How to run a Batch script from the taskbar or Start menu on Windows 10
Scripts can simplify lots of things if you know how to write them. Even if you don’t, you can find scripts online, invest a little time, and tweak them to suit your needs. Running the script is also easy; it’s a simple file that can be run when you double-click it. You can automate when they run with a scheduled task but if you’d like to run them from the taskbar with a single click, or from the Start menu, you’re going to need to use a small work-around.
Run batch script from taskbar and Start menu
Make sure you already have the batch script and that it works. Run it once to check it’s doing what it’s meant to do. You next need the complete path to the script. Open File Explorer and navigate to the script, select it, and click ‘Copy path’ on the ribbon.
Go to your desktop, and right-click on an empty area. From the context menu, select New>Shortcut. In the location field, enter the following.
cmd /c "complete-path-to-script"
Example
cmd /c "C:\Users\fatiw\Desktop\exit_vlc.bat"
Click Next, and change the name of the shortcut. That’s all you need to do but, the shortcut will have the Command Prompt icon and that may be confusing, especially if you end up pinning lots of them to the taskbar or the Start menu.
To change the icon, right-click the shortcut you just created, and select Properties from the context menu. Click the Change Icon on the Shortcut tab, and select an icon of your choice. If you have a PNG image you like, you can turn it into an icon for Windows 10.
That’s all you need to do. Right-click the shortcut and select the Pin to Start and/or Pin to taskbar option. The shortcut will be pinned to the Start menu or the taskbar, whichever you select.
Once you’ve pinned the shortcut to either or both the Start menu and the taskbar, you can delete it. Do not delete the script though, and do not move it anywhere else or the tile/link to it will be broken.
It is a good idea to start out by placing the script somewhere you know you won’t be moving it. It isn’t compulsory to have the script on your desktop. The shortcut is only needed temporarily so that it can be used to pin the script. You can unpin the script later but if you’ve already deleted the shortcut, you won’t be able to pin it back again unless you create the shortcut again.
Very helpful, thanks! I was stuck: I made a shortcut to the .bat file directly but that doesn’t give the option of pinning to the taskbar.