The exciting new Timeline feature that was introduced in the recent Windows April Update can be accessed via the Task View button on the taskbar or by pressing the “Windows Key + Tab.”
If the Task View button doesn’t show up on your taskbar or if you want to remove it, here’s a guide on how to add or remove the Task View button from the taskbar in Windows 10.
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Add/Remove Task View or Timeline to Taskbar via context menu
It’s relatively easy to add the Task View button to the taskbar via the taskbar context menu. You may have just missed it. Here’s how:
- Right click on your taskbar.
- From the context menu, click on Show Task View button.
- A tick icon beside Show Task View button means the Task View button is already added to your taskbar.
- To remove Task View/ Timeline from taskbar, simply uncheck the Show Task View button.
Even if you choose to hide the Task View from the taskbar, you can still access it via the keyboard shortcut – Windows Key + Tab.
If there is no option to show or hide Task View from the taskbar context menu, proceed to the next method.
Show or hide Task View/Timeline on Taskbar using registry
Use this method only if the first method above doesn’t work for you. Create a system restore point just in case; if things go wrong and you make a mistake when you edit the registry, you can restore your Windows.
- Go to Start Menu. Type regedit and open it.
- From the left pane, browse to the following registry path.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
- In the right panel, look for the ShowTaskViewButton DWORD.
- Double click it and make sure the value is set to 1 if you want to show it on your Taskbar, or set the value to 0 if you want to hide it instead.
- Restart your computer.
Did you know that you can also add Task View or Timeline to your desktop context menu?
If you want to make accessing the Task View even easier, you can add it to your desktop context menu (right-click anywhere on your desktop). As usual, create a system restore point as a backup in case things go wrong. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to Start, then type regedit to open Registry Editor.
- Browse to the following registry path.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
- Under the Shell key, you need to create a sub-key under it. Right click Shell. Select New, then Key. Name the new key TaskView.
- Under TaskView, create another sub-key under it. Right click the newly created TaskView key. Select New, then Key. Name the new key Command.
- Click on the Command key. In the right panel, double click on Default string value.
- Enter the following to the value data.
explorer shell:::{3080F90E-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
- Click OK.
Now you should be able to see the Task View option on the context menu, which can be accessed when you right-click anywhere on your desktop.
5 tips on how to utilize Timeline and Task View in Windows
Here are five tips to help you utilize Timeline and Task View effectively in Windows 11 or Windows 10:
- Syncing Timeline across devices: If you have multiple devices that use the same Microsoft account, you can sync your Timeline across those devices. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings and turn on the “Timeline” option.
- Clearing your Timeline history: If you want to clear your Timeline history, you can do this easily from the Settings app. Go to Settings > Privacy > Activity history and click on “Clear” under “Clear activity history.” This will remove all activities from your Timeline.
- Using Task View to manage virtual desktops: In addition to accessing your Timeline, Task View can also be used to manage virtual desktops. Virtual desktops allow you to have multiple desktops with different sets of open apps and windows. To create a new virtual desktop, click on the “New desktop” button in Task View. You can switch between virtual desktops by clicking on them in Task View.
- Pinning and managing activities in Timeline: You can easily pin activities to your Timeline, so you can quickly access them in the future. To do this, find the activity you want to pin in your Timeline, right-click on it, and select “Pin to Taskbar.” You can also remove pinned activities by right-clicking on them and selecting “Unpin from Taskbar.”
- Customizing Task View settings: You can customize the Task View settings to suit your needs. To do this, go to Settings > System > Multitasking. Here, you can turn on or off features like “Pressing Alt+Tab shows the most recently used” and “Virtual desktops.” You can also adjust settings like the number of virtual desktops and how Task View displays windows.
By exploring these additional topics, users can further optimize their use of Task View and virtual desktops for improved productivity and efficiency.
