A pinned app opens with one click from the taskbar, so you skip the Start menu. Windows 11 lets you pin installed apps, programs that are already open, shortcuts and websites. Below are each of those, how to take a pin off again, and what to try when the option does not show up.
Pin an app from the Start menu
The All apps list in Start is the dependable place to find the pin command for an installed app.
- Select Start, then select All apps.
- Scroll to the app you want.
- Right-click the app and choose Pin to taskbar. If you do not see it straight away, choose More first and look there.
- You can also drag the app from the list straight onto the taskbar.
Pin a program that is already open
An app that is running gets its own icon down there, and that icon offers the same pin command.
- Start the app the usual way, for example from Start > All apps.
- Right-click its icon in the running-apps area while it is open.
- Choose Pin to taskbar.
Pin from a shortcut or an app file
If the app has a shortcut on the desktop or a file in a folder, you can pin it from there.
- Right-click the shortcut or the app file.
- Choose Show more options.
- Choose Pin to taskbar.
Pin a website to the taskbar
A pinned site opens straight into your browser. The steps depend on the browser. If links open in the wrong browser, the default browser steps help.
- Microsoft Edge: open the site, choose the menu with the three dots, go to More tools, choose Pin to taskbar and confirm.
- Google Chrome or Brave: open the site and make a desktop shortcut from the browser menu. Chrome lists it as Create shortcut under Cast, save, and share, though some Chrome versions label that menu Save and share; Brave uses Save and share. Name it, then right-click the shortcut on the desktop, choose Show more options and Pin to taskbar.
- Firefox: it has no pin entry of its own, so build a shortcut by hand. Make a desktop shortcut that points at the Firefox program file, open its Properties, and at the end of Target add a space, -url, a space and the site address. Then right-click the shortcut, choose Show more options and Pin to taskbar.
Pin a folder to the taskbar
The folder is pinned through a shortcut that opens File Explorer.
- Create a desktop shortcut for the folder.
- Right-click the shortcut and open Properties.
- At the start of the Target box, type explorer.exe and a space before the folder path, then click OK.
- Right-click the shortcut, choose Show more options and then Pin to taskbar.
Take an app off the taskbar
Right-click the icon you no longer want and choose Unpin from taskbar.
Pins that come back or change on a managed PC
On a PC that an administrator manages, the icons you see are a mix of three groups, left to right: the built-in apps such as Edge, File Explorer and the Store, then the ones you pinned yourself, then the ones the administrator chose. Your own changes to the taskbar can be wiped when the administrator reapplies the setup. How soon depends on the method: about every 8 hours for one, or only when a group policy changes for another, and a layout can also arrive at sign-in. If you unpin an app the administrator chose, it normally returns at the next refresh. The exception is Windows 11 24H2 or 23H2 with update KB5060829 or KB5060826 installed, where the administrator can allow people to remove such an app for good.
If Pin to taskbar is missing or greyed out
Start with the first item and move down the list.
- Use Start > All apps and right-click the app there.
- Open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school. If an employer or school account is listed, the PC is managed and pinning may be blocked by policy. Ask whoever manages the PC.
- On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education, open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc in the Run box, Win + R) and go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar. Open Do not allow pinning programs to the taskbar. If it is set to Enabled, change it to Not Configured or Disabled, click Apply and OK, then restart. Windows Home has no Local Group Policy Editor.