Taskbar Groups review
A free, portable Windows tool for grouping and launching taskbar shortcuts.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Taskbar Groups is a lightweight, open-source Windows utility for organizing application shortcuts into named groups that can be pinned to the taskbar. It is aimed at people who want a cleaner way to arrange frequently opened programs, folders, Windows Store apps, and Steam applications without replacing the Windows taskbar. Groups can include executable files and .lnk shortcuts, while editable shortcut names and custom icons help distinguish different launch collections.
Its strongest area is shortcut organization with useful control over how groups look and behave. Users can set custom group colors, adjust background opacity, and choose working directories or launch arguments for shortcuts. A keyboard shortcut can launch every shortcut in a group, which suits workflows built around a particular project or activity. Support for multiple monitors, vertical taskbars, top taskbars, and hidden taskbars also gives it more flexibility than a basic shortcut pinning tool.
Taskbar Groups is a good fit for Windows users who want grouped taskbar access, portable distribution, and an open-source utility focused on launch organization. Its scope is narrower than a full taskbar replacement: the published feature set centers on shortcut groups, appearance controls, and launch settings rather than broader taskbar behavior. Choose it when organizing applications and folders is the main goal; consider an alternative if you need a more comprehensive desktop shell or taskbar customization system.
Taskbar Groups pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Groups executables, folders, Store apps, and Steam applications
- Custom icons, colors, opacity, and launch behavior settings
- Supports multiple monitors and vertical or top taskbars
- Where it doesn't
- Windows-only, with no support for other platforms
- Focused on shortcut organization rather than full taskbar replacement
- Requires configuring groups and shortcut settings to fit each workflow
Taskbar Groups fact sheet, pricing and score →
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