How to Pin Any Folder to the Windows Taskbar

Windows normally groups folders under File Explorer instead of giving each folder its own Taskbar button. To pin a specific folder as a separate button in Windows 7, 8, or 10, create a shortcut whose target starts with explorer.exe, then pin that shortcut.

Create a shortcut for the folder

1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop and select New > Shortcut.

   

2. In the Create Shortcut window, select Browse.

   

3. Select the folder and click OK. Do not select Next yet.

   

4. Place explorer.exe and a space before the folder path. Keep quotation marks around a path that contains spaces. For example:

   explorer.exe "D:\Work\Current Projects"

   Select Next.

   

5. Enter a short, recognizable name and select Finish.

   

Choose a distinctive icon

Every shortcut created this way launches File Explorer, so a custom icon helps you tell several pinned folders apart.

1. Right-click the new shortcut and select Properties.

   

2. On the Shortcut tab, select Change Icon.

   

3. Choose an icon and select OK, then Apply. Windows system icons are available in %SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll.

   

Pin the shortcut

Drag the shortcut onto the Taskbar. Depending on the Windows version, you can instead right-click it and select Pin to taskbar.

Click the new Taskbar button and verify that it opens the intended folder.

Fix or remove a pinned folder

If the button stops working after the folder is moved or renamed, create a new shortcut with the current path. To remove it, right-click the Taskbar button and select Unpin from taskbar. This does not delete the actual folder or its contents.

Windows 10 users can also follow the dedicated Windows 10 folder-pinning guide. For related customization, see how to change Windows shortcut icons or pin Run to the Taskbar.