Quick Launch Bar is slowly being deprecated. It wasn’t enable by default on windows Vista and on the new Windows 7 (build 7000 for me) it isn’t even available on the toolbars list as the whole Taskbar been replaced with a new and enhanced one, which now allows shortcut icons to be placed on it directly.

For users, like myself who miss Quick Launch bar here’s a how to enable it:

  1. Right click on Windows 7 Taskbar, and point to Toolbars context menu item, and then select New Toolbar….
  2. Browse to the following folder (easy way is to copy and paste to Address box to automatically navigate to):%SystemDrive%\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
  3. Locate and highlight the Quick Launch folder, and then click on Select Folder button.
  4. A Quick Launch Toolbar will be added to Windows Taskbar close to notification area. Unlock the Taskbar (right click on Taskbar and uncheck Lock the taskbar) to move the Quick Launch Toolbar.
  5. To move the Quick Launch Toolbar to the left of Taskbar next to Start button, unpin all application programs from the Superbar by right click on each and every icons, then select Unpin this program from taskbar.Move the both borders of Quick Launch Toolbar to the furthest left, and then re-pin the applications to Taskbar if you still require them.
  6. Optionally, right click on empty space inside Quick Launch Toolbar area, and unselect Show Title to remove the Quick Launch wording, or uncheck Show Text to remove the label next to the shortcuts and icons in Quick Launch bar.
  7. Add the icons and/or shortcuts to Quick Launch Bar by drag and drop to the Quick Launch Bar Toolbar or to %SystemDrive%\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\ folder, while delete the icon as you would with any typical file (right click on it, and then select Delete).How to Disable and Remove Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 7After added the Quick Launch bar in Windows 7, to remove the QuickLaunch Toolbar, just right click on Taskbar, and go to Toolbars, then uncheck Quick Launch menu item. The Quick Launch Toolbar will be removed from Taskbar and the toolbar item in Toolbars folder will also be deleted.