CenterTaskbar
Archived
- Windows 11 will not be supported. Underlying changes to the taskbar break the technique this program uses to center the icons so this solution no longer functions and since Windows 11 implements native centering there will be no updates to support Windows 11. I’ve swithced to using StartAllBack which offers way more features and cleaner animations. Archiving this project for record purposes and it will remain available to use
Features
- Dynamic — works regardless of number of icons, DPI scaling grouping, size. All padding is calculated
- Animated — resizes along with default windows animations
- Performant — sleeps when no resizing taking place to 0% CPU usage
- Multimonitor suppport
- Vertical orientation support
- Multiple DPI support
Usage
Run the program and let it run in the background. It uses Windows UIAutomation to monitor for position changes and calculate a new position to center the taskbar items.
Command Line Args
First command line argument sets the refresh rate in hertz during active icon changes. Default 60. Recommended to sync to your monitor refresh rate or higher. When no changes are being made program goes to sleep and awaits for events triggered by UIAutomation to restart the repositioning thread allowing it to drop to 0% CPU usage.
Specifically it will monitor for:
WindowOpenedEventWindowClosedEventAutomationPropertyChangedEvent: BoundingRectanglePropertyStructureChangedEvent
Before Windows 11, Microsoft kept the taskbar icons aligned to the bottom left of the screen. With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft decided to align the taskbar items to the center of the screen. If you love the center-aligned taskbar icons and want to implement them on Windows 7/8/10, it is possible using a freeware tool, CenterTaskbar.
CenterTaskbar for Windows 10
CenterTaskbar is a free tool and is available on GitHub. This excellent app has limited features and is specially developed to center the taskbar icons on Windows PCs. This tiny program aligns the taskbar icons to the center of the monitor with ease.
To align the taskbar items to the center of the monitor, download this freeware tool from GitHub and double-click on the executable file. That’s it! Now, the taskbar icons are center-aligned on the screen. However, there is a catch on this. There is no option yet to center the Start button and Search icon in the center.
To keep the taskbar icons in the center position, add this program to the startup folder. To do that, right-click on its icon on the notification tray and select Start with Windows option. That’s it. Now when you restart your PC, taskbar icons will remain in the center permanently.
Download CenterTaskbar
CenterTaskbar is a free application and is compatible with Windows 10/8/7. You can download this tiny utility from here.
TaskDock for Windows 10
TaskDock is another freeware application for Windows 10/8/7 that allows you to center the taskbar icons with just a double-click of the mouse. To center the taskbar items, download this free tool from this link and extract its contents using any archiver tool. Now, double-click on this portable utility to center the taskbar.
Falcon10 for Windows 10
Falcon10 is a free and portable tool that is similar in nature to TaskDock and CenterTaskbar. Just download and double-click on it to center the taskbar items on Windows 10. You can download this little tool from GitHub.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Windows 11 has brought about many changes to the operating system, one of the most noticeable changes is the center alignment of the taskbar icons. However, if you are still using Windows 7/8/10 and want to get this feature, you can use freeware tools like CenterTaskbar, TaskDock, or Falcon10. These applications are easy to use and quickly align the taskbar icons to the center of the screen, giving your desktop a fresh new look. While there may be some limitations with these programs, they are still a great option for those who want to experience the new look of the taskbar icons on their older version of Windows.
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CenterTaskbar is an innovative application that allows users to customize their Windows taskbar and make it look more organized and efficient. CenterTaskbar offers a variety of features that make it a powerful and reliable tool for organizing the taskbar.
CenterTaskbar allows users to easily organize their taskbar by grouping and categorizing applications into folders.
Features:
• Easy to Use Interface: CenterTaskbar offers an intuitive and easy to use interface. The user can quickly and easily customize their taskbar with the easy to navigate layout.
• Customizable: CenterTaskbar offers a variety of customization options. Users can customize the taskbar layout, color, background, and more.
• Taskbar Organization: CenterTaskbar offers a variety of ways to organize the taskbar. Users can arrange icons, create groups, and more.
• Notification Center: CenterTaskbar has a powerful Notification Center that can be used to quickly access important notifications.
• Customizable Hotkeys: CenterTaskbar offers customizable hotkeys to quickly access various features.
• Multi-Monitor Support: CenterTaskbar offers multi-monitor support, allowing users to customize their taskbar on multiple monitors.
• Performance Monitoring: CenterTaskbar offers performance monitoring, allowing users to monitor their system performance at any time.
• Compatibility: CenterTaskbar is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 7.
• Security: CenterTaskbar offers enhanced security, allowing users to keep their taskbar secure and protected from malicious attacks.
• Easy to Install: CenterTaskbar is easy to install and set up. The installation process is fast and straightforward.
• Support: CenterTaskbar offers excellent customer support, allowing users to quickly get help if they have any questions or concerns.
With CenterTaskbar, users can customize their taskbar to look more organized and efficient. The application offers a variety of features that make it a powerful and reliable tool for organizing the taskbar. It is easy to use, customizable, secure, and compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 7. CenterTaskbar also offers excellent customer support, allowing users to quickly get help if they have any questions or concerns.
Minimum
• Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor or higher
• RAM: 2GB or higher
• Hard Disk Space: 10GB or higher
• Graphics: 1024 x 768 resolution or higher
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Software: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
Recommended
• Operating System: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel i3 or higher
• RAM: 4GB or higher
• Hard Disk Space: 20GB or higher
• Graphics: 1920 x 1080 resolution or higher
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Software: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or higher
TaskbarX
TaskbarX will give you an original Windows dock like feel. The icons will move to the center or user given position when an icon gets added or removed from the taskbar. You will be given the option to choose between a variety of different animations and change their speeds. The animations can be disabled if you don’t like animations and want them to move in an instant. The center position can also be changed to bring your icons more to the left or right based on the center position. Currently all taskbar settings are supported including the vertical taskbar. And Unlimited taskbars!
Start icon
Looking for a start icon file? Start.ico
How to use TaskbarX with Windows 11?
Do you want to install Windows 11 but you really like the taskbar of windows 10? Then you can actualy patch the Windows 11 Explorer to get back the old taskbar. Doing this will make TaskbarX functional again in Windows 11. Visit ExplorerPatcher
Frequently Asked
What versions of Windows does TaskbarX support? TaskbarX only supports Windows 10. Version 1709 and lower will have issues with the «taskbar styling» option but, the centering will work fine. Windows 7 does not work and is not supported. It could be working on Windows 8 but, is not officially tested and is also not supported.
Whats the difference between the normal version and the store version? The store version is exactly the same as the normal/free version. It’s a donation sytem. The store version does give you the benefit of automatic updates and easy installing.
Does TaskbarX change my settings or registry? No, TaskbarX is completely portable doesn’t change your settings or your registry. Closing TaskbarX will stop the centering.
How to run TaskbarX on startup? Once you click apply inside the Configurator a Taskschedule should be created with a delay of 3 seconds. If this doesn’t work try increasing the delay to like 10 seconds or so inside the Configurator under the Taskschedule tab.
How do i uninstall TaskbarX? Open the «TaskbarX Configurator» and hit the «Stop TaskbarX» button. This will stop the TaskbarX process and put your icons back to the left. Then go to the «Taskschedule» tab and hit the «Remove» button. After that you can simply remove the files where you installed TaskbarX.
Watch on Youtube
How to update TaskbarX? Open the «TaskbarX Configurator» and hit the «Stop TaskbarX» button. This will stop the TaskbarX process and put your icons back to the left. Then overwrite the old TaskbarX files with the updated ones.
Watch on Youtube
Error Windows cannot find ‘shell:AppsFolder\Chris… after uninstalling Store version? At the moment the Store has no option to remove a taskschedule. So it has to be done manually until Microsoft provides a solution. Here’s how to fix it. In your startmenu search for «Task Scheduler». On the left menu click on «Task Scheduler Library». In the middle a list will appear. Right click on the «TaskbarX» or «FalconX» entry and click «Delete».
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Summary
- You can customize your Windows 10 taskbar by centering your icons for an aesthetic look with or without third-party software.
- Easily access Taskbar settings by right-clicking on the taskbar.
- If you want to customize your taskbar further, consider using Taskbar X or Start 11.
Windows 10 doesn’t have a centered Taskbar icon layout like Windows 11. However, you can center all the icons except the Start and Search bar to achieve the same look.
Center Taskbar Icons by Changing Taskbar Settings
By default, Windows 10 icons are left-aligned. You can change some basic Taskbar settings to move your icons to the center. Here’s how to do it:
- Right-click the Taskbar. Select Taskbar settings, then uncheck Lock the taskbar option.
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Go to the Taskbar location on screen section. Set the Taskbar location to Bottom.
- Under Combine taskbar icons, select Always, hide labels.
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Right-click on the taskbar again, select Toolbars, and click Links to toggle on.
- Two vertical lines will appear. Drag the right vertical line adjacent to Links to the left past the taskbar icons and the left vertical line.
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Taskbar icons will now appear on the right side of the taskbar. Drag the vertical line next to the icons to move the icons to an ideal center position on your taskbar.
- Once the icons are centered, right-click on the taskbar and select Lock the taskbar from the pop-up menu.
Center Taskbar Icons With TaskbarX
If you want a simpler way, you can use TaskbarX to customize your Windows 10 taskbar. It offers rich customization options like styling options, multiple Taskbars, and animations. It is also free to use.
Another advantage is you can hide the Start button and the system tray icons with it. In the previous method, you could only hide the search bar, but the rest of the Taskbar items remained there.
First, download the portable version of TaskbarX. Extract the ZIP archive to a new folder and open it. Run Taskbar.exe and it will automatically center your app icons.
Still, this is as close as you can get to the Windows 11 Taskbar layout with the free app. The Start menu and search box remain on the left side, and there’s no way to change them in TaskbarX.
If you really crave the completely centered design found in Windows 11, Stardock’s Start11 app offers several customization options, though the app does require you to purchase it.