Navigate to a Website From the Windows 7 Taskbar

The taskbar at the bottom of the screen in Windows 7 is a very important part of the user experience, due largely to its’ continual presence on your screen. This makes it the ideal place to keep frequently used program icons, as well as icons that represent programs which are currently open. But the taskbar holds some other interesting capabilities, including the option to add a toolbar from which you can navigate directly to a website of your choosing. It is a simple setting to switch on, and the added convenience can save you a couple of seconds every time you need to visit a Web page and you don’t already have a Web browser open.

 

Adding the Address Toolbar to the Windows 7 Taskbar

 

This feature is combined with a couple of other similar options on one menu, so you can experiment with the other options there, as well, while you are determining if this change is well suited for your needs.

 

Step 1: Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your Windows 7 screen.

Step 2: Click the Toolbars option at the top of this menu, then click the Address option.

add the address toolbar to windows 7 task bar
Click Toolbars, then click Address

 

This will add a new option near the right end of the taskbar that looks like this.

sample picture of address toolbar
This is the Address Toolbar

 

Type your desired Web address into the field, then press Enter on your keyboard. This will launch your default Web browser, with a tab open to the site that you just entered.

 

Now is also a good time to change your default Web browser, if you have not already done so. You can see the steps below to learn how to make this change.

 

Setting the Default Web Browser in Windows 7

 

This is another useful adjustment that will improve your experience with Windows 7. By switching your default browser you will be able to open any link clicked in a document or email in your preferred browser. This is helpful if you use Firefox or Google Chrome more often than you use Internet Explorer, which is the default browser in any Windows 7 installation for which that setting has not been changed.

 

Step 1: Click the Windows orb at the bottom-left corner of your screen, then click Default Programs.

openthe windows 7 default programs menu
Open the Default Programs window

 

Step 2: Click the blue Set your default programs link at the center of the window.

click the set your default programs link
Set Your Default Programs in Windows 7

 

Step 3: Click your preferred browser from the column at the left side of the window, then click the Set this program as default button at the bottom of the window.

set preferred browser as default
Choose your preferred browser, then click “Set this program as default.”

 

You can then click the OK button and close the next window to complete the process.