1. How to enable the Quick Launch toolbar
The Quick Launch toolbar is not enabled by default. The usual way to enable it is to right-click on a blank part of the taskbar, or on the digital time > at the context menu which pops up, move the mouse pointer over the word Toolbars (see Fig 1) > at the submenu which appears, click on the item 'Quick Launch'. This will cause the menu to close but it will also have placed a tick against 'Quick Launch' and the Quick Launch toolbar and icons should duly appear somewhere on the taskbar.
If XP or Vista is being used, there are three further, slightly longer ways of achieving the same thing. We come back to them in item 4 on this troubleshooting page.
If the toolbar fails to appear after being enabled, or it does appear but there is some other QLT-related problem (such as being on the wrong side of the taskbar, or devoid of icons), click whichever of the above blue links best describes your situation.
2. Quick Launch toolbar fails to appear after being enabled
If the Quick Launch option can be ticked on the context menu (as per Fig 1, and section 1 above), but the QLT does not appear on the taskbar, this means either (i) a yellow folder called 'Quick Launch' is missing, or empty, or hidden or (ii) the option on the menu is misbehaving due to a problem in the registry or the OS relative to your user account. Work your way through each of the following steps in this section until reaching one which resolves the issue.
2.1 Check if Quick Launch folder is missing
The Quick Launch toolbar is represented in Windows as a yellow subfolder called Quick Launch within a parent system folder called Internet Explorer (nothing to do with the browser of the same name). If that 'Quick Launch' folder is somehow missing from your own user account, or from a new account you have just created for yourself, there are two ways to fix this. Either by creating a brand new Quick Launch folder, or by copying an existing Quick Launch folder from a different or the former user account, or from the administrator account. In either case, the first step is to verify the original folder is actually missing.
2.1.1 Search for the parent folder
There would be no point using Windows to search for a folder called 'quick launch' if the folder is missing. So, instead, search for the parent folder which, confusingly, is called Internet Explorer. After executing a search of the C: drive for 'Files and Folders' called Internet Explorer, the search results will potentially look like those you can see in Fig 6 in the RH column. To get that particular arrangement, on the resultant search window, change the View type from a normal icon-style view to a 'Details' view (i.e. the 'list' style seen in Fig 6) > click the 'Type' heading to bring all the yellow IE folders together at the top of the list > then stretch out both the window and the 'In Folder' column, so you can see the full path of each IE folder. From the paths, ascertain which IE folder relates to your own user account. It will be something like, for XP, C:\ Documents and Settings\ [UserName]\ Application Data\ Microsoft or, in Vista, C:\ Users\ [UserName]\ AppData\ Roaming\ Microsoft or, in Windows 98, C:\ WINDOWS\ Application Data\ Microsoft. There will be at least two folders called Internet Explorer (there are three in the example in Fig 6 though only the first two have paths which are relevant). Having decided which is your IE folder in the search window, double-click its icon to open the folder. If you see a yellow folder inside called Quick Launch then a missing QL folder would obviously not be your problem, in which case go to 2.2. However, if there is no QL folder inside, go to method 2.1.2 or 2.1.3 below, whichever appeals to you most. The first method is simpler but will produce an empty QL toolbar which will need repopulating with icons. The second method will inherit whatever QL icons are already in the other user's account and possibly some incidental Windows' settings from that account.
2.1.2 Create a new Quick Launch folder
Open the taskbar's right-click menu (the one shown in Fig 1) and ensure there is no tick against either Lock the Taskbar nor Quick Launch. Now return to the search window which has your own IE folder opened in it > right-click on the window > New > Folder > change the name of the folder from New Folder to Quick Launch > click anywhere in the window to make the new name take. Double-click the new folder to open it as an empty window. Now go back to the search results' window and look for any shortcut to Internet Explorer (there are three such examples in the specimen in Fig 6) > use the right-hand mouse button to drag any IE shortcut and drop it on the window of the new Quick Launch folder > at the menu which pops up, choose Copy Here. Now go down to 2.1.4.
2.1.3 Copy a QL folder from another user account
We are obliged to reader Jan P from Pittsburgh, March 2009, for providing the basis for this step after she found that copying the QL folder from her original user account to a newly created user account solved her own problem of no QLT in the new account.
Open the taskbar menu (the one shown in Fig 1) and ensure there is no tick against either Lock the Taskbar or Quick Launch. Now return to the search window produced by step 2.1.1, the one showing all the files and folders on the C: drive called Internet Explorer. Double-click on any of the IE folders until you find one which contains a yellow folder called Quick Launch > right-click on the QL folder and choose Copy > double-click on whichever is the IE folder which does not contain a Quick Launch folder to open it > right-click on the opened window > choose Paste > double-click on the QL folder you just pasted in to open it > ensure there is at least one shortcut icon in the folder (if there isn't one, copy an IE shortcut from the search results' window and paste that in) > then go to 2.1.4. In the unlikely event none of the IE folders contained a Quick Launch folder, meaning one could not be copied, go back and implement step 2.1.2 instead.
2.1.4 Finalising the new configuration
After reaching the end of either step 2.1.2 or 2.1.3, close all windows which are open > right-click on the taskbar > on the taskbar menu click on Quick Launch to put a tick against it (as in Fig 1). You should now find you have a Quick Launch folder back in place on the taskbar with at least one icon on there. If the QLT is over by the clock initially, use the handles to drag it across so it is next to the Start button. You may find you have to drag the handles on either side of the QLT, in a two-stage process. If, when you try dragging the QLT, it keeps springing back to the RHS, see step 7. Once everything is how you want it, do a normal restart of the computer so all the new configurations will be remembered. Note that copying a Quick Launch folder (method 2.1.3) may disrupt the odd Windows' settings (e.g. the Num Lock key may be off now when it was normally on before, or vice versa). But you can easily readjust any such differences as and when they come to your notice.
To conclude this section 2.1, if the Show Desktop icon is missing from your new QL toolbar, go to the first of the blue links at the bottom of this page, under "Related topics", for ways to restore it.
2.2 Check if the Quick Launch folder is empty
If you have already worked through step 2.1, this section cannot apply to you, in which case go to step 2.3.
If somebody has accidentally or mischievously deleted all the icons from your QL toolbar, the toolbar will not appear on the taskbar even if it is ticked on the context menu shown in Fig 1. If you can see a pair of empty 'handles' next to the Start button or the System Tray, that will confirm an empty QL folder is the problem. The solution is simply to put some shortcuts in the QL folder.
In the case of XP or Vista, the said handles are hidden by default. To enable them temporarily, right click on an empty part of the taskbar, or on the digital time > on the menu which pops up you will see an option 'Lock the Taskbar' (see Fig 1), if there is a tick next to it, click on the option. That will close the menu and remove the tick. If, on the taskbar, you can now see two sets of handles, close together, next to the Start button or the Notification Area, use the mouse to move the cursor over the empty handles > when the cursor changes to bold crosshairs, press the right-hand mouse button > from the context menu, choose Open Folder. This will open the Quick Launch folder as a floating empty window > locate any existing shortcut to Internet Explorer > use the right-hand mouse button to drag the shortcut and drop it on the QL folder's floating window > from the menu choose Copy Here > close all open windows and do a normal restart. If, when you unlocked the taskbar in XP or Vista, no QL handles appeared anywhere on the taskbar, not even empty handles, open the taskbar context menu again and check there is a tick next to Quick Launch (see Fig 1). If Quick Launch is ticked, and Lock the Taskbar is unticked, and you still have no handles, go to 2.3.
2.3 Check if Quick Launch folder is set to Hidden
All the shortcuts for the Quick Launch toolbar are contained in a yellow Windows folder called Quick Launch. If the Properties of that folder have been set to "Hidden", the toolbar will not appear on the taskbar even if it is ticked on the context menu. We are obliged to reader Chris Berry of Columbus, Ohio for tipping us off about this eventuality.
There will usually be more than one folder on a computer named Quick Launch e.g. one for the designated administrator and one for each other user. The best thing is to check the properties of each instance to make sure none is set to 'Hidden'. Finding them all can be tricky. The surest way is to do a search of the C: drive for all 'Files and Folders' called 'quick launch'. To do that, proceed as follows...
2.3.1 To search XP and Vista
To search XP (fairly similar procedure for Vista), click Start > Search > All files and folders > at 'All or part of the file name:', type in quick launch > at 'Look in:', choose the C: drive (if not preselected) > click 'More advanced options' > tick 'Search hidden files and folders' > Search. This will cause all instances of folders with the name Quick Launch to be listed. Now skip to 2.3.3 below.
2.3.2 To search Windows 98
To search Windows 98, click Start > Find > Files or Folders... > Name & Location tab > at Named, type in quick launch > at Look in..., choose the C: drive (if not already selected) > Find now. This will list any instance of a Quick Launch folder on the system. Now go to 2.3.3.
2.3.3 To remove the 'Hidden' property
If the search found one or more folders named Quick Launch, right-click on the first one > Properties > if there is a tick against 'Hidden', click on it to remove the tick, if there is no tick do nothing > OK. Right-click on the next Quick Launch folder and repeat. Repeat until all QL folders have been checked. If Hidden had been ticked on any of the folders, unticking it should enable the Quick Launch toolbar to be duly displayed as soon as the 'Quick Launch' option is ticked on the menu (as shown in Fig 1). If 'Hidden' was not ticked in any of the QL folders when you looked, that is not the cause of your problem so move on to step 2.4 below. Or, if the search failed to find any yellow folders called Quick Launch, and you are certain you carried out the search process correctly, go back and work through step 2.1.
By this stage, you will have determined that there is definitely a Quick Launch folder in existence relating to your own user account, that there is at least one shortcut in the folder, and the QLT is enabled. But, in exceptional cases, that may still not result in the QLT appearing on the taskbar. If that applies to you, continue to work through the remaining steps in this section.
2.4 Check if interface is in Classic mode
If you are using Windows XP, failure of the QLT to appear, after ticking it on the menu, may happen if you have set the Windows' interface back to a 'classic' mode. This can sometimes have the undesirable effect of disabling the Quick Launch toolbar. If you are not currently in Classic mode, this is not the problem, so go to 2.5. If you are in Classic mode, reset Windows XP's appearance scheme back to the default 'Bliss' scheme (i.e. the Teletubbies' landscape), then work through section 1 above. If that puts the Quick Launch area back in residence on the taskbar, you may be able to return to the Classic mode, if you prefer it, without losing the Quick Launch toolbar. Try it to find out.
If changing the interface did not bring back the QLT, stay with the default Teletubbies' desktop, at least for now, and continue to 2.5.
2.5 Check if QLT is disabled in Registry
Another possibility with XP is that some other person (or administrator) with access to your machine might have deliberately restricted the Quick Launch toolbar in the Windows' registry without you knowing it. Run Regedit to inspect the following Key:- HKEY_Current_User\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer. If the Key contains an item 'NoToolbarsOnTaskbar', change its value from a one (1) to a zero (0). Restart Windows to make sure the change takes effect. If there was no such key, or the key was already set to zero, that is obviously not the problem, so go to 2.6. Before editing the registry, check out tip 3 [backing up the registry] in the tips' box in the RH column.
2.6 Check for disk errors
Still with XP, especially if using it with the default NTFS file system, another method that has been known to restore a recalcitrant Quick Launch toolbar is by running Error-checking (aka Check Disk or ScanDisk).
Be aware that Error-checking can take one or more hours to complete, depending on the size of your C: partition and the amount of stuff on it. That is a long time to wait if it doesn't fix the problem. But hey - it's something you're supposed to do periodically anyway. If you don't know how to run the Error-checking tool, click Start > Help and Support > in the Search box, type error-checking - and follow what it says.
2.7 Re-sync the Quick Launch's parent folder
If you have earlier used step 2.1.1 and successfully created a new QL folder, but the QL toolbar still fails to appear, this step 2.7 is not relevant to you, so go to 4.2 (disregard the main heading to section 4). If you did not need to apply step 2.1.1 because you already had a Quick Launch folder in your own user setup, but it cannot be enabled, then continue...
As you still cannot enable the Quick Launch toolbar, whether on XP, Vista or an older system, it is time to do some hands-on tweaking in the parent system folder, called Internet Explorer, which contains the yellow subfolder called Quick Launch. The aim of this step is to try to kick Windows' brain back into sync. Open Windows Explorer (or My Computer) > Tools > Folder Options... > View tab > at 'Hidden files and folders', enable 'Show hidden files and folders' > just below that item, untick 'Hide extensions to known file types' > Apply > OK. Then, on the taskbar menu (the one in Fig 1), untick both Lock the Taskbar and Quick Launch. Now, staying with Windows Explorer, browse to the particular folder called Internet Explorer which contains your own folder called Quick Launch. If there are multiple user accounts on the machine there could be multiple QL folders, so be careful to go to the correct one. The path will be something like (a) in XP: C:\ Documents and Settings\ [UserName]\ Application Data\ Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\ or (b) in Vista: C:\ Users\ [UserName]\ AppData\ Roaming\ Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\ or (c) in Windows 98: C:\ WINDOWS\ Application Data\ Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\.
When at the appropriate Internet Explorer folder, double-click on it to open it. This will reveal a single instance of a folder called Quick Launch. Right-click on that folder > Rename > rename it to, say, xxxQuick Launch > close all open windows and do a normal shutdown of the computer. Wait 30 secs for XP or Vista, 10 secs for older systems, then switch the computer back on. Do not miss out that shutdown stage as it is clearing any references in Windows' memory or system to there having been a QL folder in your own user setup. When the computer has rebooted back to the desktop, open Windows Explorer again (or My Computer) > navigate back to the IE folder containing the folder which was renamed to xxxQuick Launch and create a new, separate folder called Quick Launch. To do that, right-click on an empty part of the window which contain xxxQuick Launch > choose New > Folder > right-click on the newly created folder and name it Quick Launch. Now open the old folder called xxxQuick Launch and use the right-hand mouse button to copy the principal shortcuts from it and paste them into the new folder called Quick Launch > close all open windows and do a normal shutdown of the computer. Again, wait 30 secs for XP or Vista, 10 secs for older systems, before switching the computer back on. Do not miss out that further shutdown stage as it is telling Windows to recognise there is now a QL folder back in your own user setup. When the computer has booted back to the desktop, right-click on the taskbar and, on the menu, put a tick against Quick Launch. Now, in all probability, you will find there is a QL area on the taskbar, though it may, initially, be over by the System Tray instead of by the Start button. If the QLT has not appeared, go to 4.2 (disregard the main heading to section 4). If the QLT has appeared, do a normal restart of the computer to ascertain if the toolbar stays in situ permanently. If the toolbar disappears after the restart, go to the following section 3. If the QLT stays intact, but is next to the System Tray, drag both sets of the QLT's handles, one at a time, all the way over to the left, until a small QLT area is sitting by the Start button. If any trouble doing that, see step 7.
Finally, sort out the icons which you want to be visible > then right-click on the taskbar and put a tick against Lock the Taskbar > do another restart of the computer.
3. Quick Launch toolbar appears when enabled but disappears each time the computer is rebooted
If you can successfully enable a Quick Launch toolbar, as per section 1 above, only to find it disappears again any time you reboot the computer, this is a phenomenon which has a number of different possible causes. Work through the following steps...
3.1 Consider possible software conflicts
This problem has been known to affect people after installing software downloaded off the internet. If that is what happened in your case, try uninstalling the program, ideally before using or configuring the said program. Carry out the uninstall in Safe Mode, using the program's own uninstaller if it has one (that will be found, in Safe Mode, via the Start menu > (All) Programs > look for 'Uninstall' in the program's own folder group). If the suspect program has not provided its own uninstaller, open the Control Panel, while still in Safe Mode, and use the Add-Remove Programs tool. After the uninstall, shut down the computer, wait 30 seconds, then switch back on. If Windows refused to allow the uninstall in Safe Mode, which XP and Vista do sometimes choose to do, uninstall the program in normal mode. If the uninstall does not cure the disappearing QLT, or this paragraph did not apply to you, go to 3.2.
3.2 Re-sync the Control Panel
If you are using Windows XP, try this fix. Click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Taskbar & Start Menu > untick the box at 'Show Quick Launch' (or tick it if it was already unticked) > Apply > OK > close Control Panel. Restart the PC for the changed settings to take effect. After the computer has rebooted, repeat the foregoing sequence but, this time, ensure the box by Quick Launch either receives a tick or is still ticked. Restart the computer again and, when it reboots, the Quick Launch toolbar will hopefully be present and correct on the taskbar. If it isn't, right-click on the taskbar > Toolbars and (i) if there is a tick by Quick Launch already, the problem is obviously still there, so proceed to step 3.3 or (ii) if there is no tick by Quick Launch, click on it and, if the QLT then appears, reboot the computer to see if the QLT still disappears and, if it does, again, go to 3.3.
3.3 Check for a registry error
If you are using Windows XP, run Regedit to inspect the following Key... HKEY_Local_Machine\ Software\ Microsoft\ WindowsNT\ CurrentVersion\ Winlogon. In the RH pane, the value of Userinit should be the file path "C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe," complete with comma, and where 'C:' is the drive containing Windows XP. If the key is correct, go to 3.4. If the value is different, use Regedit to Export a copy of the registry branch to the desktop (as a backup). Then enter the value (file path) shown above, close Regedit, and anything else which is open, and do a normal restart of the computer. When back at the desktop, enable the QLT and do yet another restart to see if Windows is now remembering the settings. If the QLT still disappears, right-click on the Export file on the desktop and choose Merge. This will put the value back to how it was before. Then go to step 3.4.
3.4 Re-sync the Quick Launch folder
If you have not previously worked through step 2.7, do so now, to the exact letter (disregard the main heading to section 2). If that does not prove successful, come back here and continue with step 3.5.
3.5 Registry damaged by a registry cleaner
This problem of a disappearing Quick Launch toolbar has been known to occur after running a registry cleaner. If this cannot be applicable in your case, go to 3.6. If it could apply to you, then, when a registry has been inadvertently corrupted by a registry cleaner, the simplest way to undo the damage is to revert to a backup of the registry which was made either by the registry cleaner, or by a separate registry backup utility, before the cleaner was run. If you do not have such a backup of the registry go to 3.6.
3.6 Open a new user account
A reader told us, in June 2008, that he got round the problem of a misbehaving QLT by opening up a new user account for himself which, in turn, allowed him to enable a QLT which proved to be normal and stable. So, if none of the preceding steps have fixed your own QLT, create an additional log-in for yourself. Then log in as the new user, enable the QLT and reboot. Log in as the new user again and the QLT will probably still be there. If it is, you will then be left with the small matter of configuring your new log-in to make it the same as your old one (e.g. your personal settings for the desktop, documents, applications etc.). But that is something you can do steadily over a period of time. Eventually, when everything is transferred over to your new log-in, you can delete your old user log-in from the Control Panel and delete the redundant duplicate data files from the old user's 'Documents and Settings' directory. We are obliged to our reader for this tip. If this did not work for you, go to step 4.3 (disregard the main heading to section 4).
3.7 Damage caused by virus removal
This problem of a disappearing Quick Launch toolbar has been known to occur after removal of a virus. That would imply the problem is because the virus, or the removing of the virus, has corrupted part of the registry or the operating system. Go to step 4.3 (disregard the heading to section 4).
3.8 Other causes
We have seen a few other suggested fixes in online forums for the problem of a disappearing QLT, including running Ad-aware or Spybot. But such ideas are never going to work if the underlying cause is a flawed registry or a flawed OS. So, if you have got this far down without being able to stop the QLT from disappearing each time you reboot, go to step 4.3 (disregard the heading to section 4).
4. Quick Launch toolbar cannot be enabled
In Windows 98 there was only one way to enable or disable the Quick Launch toolbar, and it was documented in the Help file in case anybody couldn't remember how to do it. Sweet and simple, and problems with the QLT in Win 98 were virtually unheard of. But, in XP and Vista, there are, as with so many other things in Windows, four separate ways of now doing the same simple thing. There really is no need for all this quadruplicating. All it achieves is that Windows becomes ever more bloated, power-hungry, and prone to something going amiss in the registry or OS. The latter being what has probably happened on your machine if you are having to read this section.
The heritage way of enabling the QLT is by ticking the Quick Launch option on the Taskbar menu (Fig 1). However, if you have found either the Toolbars option or the Quick Launch option is greyed-out or absent, you will obviously not be able to tick the Quick Launch option to enable the toolbar.
If XP or Vista is being used, there are further ways of enabling the QLT so, initially, check if any of the alternatives will work. Though it's unlikely - one out all out as they say. The other ways are (i) right-click on a blank part of the taskbar > Properties > tick Show Quick Launch > Apply > OK, or (ii) right-click on the Start button > Properties > tick Show Quick Launch > Apply > OK, or (iii) click Start > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu > tick Show Quick Launch > Apply > OK. If all of them are dysfunctional, read on...
4.1 Check for Administrator restrictions
This kind of problem can be caused by Taskbar restrictions intentionally placed on the machine by the present or a previous 'administrator'. Reversing that restriction will restore the option. If you are certain this cannot be the cause on your own machine, work through all practicable parts of sections 2 & 3 above on the off chance one of them might happen to fix the issue. When doing so, disregard the main headings to sections 2 & 3. If no joy, come back here and continue with step 4.2.
4.2 Boot to Safe Mode
If none of the practicable parts of sections 2 or 3 have worked for you, try this:- boot into Safe Mode > when there, right-click on the taskbar > Toolbars > Quick Launch. Irrespective of whether the option 'Toolbars' is available or not, even in Safe Mode, boot straight back to normal mode, then right-click on the taskbar again to see if the QLT can now be enabled. Switching to Safe Mode, and back from it, is sometimes an effective way of resetting a wayward taskbar so, with any luck, it might just kick the Quick Launch menu component into behaving as well. If still no luck, proceed to 4.3.
4.3 Restore a registry backup
If, despite all of the above procedures, you have still not managed to satisfactorily resurrect a Quick Launch toolbar, not even by creating a new Quick Launch folder (step 2.1) or a new user account for yourself (step 3.6), there must be some inexplicable fault within either the registry or the Windows operating system itself. The only way to fix a faulty registry in isolation is to restore a recent backup of the registry which was made prior to the Quick Launch problem developing. If you have not been keeping backups of the registry, things are looking bleak, go to 4.4. For general info on backing up the registry, for the future, see tip 3.
4.4 Restore a drive-image backup
If you were not in a position to restore a registry backup, but you have periodically been using drive-imaging software to make restorable backups of your entire C: drive or C: partition, you can repair the Quick Launch toolbar simply by restoring the most recent disk image which was made at a time when the Quick Launch toolbar was present and correct. For general info on disk imaging, whether restoring an image, or for the future, see tip 4. If you have not been imaging your C: drive, oh dear, it's looking hopeless now , go to 4.5.
4.5 Restore a System Restore Point
If you were not in a position to restore a drive-image backup, but Windows XP or Vista is being used, and Windows has been allowed to periodically make its own System Restore Points, that may be a way of solving the problem. Manually make a new restore point of the current setup (in case you need to revert to it), then restore the most recent restore point that was made at a time when the Quick Launch toolbar was believed to be present and correct. If that reinstates the QLT, restart the computer to see if the QLT disappears or stays in situ. If trying a restore point is not an option to you, or it fails to restore the QLT permanently, or it introduces spin-off QLT problems, go to 4.6 or 4.7.
4.6 Reinstall Windows
If you are still without success, after reaching all this way down, the options for getting a correctly working QLT back have dried up, short of reinstalling Windows from scratch. But do not resort to this extreme just for the sake of a missing Quick Launch toolbar. Far less hassle just to live without it. And, even though you will be deprived of the invaluable Show Desktop icon, you will find this particular function is only a click away in XP or Vista if you right-click on a blank part of the taskbar. Or, if you've still got some time to spare, you could take a look at get-out item 4.7
4.7 Third-party launcher
You may be aware that Mac computers lack the simple organised efficiency of a Windows or Linux-style taskbar. Instead of a discreet taskbar, Macs have a large 3-D mantelpiece along the bottom of the screen with oversized animating icons stacked along it like greeting cards. People have produced copycat versions of the Mac's jellybar for use on Windows. These are available free off the internet and offer a possible alternative for persons who cannot get the Windows' QLT to stay put. For more information, see tip 5 over in the RH column.
We have now exhausted all known ways of dealing with a missing or disappearing QLT. The remaining sections below are only relevant to people who already have a normal QLT but need help with some relatively minor problem with it.
5. QLT's handles & chevrons are not visible
In Windows XP and Vista, the drag-handles (boundaries) of the Quick Launch toolbar, and the expander chevrons, examples of which can be seen in Fig 1, are hidden by default when the QLT is enabled for the first time.
5.1 To make the drag-handles appear
To make the QLT handles appear, at any time, right-click on the taskbar in an empty place or on the taskbar time and, in the menu which pops up, click on the item 'Lock the taskbar' (see Fig 1) to remove the tick which is normally by that item. The menu will close and the handles will appear. Drag the RHS handle to the right to make more than three icons permanently visible. Then right-click on the taskbar again to relock it to the new length.
5.2 To make the chevrons appear
The chevrons will appear on the QLT after there are more than three icons on the QLT and the length of the QLT has been set so that at least one of the icons is hidden off the end of the QLT. The chevrons are a reminder there is at least one hidden icon. Click the chevrons to access the hidden
5.3 Other options
If the steps in 5.1 and/or 5.2 do not result in the handles or the chevrons appearing, there is a problem in the registry or the operating system. If you want to try to fix this, go to step 4.3. Alternatively, open a new User Account and see if that creates a fully functional QLT (step 3.6).
6. Quick Launch icons make the Taskbar too high
If enabling the Quick Launch toolbar causes the taskbar to increase to double its normal height (as in Fig 3), and you find you cannot drag it back down to its normal height, next is an original sequence of
©6.1 Top border drag method
Close all open programs so there are no buttons showing in the main middle part of the taskbar > right-click on... continued in RH col.
| Fig 1 (above) The above screen clip shows the Quick Launch toolbar enabled on a Windows XP computer, and in its normal position next to the Start button. The default icons for the QLT are, from left to right, Show Desktop, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. More icons can be revealed by clicking the chevron. More than three icons can be displayed permanently by dragging the handle in front of the chevron to the right. The drag-handles become visible after unticking the item "Lock the Taskbar" on the primary menu. More on enabling the QLT (item 1 in LH col). |
| Fig 2 (above) The above screen clip shows a personalised Quick Launch toolbar on a still-used Windows 98 computer. If you hover your mouse over the QLT icons you will see tool tips naming the icons this person had chosen to have visible on the QLT. |
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| Fig 3 (above) When you first enable the Quick Launch toolbar on a Windows XP machine, or if more icons are added to it, you may well get a horrible double-depth effect like the one above. It can also prove exasperatingly difficult to fix sometimes. How to get it back to normal, like Fig 4 below, is dealt with in section 6. |
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| Fig 4 (above) When you install new software, the programs concerned will, invariably, want to put their icons all over the place, including on the Quick Launch toolbar. Such icons, like the three on the right in the above example, are often irrelevant to the everyday use of the QLT - in which case they should never be left on there as that just ruins the efficiency of the QLT. Hiding or removing superfluous icons is dealt with in step 9.2 and step 9.3 respectively. |
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| Fig 5 (above) A fairly common occurrence, affecting all versions of Windows, including Vista, is for an icon's tool tip to be partly hidden behind the taskbar as in the above example. Resolving this issue is dealt with in step 9.1. |
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| Fig 6 (above) When you search the C: drive for folders called Internet Explorer (which contain each user's Quick Launch folders) you will see something similar to the above. Connect this shot with step 2.1 in LH col. |
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Continued from 6.1 in LH col.
the empty taskbar > if an option 'Lock the Taskbar' is available, and there is a tick against it, click on it to remove the tick (if there was already no tick, click on the desktop to close the menu) > hover the mouse over the top border of the taskbar till the cursor changes to a vertical double-headed arrow > use the left mouse button to drag the taskbar down to its normal height. If it won't drag down, go to 6.2.
6.2 If icons are double-stacked
If, after step 6.1, the taskbar still refuses to collapse back to single-row height, and you can see this is because the icons are double stacked on the Quick Launch toolbar, click and hold down on the Quick Launch toolbar's right-hand side grab-handle (the dotted lines which appear after you unlock the taskbar), then drag the handle sideways to the right, to stretch out the QLT, until all the icons are visible in a single, horizontal row > click on the top border of the taskbar and drag it down to single-height size. If that worked, delete any superfluous icons while they are all visible, or hide them by dragging the RHS handle back to the left, then relock the taskbar. If this didn't work, go to 6.3.
6.3 Remove the QLT temporarily
If, after step 6.2, the taskbar still refuses to collapse, right-click on an empty area of the taskbar > Toolbars > remove the tick against Quick Launch (and all other ticks, if any, which are showing). The Quick Launch toolbar will have disappeared from the taskbar. Now drag the taskbar down to size > right-click on an empty area of the taskbar > Toolbars > Quick Launch. The Quick Launch toolbar will reappear. In the unlikely event that the taskbar is still double its proper height, drag some icons off the Quick Launch toolbar, onto the desktop, so that there are no more than three icons left on the QLT. Close any open programs > disable the Quick Launch toolbar again > do a normal restart of the computer. After the computer has booted, re-enable the Quick Launch toolbar and it should now be single-height. If not, go to 6.4.
6.4 Repeat the sequence if necessary
In the unlikely event, after working through the above three steps, the QLT is still at double-height, work through all parts of section 6, which are still practicable, again, including the restart operation in 6.3. One way or another, the above procedure will definitely resize a double-height XP taskbar, no matter how obstinate it may appear to be. So, if at first it fails, just keep trying until it finally does work for you.
Once your XP taskbar is restored to single-row height, right-click on it and relock it.
7. QLT is on RHS of Taskbar
If your Quick Launch toolbar is in the wrong place, i.e. next to the clock instead of the Start button, and resists all logical attempts to drag it back to the LHS using the QLT's handles, then here is a
©8. Show Desktop icon is missing
The most important item on the QLT is the Show Desktop icon, the one which minimises/ unminimises all open windows with a single click. If it is missing from the QLT, look to see if the icon is anywhere on the desktop, in the Recycle Bin, or hidden by the chevrons. If it isn't, you can download a replacement Show Desktop icon via the first of the blue links under 'Related Topics' at the bottom of this page.
9. Managing icons on the QLT
If you need assistance of some kind concerning the icons on the QLT, look through the several subheadings below for the one which describes your situation.
9.1 How to add more icons
If Vista is being used, right-click on any existing shortcut icon anywhere on the computer and, from the context menu, choose 'Add to Quick Launch'.
For all earlier versions of Windows, use the mouse's right-hand button to drag any shortcut icon over the Quick Launch area > drop the icon only when you see the icon is overlaid with a grey vertical insertion point > choose 'Copy Here'. If you drop the icon before or after the insertion bar has appeared, you will not receive the menu to copy the icon. In that case right-drag the icon again.
If you cannot successfully right-drag a shortcut as just described, the solution is to open the yellow folder called Quick Launch and drop the icon directly into the folder. That will result in the icon appearing in the QL area on the taskbar. To open the QL folder, if XP (or Vista) is being used, there is a quick way, simply right-click on an empty bit of the QLT > from the context menu which pops up, choose Open Folder > use the mouse's right-hand button to drag the required shortcut > drop the shortcut on the open window > Copy Here.
The Quick Launch toolbar takes up valuable real estate on the taskbar - so the visible icons on it should basically be kept to about half a dozen, with any others hidden behind the chevrons. The visible icons should be strictly limited to ones you will use very frequently and will need quick access to when other windows are maximised and, hence, obscuring the general icons on the desktop. The QLT should not be cluttered up with shortcuts to ordinary everyday programs which are adequately served by being on the desktop, on the Start menu or on a Windows sidebar. Icons which are particularly ideal for the QLT are ones pointing to any frequently used utility (e.g. a backup tool), to removable drives, or to a much-used folder. See Fig 2 for ideas. See tip 1 for help on how to add a shortcut pointing to a CD or DVD drive and to Windows Explorer.
9.2 How to hide icons on the QLT
If there are lots of icons on your Quick Launch toolbar, you can hide some of them so as to free up horizontal space on the taskbar. To do this, first, drag the icons that are of most use to you, such as Show Desktop and Internet Explorer, closest to the Start button (see the example in Fig 2) > once your icons are suitably sorted, click on the grab-handle at the RHS of the Quick Launch toolbar and drag the handle to the left until all the less important icons are hidden. You can hide all but three icons by this method. You will be left with a visible, clickable double-chevron to gain access to any hidden icons on the QLT (see Figs 1 or 2).
9.3 How to remove icons from the QLT
Be ruthless with each unwanted icon on the Quick Launch toolbar and remove it. Either (i) drag the icon with the right-hand mouse button onto the desktop > Move Here (where the icon will be out of the way) or, (ii) right-click on the icon > choose Delete while holding down the Shift key > Yes (to zap it for good). If you encounter any icons that resist direct removal like this, or can be removed only to irritatingly reappear after a reboot or reusing a particular application, refer to tip 2 below.
9.4 Tool tips are obscured behind icons
Occasionally you may notice, when you hover over an icon on the Quick Launch area or the System Tray, that the icon's tool tip, instead of floating in front of the icon, is hiding behind the taskbar, so is unreadable (see Fig 5). This is an obscure, known Windows' bug that will seem to come and go of its own accord. The bug has not been fixed even in Vista. Although instances of this unwanted behaviour may seem unpredictable, we revealed here, for the first time anywhere, in December 2007, that the simple act of connecting the computer to the internet is the most likely trigger. One way of fixing the issue is, therefore, to disconnect from the internet and then restart Windows. This will immediately cure the ducking tool tips. But for how long is anybody's guess - possibly only until the next time you reconnect to the internet. Another fix is to right-click on an empty area of the taskbar > choose Properties > untick the box next to 'Always on top' > OK > right-click on the Desktop > choose Refresh. Now go back to taskbar Properties and retick the item 'Always on top'. This will fix the problem but, again, possibly only until the next time you have disconnected from the internet and then reconnected to it. However, we have known instances where a computer has been shut down a hundred times or more before the tool tips misbehave again. If this glitch ever occurs on your own machine, at least you will now know why it has happened and what you can or cannot do about it. One other thing one can do, of course, is what all the people at MS seem to have done for the past ten years which is, instead of fixing the bug, to ignore it.
9.5 Office icons won't work on Vista's Quick Launch toolbar
Some Vista users have not been able to get icons for Office programs like Word 2007 or Excel 2007 to work from Vista's Quick Launch toolbar. Some even had problems launching the apps from the Start menu. This is possibly caused by a conflict with Vista's UAC 'security' arrangement whereby it does not like system folders and files to be altered or programs to be run from shortcuts if it has not specifically been granted permission by an authorised user. Whatever the actual cause, the solution is simple - do not put Word or Excel on the Quick Launch toolbar. Not even if they do work properly from there. When the Quick Launch toolbar was originally conceived in 1998, it was never envisaged as a repository for general purpose icons like Word or Excel. The main desktop was always the intended place for such shortcuts, using the Show Desktop icon to make them visible if necessary.
10. About the Quick Launch toolbar
It was with Windows 98 that the Quick Launch toolbar first appeared on the taskbar. That brilliant stroke of genius, by some unknown bright-spark at Microsoft - to give over a small, flexible, customisable area of the taskbar to users, so their most frequently used icons could always be seen, even when windows are maximised, and would require only a single click, immediately established itself as one of the best efficiency aids in personal computing.
The term "Quick Launch" is merely a name given to a yellow folder somewhere on your hard disk, in much the same way that "Desktop" is also just a name given to another yellow folder. The Quick Launch toolbar is, therefore, like the desktop, just a clever way of permanently displaying the contents of an open folder other than in a normal floating window. Because the Quick Launch toolbar is just a folder in disguise, that is why you can drag shortcut files (icons) on or off the toolbar in the same way as you can drag files on or off any other open folder window. The nice touch, though, is that icons on the Quick Launch toolbar open with one click, so do not need a double-click, and are always visible even when the desktop is obscured.
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| Related topics | ||
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| Show Desktop icon - how to replace the all important Show Desktop icon if missing from the QLT. | ||
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| Safe Mode - how to access and use Safe Mode. | ||
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| DOS Navigator - a last resort for zapping obstinate icons from the QLT, including any which might even be invisible in the QLT's folder. | ||
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| Office Shortcut Bar - Don't put Office shortcuts like Word, Excel on the QLT. An Office Shortcut Bar is a much better place. | ||
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| Taskbar missing - fix all taskbar problems. | ||
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