Chances are good that you have several application and folder windows open on your computer right now. You probably switch between them by pressing <Alt>-<Tab> if your hands are on the keyboard, or by clicking a taskbar button if you're mousing around. That's great for managing a few windows, but when you have several copies of a single application open (say, three pages in Internet Explorer, three instant messenger windows, and a couple of different folders), things get more complicated. Windows gloms their taskbar buttons together: You have to click, read a pop-up menu of options, and then click again in order to view the window that you want (see Figure 1). Or if you have multiple documents open in your application, you have to switch to the app first (via mouse or keyboard) and then use another mouse or keyboard method to switch to the right document within the program. If window management is slowing you down, try these tips for customizing taskbar behavior and window access to find a style that suits you.

Get away from grouping: To stop Windows XP from placing your taskbar buttons in groups, right-click an empty spot on the taskbar and choose Properties. Uncheck Group similar taskbar buttons under the Taskbar tab, and click OK (see Figure 2).

Group selectively: You may find grouping useful only when your XP taskbar is really crowded. Keep the 'Group similar taskbar buttons' setting checked (see previous tip), but use Microsoft's Tweak UI for Windows XP to set a threshold for when the setting kicks in. After installing it, start the program and click the plus sign ('+') next to 'Taskbar and Start menu' in the left pane. Then select Grouping underneath that. At the top of the right pane, choose a behavior or set a threshold that matches your work style, and click OK (see Figure 3).

Divide and conquer: Some applications don't show your open documents as separate windows on the taskbar, which prevents you from switching to a specific document directly by clicking its taskbar button, or by using <Alt>-<Tab>. To get quick navigation in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, choose Tools, Options, click the View tab, make sure that Windows in Taskbar is checked, and click OK. In Adobe Acrobat or Reader, choose Edit, Preferences, and select General on the left. Check Show documents in taskbar, and click OK. The change will take effect when you restart the program. Note that in Office apps, this changes the <Alt>-<F4> keyboard shortcut so that it closes only the current document, not the whole application (unless only one document is open). But in Acrobat, <Alt>-<F4> still closes the program and all open documents in one fell swoop.

Boss those buttons around: Make it easier to zero in on the taskbar button you're looking for by using Elias Fotinis's TaskArrange. This free product lets you arrange the taskbar buttons in any order you wish.

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