Windows 7: Taskbar Toolbars - Backup and Restore

   Information

A toolbar is a folder, row, column, or block of buttons or icons representing tasks you can do within a program. Some toolbars can appear on the taskbar.

This will show you how to back up and restore your taskbar toolbars automatically with one click in Vista and Windows 7. This does not include backing up and restoring your pinned taskbar icons or Jump Lists.

This can be handy if you do not want to have to manually add or create your current taskbar toolbars again say after a clean install of Windows 7.

   Note

By default, your user account's taskbar toolbars are saved in the registry location below. This is what this tutorial will be backing up and restoring for you using a BAT file.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Desktop

OPTION ONE

To Back Up Taskbar Toolbars in Vista or Windows 7

1. Click on the Download buttom below to download the .bat file below, then run it.

Backup-Taskbar_Toolbars.bat

2. If prompted, click on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

3. You will now notice your screen flicker as explorer is restarted.

4. You will now have a Taskbar-Toolbars-Backup folder on your desktop that is the backup of your taskbar toolbars.

5. Move this folder to where you like for safe keeping.
NOTE: Do not rename this folder since it must remain the exact same name to be able to use it in OPTION TWO below to restore your taskbar toolbars with.

6. If you like, you might also like to backup your pinned taskbar items and backup your Jump Lists as well in Windows 7.
NOTE: This step does not apply with Vista.

OPTION TWO

To Restore Taskbar Toolbars in Vista or Windows 7

1. If you have not already, make sure that any items and/or folders that were added to the taskbar as a "New toolbar" when the backup was created in OPTION ONE are still at the same location for them to still work after restoring it's toolbar.
NOTE: You will not need to do this for any of the default taskbar toolbars included in Vista and Windows 7.

2. Move or copy the Taskbar-Toolbars-Backup folder created from OPTION ONE above to your desktop.

3. Click on the Download buttom below to download the .bat file below, then run it.

Restore-Taskbar_Toolbars.bat

4. If prompted, click on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

5. You will now notice your screen flicker as explorer is restarted.

6. Your backed up taskbar toolbars have now been restored.

7. If you like, you might also like to restore your pinned taskbar items and restore your Jump Lists as well in Windows 7.
NOTE: This step does not apply with Vista.