Replacing Edge with Chrome on taskbar on Windows 10

[Cazale]

Has anyone found an easy way to do this (script maybe? I remember there was one for replacing IE for Windows 7, anything similar?).

 

It seems unnecessarily complicated compared to replacing desktop/Start Menu icons.

[thimon]

You need to set a custom start menu layout via gpo. Within the start menu xml file you can set a custom task bar layout.

[MrLudwig]

MS have a nice page detailing how to do this via the Start Menu XML layout file thimon mentioned above here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/configure-windows-10-taskbar.

It works pretty well and there is an option to replace the default pinned icons or add to them.

[Cazale]

Thanks. I already created a custom start menu, but didn't realise you could also customise the task bar within it.

[David44]

Is there anyone who has already done this and is also willing to share the line from their XML file that does the magic?

[tmoon-mint]

This is mine currently.

 

 

I also have this at the beginning of my file.

 

 

Apologies not sure how to get it to format properly on here.

Edited August 16, 2019 by tmoon-mint

[Cazale]

This is mine currently.

 

 

I also have this at the beginning of my file.

 

 

Apologies not sure how to get it to format properly on here.

 

Do you have it in with your start menu layout, or separate?

 

I tried adding a very basic scheme to the start menu layout (as described in the Microsoft article above), and it broke the start menu layout and didn't apply any settings to the task bar. It just looked like it wasn't applying at all.

 

I tried a few different of the Microsoft examples, and they all did this.

 

Unfortunately I can't post the XML I used, but I need to do this again in a couple of days, so it happens again I'll post it.

[thimon]

Hi @Cazale. We've got both File Explorer and Google Chrome pinned to the taskbar within the custom start menu xml, please see below photos for the xml file and the end result (ignore all the other pinned taskbar icons after Google Chrome as I've pinned those). The text highlighted in yellow is what sets the custom taskbar layout.

[Cazale]

Looking at that, it looks like I didn't put in the XMLS:taskbar at the top. I'll have another play. Thanks for your replies.

[Cazale]

Yep, it was the xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout" missing from the header that was causing it to fail.

 

Thanks guys.

[tj2419]

Sorry to revive this but is it possible to link to a website? We have a number of cloud tools but when I create a shortcut save it in a publically accessible area and link to it, it doesn't appear.

 

 

Thanks

[BOOT]

Shortcuts on remote paths don't seem to be supported.

Also, if your shortcuts are all pointing to the browser .exe, they'll be seen as duplicates and skipped.

[thimon]

We've put shortcuts to websites in the A-Z list of Apps, such as SIMS and our finance system.

[flyinghaggis]

You need to set a custom start menu layout via gpo. Within the start menu xml file you can set a custom task bar layout.

 

If you set a custom taskbar layout does this prevent users from customising the taskbar?

[thimon]

They can still pin their own items as usual.

[browolf]

I can't get this to work at all in the group policy and I can't see anything wrong with the file.

 

deploying to win10 1803.

 

the schema urls produce this message though "The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. " is that normal?

 

	xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" 
xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" Version="1" 
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout">
 
 
   
     
       
         
         
         
	  
       
       
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
       
     
   
 
     
     
       
       
	
	
	
	
	
			
       
     
   

[thimon]

@browolf I can see you're pointing directly to the .exe's of the software. I would recommend pointing to the .lnk shortcuts located in %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs or in %ALLUSERSPROFILES% dependant on the software. Our custom xml only points to .lnk shortcuts and has worked across all versions of Windows 10.

[browolf]

@browolf I can see you're pointing directly to the .exe's of the software. I would recommend pointing to the .lnk shortcuts located in %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs or in %ALLUSERSPROFILES% dependant on the software. Our custom xml only points to .lnk shortcuts and has worked across all versions of Windows 10.

 

 

I had it before pointing the .lnk shortcuts which didn't work either but then I read on a reddit post that they should be the appids.

 

[BOOT]

Unless you're pinning UWP Apps, AppUserModelID should be DesktopApplicationID

 

It is perfectly fine to point to the .exe

On 64 bit PCs:

{7C5A40EF-A0FB-4BFC-874A-C0F2E0B9FA8E} is for [Program Files (x86)]

{6D809377-6AF0-444B-8957-A3773F02200E} is for [Program Files]

 

Unless you're pinning UWP Apps, TaskbarPinList entries should use:

[browolf]

I've changed it to links but that's not working either

 

	xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" 
xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" Version="1" 
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout">
 
 
   
     
       
         
         
         
	  
       
       
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
       
     
   
 
     
     
       
       
	
	
	
	
	
			
       
     
   

[BOOT]

Is any part of it working?

None of my layouts start with:

Try it without maybe?

[Arthur]

I've changed it to links but that's not working either

The parts highlighted in red shouldn't be there.

 

	xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout" 
xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" Version="1" 
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout">
 
 
   
     
       
         
         
         
	  
       
       
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
       
     
   
 
     
     
       
       
	
	
	
	
	
			
       
     
   

 

Try the following XML...

 

    xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
   xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout" Version="1"
   xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
   xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout">
   
   
       
           
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
           
       
   
   
       
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
           
       
   

[browolf]

Still nope. I don't think it's the script itself. I've tried endless variations. those red bits were in someone else's script on the previous page. Does the file get copied to the c: drive? Edited October 10, 2019 by browolf

[browolf]

I've figured out one problem that's not helping. There's a synchronization issue between DCs and the dc, the test machine is using is not getting the full updates.