How to Display the “Close, Restore,…” Menu In The Windows 7 Taskbar

Mustafa | Jun 21, 2009 | Comments

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As it’s well known, the taskbar in Windows 7 is different to those in previous operating systems. One of its new features is ‘Jump lists’ that appear when a user right-clicks a window’s icon.

Unlike earlier versions of Windows, when a user right-clicks a Windows 7 item, he can no longer: Move, Maximize/Restore or Minimize its window(s) because a jump list appears instead of the old menu with these options.

Taskbar Jump List

Taskbar Jump List

Nevertheless, users can still do so by holding the SHIFT key while right-clicking. This opens the old menu with the (mentioned above) options. If multiple windows of the same application are open, the user is given options that affect all windows, such as closing, restoring/maximizing, minimizing and arranging them.

Taskbar 'old' Menu (for one open window)

Taskbar 'old' Menu (for one open window)

Taskbar 'old' Menu (for more than one open window)

Taskbar 'old' Menu (for more than one open window)

I think that there are other simple, but useful things that can still be discovered in Windows 7 (such as the Shortcut to Create a New Folder in Windows 7).  If you want more keyboard tricks, then check out Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts.

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About the Author: Mustafa Mohamed is a tech-enthusiast who will be graduating from high school in 2010. He has learnt XHTML, CSS and C# in the past few years by self-learning and has been helping others solve Windows-related problems. He also enjoys playing sports, particularly basketball and weightlifting, and likes to read in free time.

  • Ramboli
    wrong!!
    u just need to hover the mouse pointer on the taskbar item and right click on the small preview window will show up the normal menu..
  • Mustafa
    Yes, this way also works. :)
    By hovering over the taskbar item and right-clicking on the thumbnail image (or window's title in 32-bit).

    Both ways work... thx
  • It seemed to me that there was no way to select, say, one Notepad taskbar entry and one IE entry, and have those two windows tile vertically. Because holding Ctrl and clicking two taskbar icons doesn't select both of them.

    (Unless I'm remembering incorrectly?)
  • Mustafa
    You can arrange windows from the taskbar's menu only if they are from the same application as shown in the screen shot with multiple windows of Firefox open.

    To do so, you can use the 'aero snap' by dragging each window to one side of the screen.

    Also you hold the SHIFT key (not CTRL)...
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