How to Create Your Own Custom Jump List In Windows 7 & Windows 8.1

How to Create Your Own Custom Jump List In Windows 7 & Windows 8.1

Did you know about an application called Jumplist Launcher? It is a free tool, created by Ali Dunnpfiff, which can be pinned on your taskbar and lets you create a custom jump list for it. We will show how you can configure the jump list so it will become one of the most useful features which will increase your productivity when using your Windows computer.

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How To Install JumpList Launcher

The first thing you need to do, is to download Jumplist-Launcher. On this page you can also read more about the application, like limitations, features and requirements. Click the link and save the archive to your computer, then extract it in any location you want.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Double click the Jumplist Launcher.exe to open the file.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

How To Add An Item To Your JumpList

If you want to start building your custom jump list, you need to learn how to add items to the list. First, click or tap Add file.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Now, a window will open and you will have to browse for the file you want to add to your jump list. Click or tap Open to complete the action.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Another method to add a file to your jump list is to simply drag and drop the file in the Jumplist Launcher window.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Now, repeat the procedure until you add all the items you want to have in your custom jump list. The maximum number that you can add to the jump list is 60. You can personalize this number in the Jumplist field. Click on the small arrows to increase or decrease the number of items and then click or tap the Save button. To update the jump list with the new settings, press the Update Jumplist button.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

How To Change The Icon Of A Jump List Item

If you finally managed to create your own custom jump list, you will now learn how to change the icon of every item. First select the item you're interested in, then click the button placed next to Icon at the bottom of the window.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

You can now browse an image file or any other file with a default icon, such as an executable file, whose icon will be borrowed by the item list. At the end don't forget to press Save changes.

How To Use Command Line Parameters

As you will probably notice, Jumplist Launcher has support for parameters. A parameter is a command line argument sent to an application that is being executed which can command it to take a specific action.

To better understand what a parameter is and how to use it, let's see a practical example: let's say that every time we start Internet Explorer, we want it to start in safe mode. To do this, simply write in the Parameters text box the following:-safe-mode. Then, press Save Changes, to update the jump list.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

NOTE: Each application has its own parameters and you have to search for them online. You can find relevant results if you search for command line arguments in Google, Bing or any other search engine.

How To Add A Folder Or A Group

If you want you can add folders or groups to your jump list. If you want to add a folder press the Add folder button. Then, browse to the folder you want to add to your jump list and press OK. If you want to cancel the action press the x button placed in the right corner.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

You can sort your jump list items by categories by adding groups. For example, you can add a group Browsers where you can add all the browsers you use. To add a group click or tap Add group.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

NOTE: If you don't want to have any groups in your custom jump list, you can very easily disable them: check the "Create Tasklist (no categories)" box and click the Update Jumplist button to update the jump list. Now your custom jump list will have only items, no groups or categories.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

How To Customize Jump List Items

One way to customize jump list items is to change their name. You can do this by double clicking on it and typing their new name, or selecting it from the list and typing the new name in the Name text box below. Using the first method you can also change Groups' name. When you're done, don't forget to press Save changes.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Another thing you can do with jump list items is to change their position in the jump list. You can do this by using the arrows placed below labeled Move up and Move down. First, select the items whose position you want to change, then click the buttons mentioned, until the item is in the right position. Also, you can delete items from the list by pressing Remove.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Now, your jump list is done. Click or tap Update Jumplist. Then, pin the Jumplist Launcher to your taskbar. Then, every time you want to access the application you added to your jump list, right click or press and hold Jumplist Launcher.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

How To Fix Jumplist Launcher Issues

If you change the default number of jump list items in this application, you will also change the number of jump list items that will appear when you right-click on any other item that is pinned to the taskbar. In other words, this option will automatically update the number of recent items to display in jump lists, everywhere in Windows.

To fix this issue, right-click or press and hold on an empty space on the taskbar. Then, click or tap Properties.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Now, Taskbar and Navigation window will open. Select the Jumplist tab, and change the "Number of recent items to display in Jump Lists" by typing the number you want. We think that 10 is a reasonable number.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

In Windows 7 things are a little bit different. When you click Properties from the taskbar context menu "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" will open. Select the Start Menu tab, then click or tap the Customize.

There's another error that can occur in Windows 7 if you have disabled the "Store and display recently opened items in Start Menu and the taskbar" setting. This might cause Jumplist Launcher to stop working properly. To fix that, check the "Store and display recently opened items in Start Menu and the taskbar" box from the same window: "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" in the Privacy section.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

You'll now find the same option at the bottom of the Customize Start Menu window.

Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows
Jumplist Launcher, custom, jumplist, taksbar, Windows

Conclusion

Jumplist Launcher can be improved on many levels (translation, usability, design) but overall it is useful and can come in handy for people who want to use an application that will provide a "pinnable" icon with a custom jump list that will boost your productivity.

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