Taskbar icons, also known as shortcuts, are an easy and convenient way of launching programs in Windows. However, having multiple shortcuts for the same program can be annoying and take up valuable space on the taskbar. Fortunately, there is a way to make multiple programs occupy one icon space in the Windows taskbar.
The first step is to create a shortcut for each of the programs that you wish to have accessible in a single icon space. You can do this by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting 'New -> Shortcut'. Then, type in the location of the executable file for the desired program, followed by the name of the program. For example, if you wanted to create a shortcut for Microsoft Word, you would type 'C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Office14\\WINWORD.EXE' and name the shortcut 'Word'.
Once the shortcuts have been created, the next step is to select the shortcut for the program that you want to be the main one. Right-click on the shortcut, select 'Properties', and then click on the 'Change Icon' button. Choose the desired icon from the list of options, click 'OK', and then click 'Apply'.
The final step is to create a shortcut group for the programs. Right-click on the desktop again, and select 'New -> Shortcut'. Then, type in the following command: '%windir%\\explorer.exe /select, [path to the shortcut]'. For example, if you wanted to create a shortcut group for Microsoft Word and Excel, you would type '%windir%\\explorer.exe /select, C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Office14\\WINWORD.EXE, C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Office14\\EXCEL.EXE' and name the shortcut 'Word & Excel'.
Once the shortcut group has been created, drag the shortcut group onto the taskbar. This will create a single icon that contains both Microsoft Word and Excel. Double-clicking on the icon will open a menu that contains both programs.
In conclusion, it is possible to make multiple programs occupy one icon space in the Windows taskbar. This can be done by creating separate shortcuts for each program, selecting the desired icon for the main program, and then creating a shortcut group that contains all of the shortcuts. Once the shortcut group has been created, it can be dragged onto the taskbar in order to create a single icon that contains multiple programs.
