Tuesday's Tech Tip: Using your Quick Launch toolbar

We're working on cleaning up your messy Windows desktops. Last week we worked on pinning stuff to the top of your Start menu.

This week we're going to work on your Quick Launch toolbar. See the red arrow in the image below (click to enlarge the image)? That's the Quick Launch toolbar.













If you don't see one on your Windows XP or Vista machine, we need to turn it on:

1. Right-click on a blank spot on your the bar.
2. Select Toolbars and then
3. Select Quick Launch.

Now you should see your Quick Launch toolbar with a bunch of icons in it. If you have a lot, you can click the little arrow at the far right end of your Quick Launch toolbar to show the rest of the icons in there. Time to clean it up.

Anything you don't use every time you use your computer should be deleted. I only need FireFox and Outlook on my home machine, so those are the icons you see in the above image. Right-click on anything you don't use very frequently and select Delete in the context-sensitive menu that pops up.

Now, is there anything you need in there that isn't? If you have a shortcut icon on your desktop that you use all the time, just click on it and drag it to your Quick Launch toolbar. Delete it from your desktop.

If there's a program somewhere in your Start menu that you want in your Quick Launch toolbar, do the the same thing. Click on the program and drag it onto your Quick Launch toolbar.

Now you can mess with the order. If you want the second item in front of the first, just click and drag it into the position you want.

At this point, you shouldn't have any program shortcuts on your desktop. Why? Last week you pinned anything you use often to the top of your Start menu. Today you put anything you use almost every time in your Quick Launch bar. Anything else you use so infrequently you can live with firing it up from your Start menu --> All Programs list.

Here's another Quick Launch tip for Vista users: See the order the icons are in? Say you want to open up the 2nd program instantly. See the Windows key on your keyboard in between the CTRL and ALT key on the left? The one that opens up your Start menu? Hold down the Windows key and tap "2". That opens up the second program in your Quick Launch toolbar instantly.

Next week: Cleaning up your Windows notifications area