How can I pin a batch file and an internet shortcut to the taskbar in Windows 7?

Question

I have two files on a computer with Windows 7 installed on it. The first file is a batch file. The second file is an internet shortcut.

How can I pin each of them to the taskbar?

Answer 1

Occasionally any file extension (including .bat) is hidden from Windows Explorer. If this case occurs, follow these instructions to display the extensions of (almost) any file in Windows Explorer:

How to show or hide file name extensions in Windows Explorer

In order to pin any file to the taskbar of Windows 7 the file is required to have the extension .exe. Follow these instructions to bypass this restriction:

1. Rename the file to change its extension to .exe.
2. Drag the file and drop it to the taskbar.
3. Rename the file so that it has its initial extension.
4. Right-click on the pinned icon so that a menu containing an entry labelled with the name of the file will appear. Right-click on this entry, click on “Properties”, rename the target of the shortcut to its initial extension and close the dialog by clicking on OK.

You can pin the batch file by simply following these instructions. If you want to pin the internet shortcut, you will have to rename this file using the command “move” of the command prompt. This is caused by the extension .url being hidden by Windows Explorer.