Taskbar thumbnails – or no thumbnails!

Do the thumbnail images which appear as you hover your mouse over program and system icons on the Taskbar make you feel a bit queasy? Would you rather your open programs, web pages and folders have their own icon on the Taskbar, as in Windows XP? No worries, this feature of Windows 7 is easy to adjust to your personal preference.

  • Right click on the Taskbar (bar at the bottom of your screen)
  • Select ‘Properties’ from the context menu (you should now see the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties box)
  • Make sure the Taskbar tab is selected
  • Look for theĀ ‘Taskbar and buttons’ option
  • From the dropdown box alongside select either ‘Combine when taskbar is full’ or, if you really hate loath and detest the thumbnail previews, select ‘Never combine’
  • Click the ‘Apply’ button and notice the change to your Taskbar.

If you have a change of heart, just change the ‘Taskbar and buttons’ setting back again.