Windows 7 side Taskbar: how to have multiple icon columns?
NOTE: I know this can be done with the taskbar on the bottom. I seek the solution for a taskbar on the side.
I attached a picture of what I mean. In the screenshots, you can see that my taskbar program icons are arranged in a single column. I want to be able to have multiple columns. This would mean arranging the icons into squares and have them be placed side by side, as well as above and below one another.
This can be accomplished with taskbar being on the bottom of the screen, however, I require this arrangement when I have my taskbar on the side of my screen. Currently if I expand the taskbar horizontally, it only stretches out the icons horizontally rather than turn them into small squares to make room for side by side and placement of icons.
Additional icons that I add to my current taskbar are only accessible by using the horizontal scroll bar that appears at the bottom of the taskbar when there is no more space to accommodate any more icons.
Solution 1:
It's not possible to do so in Windows 7.
Solution 2:
I've searched a lot today and cannot find a solution for this question directly. Maybe it's impossible to have multiple columns of running application on win7 vertical taskbar. But there are several workarounds here; maybe one of them will be suitable for you.
The vertical taskbar does have multiple columns. You can create a folder and add it to toolbar, then drag it to be side by side with the taskbar. But it can only contain some shortcuts, not running application icons. Reference here.
Use a windows theme editor to editor the height and margin of vertical taskbar icons. So the vertical taskbar can hold more icons before foldering them to the next page. Reference here.
Use a virtual desktop manager such as VirtuWin. Put apps that are not directly related to your current work on the next desktop or organize apps into different desktops according to your work theme. And switch between virtual desktops using the way provided by the virtual desktop manager, which is always more convenient than clicking the little arrows at the bottom of the taskbar.
When windows begins to fold the app icons to the next page, you should pay some attention to the windows you have opened. Maybe you can close some of them. Running 20 apps simultaneously on desktop is too much for most kinds of work.
3 and 4 are my choices.