Forum Discussion
Managing taskbar in Enterprices
Since in build 1703 MS pushed mail icon in Taskbar (user confuses it with Outlook, thank you very much MS ;)) we have a need to manage taskbar content in enterprices, with Group Policy or SCCM.
I know that current method is to export-startlayout, add manual lines for taskbar directly into xml and import-startlayout. Though, I couldn´t get it working. My startlayout does not apply, if I add any lines manually. I´m not a fan of manipulate this stuff manually...
Anyway, I´m providing MS a feedback, that please make this easier. There could be 2 ways;
1. Be able to specify desired taskbar and capture/export that with Powershell (like we do with Start Layout now).
2. Be able to control Task Bar with Group Policy Preferences.
3 Replies
Still waiting to some MS staff to comment this, is there any plans? At least, please remove the Mail icon from 1703 build.
Check this document Configure Windows 10 taskbar. It explains how to add links to the taskbar, as well as how to remove the initial icons.
I have done some here, it took me a while to figure out where things go wrong.
Be sure you add reference to the taskbar schema. It's not there if you edit add stuff to an Export-StartLayout output.
<LayoutModificationTemplate
xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"
Version="1">
...It took me quiet a while to figure this out, Notepad doesn't help here, Visual Studio's editor does :-)
Then be sure you at PinLintPlacement="Replace" as follows
...
<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection PinListPlacement="Replace">
<defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
<taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
<taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge" />
<taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OneNote 2016.lnk" />
<taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
<defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
<CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
</LayoutModificationTemplate>So far it seems only "programs" can be added. If you link references like a script or cmd, it's not resolved and/or added to start menu and/or tasklist.
.lnk files are resolved from %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs or individuals location of the Start Menu.
Also found out that locatized version can show different paths (localized), but the US-US path also works eventhough you don't see it in explorer.
Hope this helps.
Yep, I managed to do this previously, I found out that because of the task bar, the xml needs additional headings.
