How to Backup and Restore Pinned Taskbar Items in Windows 10 and 11 (2026)

Setting up your taskbar exactly the way you want takes time, and losing those pinned items after a reinstall, profile migration, or corrupted user account is genuinely frustrating. The fix is a two-part backup: copy the shortcut files from a hidden folder, then export one registry key. You can restore everything in minutes.

Note: These steps work on Windows 10 and Windows 8/8.1. Windows 11 uses the same folder path and registry key in most builds, but Microsoft doesn’t officially support this method there. A note for Windows 11 users is included at the end.

Part 1: Back Up Your Pinned Taskbar Items

Your taskbar backup has two pieces: the shortcut (.lnk) files that represent each pinned app, and a registry key that stores the order and display settings. You need both for a complete restore.

Step 1: Copy the shortcut files

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Paste the following path into the Open field and press Enter:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

3. File Explorer opens directly to the TaskBar folder, which contains one .lnk shortcut file for each item pinned to your taskbar.
4. Press Ctrl + A to select all files, then Ctrl + C to copy them.

5. Navigate to your backup location, for example a folder named TaskbarBackup on an external drive or in OneDrive.
6. Press Ctrl + V to paste the shortcut files there.

Step 2: Export the Taskband registry key

The shortcut files alone won’t restore the pinned order. The Taskband registry key stores that metadata, so export it now while you’re here.

Safety note: Export the Taskband key as shown below before changing it. That backup gives you a direct way to restore the original values if the import does not behave as expected.

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.

3. In Registry Editor, navigate to: You can paste this path directly into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor and press Enter.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

4. Right-click the Taskband key in the left pane and select Export.

5. In the Export Registry File dialog, confirm that Selected branch is selected at the bottom.
6. Navigate to the same backup folder you used for the shortcuts.
7. Name the file TaskbarPinnedBackup.reg and click Save.

8. Close Registry Editor (File > Exit).

Your backup folder should now contain your .lnk shortcut files and the TaskbarPinnedBackup.reg file.

Part 2: Restore Your Pinned Taskbar Items

Restoring requires stopping Explorer before you import the registry key, then restarting it. If you import the .reg file while Explorer is running, the changes won’t take effect.

Important: Restoring works best when the same programs are installed on the target system and at the same paths. If a shortcut points to a program that isn’t installed, that pinned item will appear broken. See the troubleshooting section below if that happens.

Step 1: Copy the shortcut files back

1. Press Windows + R, paste the path below into the Open field, and press Enter:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

1. Copy your backed-up .lnk files from your backup folder into this TaskBar folder.
2. If prompted about file conflicts, click Replace the files in the destination.

Step 2: Stop Explorer, import the registry key, restart Explorer

You need Explorer stopped while you import the Taskband key so Windows reads the new values cleanly on restart.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. On the Processes tab, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select End task. Your desktop and taskbar will disappear. That’s expected. Task Manager will stay open.

3. Copy your TaskbarPinnedBackup.reg file to your Desktop before the next step. Registry files don’t always import reliably from network drives or USB sticks.
4. In Task Manager, click File > Run new task.
5. Type regedit and click OK. Click Yes on the UAC prompt.

6. In Registry Editor, click File > Import.
7. Browse to your Desktop, select TaskbarPinnedBackup.reg, and click Open.

8. Click Yes on the Registry Editor warning dialog, then OK on the confirmation that the key was added successfully.

9. Close Registry Editor.
10. Back in Task Manager, click File > Run new task, type explorer, and click OK.

Your desktop and taskbar reload. The previously pinned items should reappear exactly as you backed them up.

Copying Pinned Items to Another User Account

To move your pinned taskbar setup to a different user profile on the same PC:

1. Log in as the source user and complete the backup steps above.
2. Log out, then log in as the target user.
3. Copy the backed-up .lnk files into the target user’s TaskBar folder:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

1. Restart Explorer using Task Manager (as described in Step 2 above).

Tip: Only copy the .lnk files to another account. Don’t import the .reg file into a different user’s profile unless you’re certain the path structure matches. Importing the wrong Taskband key can overwrite that user’s current taskbar configuration. In most cases, copying the shortcuts is enough; the target user can re-pin anything that doesn’t appear correctly.

Windows 11 Note

The same folder path and Taskband registry key exist in Windows 11, and this method works in many builds. Microsoft doesn’t officially support manual registry editing for taskbar customization in Windows 11, and future updates may break it. For a business that needs a standardized, administrator-defined taskbar across multiple PCs, the supported alternative is deploying a taskbar layout policy through Group Policy or Intune. That policy does not capture and restore each user’s personal pinned layout.

Troubleshooting

Restored icons show a generic icon or don’t open

The shortcut’s target path no longer exists, usually because the program was installed to a different folder or isn’t installed at all on the new system. Right-click the broken pinned item, right-click the program name in the jump list, and select Properties. Check the Target field and update it to the correct path.

Pinned items disappear after every reboot

This usually means the Taskband registry key is getting corrupted or cleared on each restart. Common causes include registry cleaner tools or a corrupt user profile. Disable any registry-cleaning utility temporarily, then test the layout in a new local user profile to narrow down the cause.

Can’t access the TaskBar folder or import the registry file

On corporate-managed machines, Group Policy may block access to %AppData% for other users or prevent running regedit. Contact your IT department, or use an approved migration tool such as USMT.

Bonus: PowerShell One-Liner for the Backup

If you’d rather script the backup step, open PowerShell and run:

$backupDir = "$env:USERPROFILE\TaskbarBackup"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $backupDir
Copy-Item "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*" $backupDir
reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband" "$backupDir\Taskband.reg" /y

This creates a TaskbarBackup folder in your user profile, copies all the shortcuts, and exports the registry key. The result is the same as the manual steps, just faster if you do this regularly.

Wrapping Up

For most people, copying the .lnk files and exporting the Taskband key is all it takes. The restore process is reliable as long as the same apps are installed on the target system. If your pinned items keep disappearing on their own rather than after a restore, test without registry-cleaning tools and check whether the problem follows your Windows user profile.