Taskbar - Jump Lists - Keystrokes - Windows 7

Working with Windows Taskbar and Jump List Keystrokes

You might think that there's nothing much exciting about the Windows Taskbar. After all, it's been there since the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the stable rock at the foot of the screen onto which we now etch the programs we want to get to quickly or to check the programs already running.

But while the Taskbar itself is hardly news, there have been a fair few twists over the years. In Windows V7, suddenly the functionality of the Taskbar was enhanced with things like jump lists (for the applications you already have open) and the ability to "pin" applications to the Taskbar. But the niftiest thing about the Taskbar - and what I am going to cover here - is the emphasis on direct keystroke control.

Launching a Program on the Windows Taskbar using a Keystroke

Use the following keystroke to launch a specific application, or move to a specific application if it is already running:

• WINDOWS KEY NUMBER: For example, if MS Word is the second program pinned to your Taskbar you can use WINDOWS KEY 2 to launch it.

This keystroke also works for programs you have running. For example, assuming you don't have any programs pinned to your Taskbar, the first program you have started since logging in will be number 1, the second number 2 and so on. So, to switch to a different program directly, use WINDOW plus the relevant NUMBER. Try it out!

Launching a Jump List for a Specific Program on the Taskbar

Essentially, a jump list is an option menu - it's also one of the areas where you can control whether an application is "pinned" or "unpinned" to the Taskbar:

• ALT WINDOWS KEY NUMBER: For example, if Internet Explorer is the third program pinned to your Taskbar you can use ALT WINDOWS 3 to move focus directly into the expanded jump list for that application.

Right then, it's time to play with the new keystrokes - have fun exploring the jump lists too!