Navigate Effectively Using Jump Lists in Windows 7

Jump lists are tiny thumbnail lists that display the most recently used items associated with a program on the Start menu/Task bar. Jump lists come with certain default options, but can be customized to suit each user’s requirements. For example, the jump list for the Internet Explorer icon on the Task bar displays options to open a new browser window, pin the program to the taskbar and close the window.

How to Access Jump Lists

Start Menu

Hover the mouse pointer over an item in the Start menu that has a tiny black triangle associated with it and the right side of the Start menu displays the Jump list.

Task Bar

Right-click a program on the Task bar and the jump list associated with it is displayed.

OR

Click the item on the Task Bar, and drag the mouse-pointer upwards as if to lift the icon up.

7 Things You Can Do With Jump Lists

Display a List of Recent Items

Jump list displays all recently accessed items associated with a program. The default number of items that it can list is limited to 10. However, you can increase or reduce the number of items it can display using the Customize Start Menu dialog box.

Organize Recent Items in Sections

By default, most jump lists display a Tasks section, a Frequent section, and a Pinned section, but it varies depending on the program.

Pin Items

If you plan to frequently access an item that is displayed in the jump list, click the pin icon next to the title and the jump list will display it in a separate section called Pinned. You can unpin a jump list item by navigating to the pinned section and clicking the pin icon again.

Clear All Lists

Right-click Start and from the shortcut menu, choose Properties. Uncheck the checkbox Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and taskbar and click Apply.

Then check the same checkbox again and click OK to start your jump list afresh.

Delete an Item in the List

All you need to do is right-click the program and from the shortcut menu, choose Remove from this list.

Attach Items

You can attach items that are displayed in a jump-list to another program such as an email message by dragging the item from the list to the message.

Turn Off Lists

If for some particular reason you do not want the jump list to be displayed, you can right-click the Start menu and choose Properties. Uncheck the checkbox Store and
display recently opened items in the Start menu and taskbar and click OK.

Use these various options to simplify your navigation in Windows 7.