How to Pin Almost Anything to the Windows 11 Taskbar

The Windows 11 taskbar is your quick-access control panel. It’s the place for your most-used apps—but Microsoft doesn’t always make it easy to pin exactly what you want. Thankfully, there are workarounds. Here’s how to pin almost anything—from folders and files to websites and custom shortcuts—directly to your Windows 11 taskbar.

1. Pin Standard Apps (The Easy Way)

This is the basic method:

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Right-click on the app you want.
3. Click More > Pin to taskbar.

Done. But that only works with apps Microsoft allows. Let’s move on to the more interesting stuff.

2. Pin a Folder to the Taskbar

You can’t pin a folder directly, but there’s a workaround using a shortcut.

Steps:

1. Right-click on the Desktop, go to New > Shortcut.
2. In the location field, type: explorer.exe "C:\Path\To\Your\Folder" Replace the path with your actual folder.
3. Name the shortcut.
4. Right-click the shortcut > Properties > Change Icon (optional).
5. Drag the shortcut to the taskbar.

You’re actually pinning File Explorer with a custom path, but it works.

3. Pin Any File Type (PDFs, Docs, etc.)

Same strategy as folders:

1. Create a new shortcut on the desktop.
2. In the location, type: explorer.exe "C:\Path\To\Your\File.pdf"
3. Name it and optionally change the icon.
4. Drag it to the taskbar.

This tells Windows to open File Explorer directly to the file, which opens in the default app.

4. Pin a Website to the Taskbar

This works best with Microsoft Edge, but you can use other browsers with tweaks.

Using Edge:

1. Open the website in Edge.
2. Click the three dots (•••) > More tools > Pin to taskbar.

Using Chrome (workaround):

1. Go to the site in Chrome.
2. Click the three dots > More tools > Create shortcut.
3. Check “Open as window” and create it.
4. The shortcut goes to your Desktop—drag it to the taskbar.

5. Pin Custom Commands or Scripts

You can pin anything that runs via a .bat, .cmd, or .exe file.

1. Create a shortcut to your script or command.
2. Optional: Add a custom icon for clarity.
3. Drag the shortcut to the taskbar.

For example, to launch a VPN script or open a set of programs with one click.

Bonus: Pin the Recycle Bin

You can’t pin the Recycle Bin directly, but here’s a trick:

1. Create a shortcut with this target: explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder
2. Rename and change icon if needed.
3. Drag it to the taskbar.

Final Tips

• Taskbar only accepts .exe shortcuts: That’s why we use explorer.exe to trick it.
• Group multiple apps in one shortcut using .bat files if you want a “workspace” launcher.
• Right-click on taskbar items to access recent files or jump lists, which can add even more flexibility.

Windows 11 makes some things harder than they need to be, but with a little creativity, you can turn your taskbar into a true productivity hub.

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