the taskbar. The “Icons” toolbar will fill the space on the left, pushing your icons toward the middle.
- Lock the taskbar once more by right-clicking it and checking “Lock the taskbar” so everything stays in place.
Additional Customization Tips
Under the section for “Additional Customization Tips,” you’ll learn how to resize your taskbar icons, offering a more streamlined aesthetic that suits your visual preference. We’ll also dive into hiding taskbar labels to achieve a minimalist and cleaner look on your desktop.
These tips are designed to enhance not only the appearance but also the functionality of your Windows 10 workspace, ensuring it caters precisely to your personal computing practices.
Resizing Taskbar Icons
Customizing your taskbar in Windows 10 lets you change the size of your icons. Bigger or smaller, it’s all about what works best for you.
- Right-click on an empty space on your taskbar.
- Hover your mouse over “Taskbar settings” and click to open.
- Scroll down until you see “Use small taskbar buttons“.
- Toggle this option to make the icons smaller.
- If you want them to be larger again, just toggle the option off.
Hiding Taskbar Labels for a Cleaner Look
After sorting out the size of your taskbar icons, you can also hide the labels to make things look even tidier. This change will give your taskbar a more streamlined appearance. Here’s how you can do it:
- Right-click on an empty space on your taskbar.
- Select “Taskbar settings” from the menu that pops up.
- Scroll down until you find “Combine taskbar buttons“.
- Click on the drop-down menu next to it.
- Choose “Always, hide labels”.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts on Taskbar Customization
Centering your taskbar icons in Windows 10 makes everything look neat and tidy. You can do this quickly by unlocking the taskbar, tweaking some settings, and adjusting things just right.
If you want more cool options, try TaskbarX or Start11. These tools can make your computer look like it has Windows 11! Remember to lock the taskbar when you’re done to keep your new setup safe.
Give these steps a try to see how nice your screen can look with centered icons!
FAQs
1. How can I move my taskbar icons to the middle in Windows 10?
You can customize your taskbar by moving the icons to the center of the screen for a new look. This might involve using special software or tweaking system settings.
2. Will centering my taskbar icons change how I use my Start button and system tray?
Yes, if you center your taskbar icons, your Start button and system tray may shift from their usual spots, but they will still work the same way.
3. Can I access files and applications like File Explorer or emails after changing my taskbar location?
Yes, you can still reach all your apps like File Explorer, and check emails no matter where your taskbar is located on the screen.
4. Does Windows 11 have centered taskbar icons too?
Windows 11 comes with centered taskbar icons by default which might be different if you’re used to how it looks in Windows 10.
5. Is there an easy way to get my taskbar customization back if I don’t like it centered?
If you want to undo your changes, just right-click on your taskbar and adjust settings till it’s back how you like it.
