Have mainly just upgraded all my computers to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 10 Pro, since it was so easy ‘n reliable to do, but have also done some tests on doing a clean install of Windows 11. Spotted the “This PC” problem right away when doing the clean installs.
The upgrade method allows the “This PC” icon to stay and/or be added to the Taskbar, but the clean install method doesn’t offer the “Pin to taskbar” option. Can pin “This PC” to the Desktop and/or to the Start menu, but not to the Taskbar where I use it a lot…a *LOT*!!!
- NOTE: This is an update post of my Windows 11 “This PC” icon – Create ‘n Pin “This PC” icon to the Windows 11 Taskbar post from the Linux Newbie blog. I have made Karmi’s Musings & Tech (hosted @ Hostinger) my primary blog, and will occasionally update a post from there ‘n publish it here.
I like a clean desktop, and want all my heavily used main folders, drives, apps, browsers, utilities, games (Chess ‘n Hearts), etc. easily available. The Taskbar is right there, on the Left for me. Only the Firefox browser is used more than the “This PC” icon/tool/app/utility/etc. by me. 😉
Personal Computers ‘n End Users
The Start menu has my less used second options, e.g. GeForce Experience utility, 7 USB imaging utilities, media player, etc. Third option is generally a quick system search or just opening the “All apps” option. Everything wid Windows 10 & 11 is quick ‘n easy, highly customizable, reliable ‘n stable, secure, etc. like the Desktop/Laptop OS on one’s Personal Computer should be:
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or technician.
When Linus Torvalds explains why the so-called Linux “Desktop” OS isn’t for “nontechnical people,” he is speaking of the actual Personal Computer’s “end user.”
‘For the last 20 years, I kept hearing how Linux on the Desktop would go mainstream in “five years.” “One of the problems Desktop” Linux has is it’s not made for “normal people, and by normal people I mean, obviously nontechnical people…”‘
End Users ain’t gonna do a lot of tinkering wid their Personal Computer or its OS, i.e. they just want it to work, be easy to learn, and be compatible wid their old scanner ‘n new printer ‘n the newly ordered photo printer that arrives tomorrow. Windows 10 has over 1.3 Billion users, so Personal Computer end user‘s are obviously very happy wid Microsoft.
Create ‘n Pin “This PC” to the Windows 11 Taskbar
As mentioned earlier, I hadn’t spent any time doing a search on how-to pin “This PC” to the taskbar, since I really liked the upgrade method and it didn’t have that issue; however, when I started clean install tests of Windows 11 Pro on a test computer or two, that is when I discovered the “This PC” & taskbar issue. Time for some searching. 😕
- Searches can be a pain!
Entries like This PC or “This PC” returned loads of useless info on everything but “This PC.” Many of the returned search results, that were actually about “This PC,” were on how to move it to the desktop and/or the Start menu!?! It’s as if these writer’s had never heard of the Windows 11 Taskbar…well, they all had heard of the Taskbar ‘n most had written on how to move it from the Center to the Left, but none had mentioned pinning the “This PC” icon to it.
- Searches can be a pain!
Probably took an hour or maybe two before I got the right search combo for Google to return what I was looking for. I was beginning to think I may have been the only Windows 10 user, out of over 1.3 Billion Worldwide users, who pinned “This PC” icon to the Taskbar!? 😉
Then, all of a sudden, ‘Thar it Were! However, a year after finding that YouTube video link I now get this:
The search had never even had a close result until I came across that Blessed Majome’s YouTube (now terminated) – “How to Create and Pin This PC on Taskbar Windows 11.”
Here are my pics of the steps:
- Open file explorer
- Open This PC
- Copy This PC address
- Create a new desktop shortcut
- Paste this copied address: This PC”::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}”
- Delete the quote marks & This PC, which leaves you wid: ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
- 1) Type: Explorer.exe shell:
- 2) It should now be: Explorer.exe shell:::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
- 3) Hit enter
- Name the shortcut: This PC
- Open the shortcut’s Properties
- Going to Change the icon
- We’re gonna add the “This PC” icon, but need to move to a bigger selection area
- 1) Type: imageres.dll
- 2) That takes you to the main icon area
- OK…look for “This PC” icon ‘n select it
- Apply the new selection
Now we just need to pin the new “This PC” shortcut to the Taskbar – \o/ ‘Hippity hip Hoorah‘ \o/
Now we have “This PC” on the Taskbar, and I just deleted the desktop shortcut icon after that.
Conclusion
Don’t know why Windows 10 offered the “Pin to taskbar” option ‘n Windows 11 doesn’t. It’s the first release, so the “Pin to taskbar” option may show up later, especially if enough End Users had used it before. That now terminated YouTube solution – “How to Create and Pin This PC on Taskbar Windows 11” – fixed it for me, and am now happy I saved the results in pics! 🙂
Will add this post to the Windows 11 page…