How to Fix / Troubleshoot Various Taskbar Problems in Windows?

Here you can find solutions for a few frequently asked problems which are related to Windows Taskbar like:

• Taskbar context menu is disabled. No menu appears when you right-click on taskbar.
• "Lock the Taskbar" option is disabled.
• Can't add toolbars using "Toolbars" option in Taskbar context menu.
• Can't open Taskbar Properties. An error message appears.
• Can't resize or move Taskbar.

So here we start:

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1. Taskbar context menu is disabled. No menu appears when you right-click on taskbar.
Sol. Open regedit and goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete "NoTrayContextMenu" DWORD value.

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2. "Lock the Taskbar" option is disabled. Whenever you right-click on Taskbar, "Lock the Taskbar" option is grayed out:

Sol. Open regedit and goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete "LockTaskbar" DWORD value.

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3. Can't add toolbars using "Toolbars" menu in Taskbar context menu. All options are grayed out:

Sol. Open regedit and goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete "NoCloseDragDropBands" DWORD value.

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4. Can't open Taskbar Properties. Whenever you click on "Properties" in taskbar context menu, an error message appears:

Sol. Open regedit and goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

In right-side pane, delete "NoSetTaskbar" DWORD value.

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5. Can't resize or move Taskbar even "Lock the Taskbar" option is unchecked.
Sol. Open regedit and goto:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

In right-side pane, delete "TaskbarSizeMove" DWORD value.

Posted in: win vista