A few minutes spent arranging the taskbar and desktop saves time every day. These tips cover Windows 11 (with notes for Windows 10) and also apply to Windows Server with the Desktop Experience — useful when you work on a Windows VPS over Remote Desktop.

Taskbar basics

Right-click the taskbar → Taskbar settings (Windows 11), or Settings → Personalization → Taskbar.

  • Alignment: Taskbar behaviors → Taskbar alignment → Left gives the classic layout.
  • Taskbar items: hide Search, Task view, Widgets or Chat/Copilot buttons you don’t use. Keep a compact search icon if you search often — or just press the Win key and type.
  • Auto-hide: Taskbar behaviors → Automatically hide the taskbar for more screen space on small displays.
  • Combine buttons: choose whether app windows combine and whether labels show (Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels).

Pin what you use

  • Right-click an app in Start or on the taskbar → Pin to taskbar.
  • Drag pinned icons to reorder them.
  • Win + 1…9 opens or switches to the pinned app in that position — put your most-used apps first.
  • Right-click a pinned app to see jump lists: recent files and pinned documents.

System tray (notification area)

Taskbar settings → Other system tray icons — choose which icons are always visible. Keep only the ones you need to see (network, volume, VPN, sync tools); hide the rest behind the overflow arrow.

Start menu

  • Pin apps to Start and group them into folders (drag one icon onto another).
  • Settings → Personalization → Start — choose More pins or More recommendations, and turn off recently added apps or recommended files if you prefer a clean menu.

Multiple monitors

Taskbar behaviors → Show my taskbar on all displays and When using multiple displays, show my taskbar apps on → Taskbar where window is open. Each screen shows only its own windows.

Snap layouts and window shortcuts

  • Hover over a window’s maximize button (or press Win + Z) to choose a layout.
  • Win + ←/→ snaps a window to half the screen; Win + ↑/↓ maximizes/restores.
  • Win + Shift + ←/→ moves a window to another monitor.
  • Win + D shows the desktop; Win + Home minimizes all but the active window (when enabled).

Virtual desktops

  • Win + Tab → New desktop, or Win + Ctrl + D.
  • Win + Ctrl + ←/→ switches desktops.
  • Use one desktop per task (e.g. email/chat, development, server admin) — and give them different wallpapers to tell them apart.

Desktop icons and wallpaper

  • Settings → Personalization → Themes → Desktop icon settings — show or hide This PC, Recycle Bin, etc.
  • Right-click the desktop → View → icon size, Auto arrange, or hide desktop icons entirely.
  • Settings → Personalization → Background — a plain dark wallpaper is easiest on the eyes and uses less bandwidth over Remote Desktop.

Tips for Remote Desktop sessions

When you work on a Windows VPS over RDP:

  • A clean taskbar with only your trading terminal, browser and admin tools makes switching fast.
  • In the RDP client, set colour depth and turn off visual effects (wallpaper, animations) for a smoother session on slow connections.
  • Ctrl + Alt + Home brings back the RDP connection bar in full screen.

Setting up RDP for the first time? See connecting to a Windows VPS with Remote Desktop. More Windows productivity: Snipping Tool and Task Scheduler.

  • Windows
  • Productivity