Last Updated on February 25, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

The taskbar and Start button have Properties dialogs attached to them. These particular Properties dialogs can be accessed with a right-click on each the taskbar and Start button. The taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialogs offer easy access to common features you may wish to use.

The following tutorial demonstrates how to enable and disable the taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialogs when using a version of the Windows Vista operating system.

Method One: How to Enable/Disable Taskbar and Start Menu Properties in Local Group Policy Editor in Windows Vista

You can enable and disable the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog from the Local Group Policy Editor. Here is how to do that:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. See this tutorial for all ways to open the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows Vista: How to Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows Vista.

2. In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, click through to the following:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

3. With Start Menu and Taskbar selected, right-click on Prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings and click on Properties.

4. You will now have the Start Menu and Taskbar Properties dialog open. From the Settings tab, check the box Enabled or Disabled and then click on the OK button to save the changes.

Method Two: How to Enable/Disable Taskbar and Start Menu Properties in Registry Editor in Windows Vista

You can enable and disable the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog from the Registry Editor. Here is how to do that:

1. Click on the Start button and at the bottom of the Start Menu, type regedit into the search box to open the Registry Editor.

2. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click on Continue.

3. Using Registry Editor’s left pane, navigate through to the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

4. With Explorer selected, create a new DWORD 32-bit value on the right side of the same window and call it NoSetTaskbar.

5. Right-click on NoSetTaskbar and click Modify. Change the value data to 1 and click OK.

6. You have just enabled the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties. If ever you want to disable it, navigate to the same location and right-click on NoSetTaskbar, and delete it.

In conclusion, that is how to enable and disable Taskbar and Start Menu Properties in Windows Vista.