Click on empty taskbar space

This mod lets you assign an action to a mouse click on the Windows taskbar. Single, double, and triple clicks are supported - both mouse and touchscreen clicks. You can also assign a keyboard modifier to the action. For example, you can set up a double-click on the taskbar to open Task Manager while holding down the Ctrl key. The mod is designed to be as flexible as possible. You can assign any action to any mouse click or touchscreen tap. You can also assign multiple actions to the same trigger. This mod reacts when empty space on the taskbar is clicked. Buttons, menus, or other taskbar functions are not affected. Click events are normally forwarded to the system, so you can still use the taskbar as usual. Both primary and secondary taskbars are supported.

Supported actions

1. Combine Taskbar buttons - Toggle combining of Taskbar buttons between two states set in the Settings menu (not available on older Windows 11 versions)
2. Ctrl+Alt+Tab - Opens Ctrl+Alt+Tab dialog (repeatedly cycles through windows until closed)
3. Hide desktop icons - Toggle show/hide of all desktop icons
4. Media Next Track - Skip to next track
5. Media Play/Pause - Toggle play/pause for media playback
6. Media Previous Track - Skip to previous track
7. Mute system volume - Toggle mute of system volume (all sound)
8. Open Start menu - Sends Win key press to open Start menu
9. Show desktop - Toggle show/hide desktop
10. Switch virtual desktop - Switch to next or previous virtual desktop
11. Open application, path or URL - Starts arbitrary application executable, opens path in Explorer or URL in web browser
12. Task Manager - Opens Windows default Task Manager
13. Taskbar auto-hide - Toggle Windows taskbar auto-hide feature
14. Toggle Taskbar alignment - Toggle taskbar icon alignment between left and center (Windows 11 only)
15. Virtual key press - Sends virtual keypress (keyboard shortcut) to the system
16. Win+Tab - Opens Win+Tab dialog

Example

The following animation shows how to set up the taskbar auto-hide feature toggle on middle mouse button click and toggle volume mute on Ctrl + double-click.

Once set, a simple middle-click on empty taskbar space will toggle the auto-hide feature:

Supported triggers

• Keyboard - Optional. Keyboard keypress modifiers. If None is selected or added, the modifier is ignored.
  • Left Ctrl - Left Ctrl key
  • Left Shift - Left Shift key
  • Left Alt - Left Alt key
  • Win - Windows key
  • Right Ctrl - Right Ctrl key
  • Right Shift - Right Shift key
  • Right Alt - Right Alt key
• Mouse - Required. Mouse click or touchscreen tap trigger. If None is selected, the entire trigger+action is ignored.
  • Left - Mouse left button click
  • Left Double - Mouse left button double-click
  • Left Triple - Mouse left button triple-click
  • Middle - Mouse middle button click
  • Middle Double - Mouse middle button double-click
  • Middle Triple - Mouse middle button triple-click
  • Right - Mouse right button click
  • Right Double - Mouse right button double-click
  • Right Triple - Mouse right button triple-click
  • Side Button 1 - Mouse side button 1 click (mouse button 4)
  • Side Button 1 Double - Mouse side button 1 double-click (mouse button 4)
  • Side Button 1 Triple - Mouse side button 1 triple-click (mouse button 4)
  • Side Button 2 - Mouse side button 2 click (mouse button 5)
  • Side Button 2 Double - Mouse side button 2 double-click(mouse button 5)
  • Side Button 2 Triple - Mouse side button 2 triple-click (mouse button 5)
  • Tap - Touchscreen single tap
  • Tap Double - Touchscreen double tap
  • Tap Triple - Touchscreen triple tap

Additional arguments

Some actions support or require additional arguments. You can set them in the Settings menu. Arguments are separated by semicolon. For example: arg1;arg2.

1. Combine Taskbar buttons - priTaskBarBtnState1;priTaskBarBtnState2;secTaskBarBtnState1;secTaskBarBtnState2
   • priTaskBarBtnState1: COMBINE_ALWAYS, COMBINE_WHEN_FULL, COMBINE_NEVER
   • priTaskBarBtnState2: COMBINE_ALWAYS, COMBINE_WHEN_FULL, COMBINE_NEVER
   • secTaskBarBtnState1: COMBINE_ALWAYS, COMBINE_WHEN_FULL, COMBINE_NEVER
   • secTaskBarBtnState2: COMBINE_ALWAYS, COMBINE_WHEN_FULL, COMBINE_NEVER
   • Example: COMBINE_ALWAYS;COMBINE_WHEN_FULL;COMBINE_ALWAYS;COMBINE_NEVER
2. Ctrl+Alt+Tab - argument reverse inverts the order of iteration through the windows (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Tab behavior)
   • You can repeat the action to cycle through the windows like you would with a keyboard. If you click outside the taskbar or your next click gesture is not Ctrl+Alt+Tab trigger, the dialog will close.
3. Hide desktop icons - no additional arguments supported
4. Media Next Track - no additional arguments supported
5. Media Play/Pause - no additional arguments supported
6. Media Previous Track - no additional arguments supported
7. Mute system volume - no additional arguments supported
8. Open Start menu - no additional arguments supported
9. Show desktop - no additional arguments supported
10. Switch virtual desktop - direction is forward, if reverse argument is provided, direction is backward
11. Open application, path or URL - applicationPath arg1 arg2 ... argN
    • Example: "c:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" C:\Users\username\Desktop\test.txt - use quotes around paths with spaces
    • Example: uac;C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts - start application with elevated privileges (UAC prompt will appear)
    • Example: python.exe D:\MyScripts\my_python_script.py arg1 "arg 2 with space" arg3 - user must handle proper quoting of arguments
    • Example: cmd.exe /c echo Hello & pause - execute shell commands
    • Example: https://windhawk.net/mods/ - open URL in default web browser
    • Example: c:\Users\John Doe\Documents\ - open folder in Explorer
    • Example: shell:Recent - open special shell folder in Explorer (more special shell commands)
    • Uses ShellExecute to open applications, paths, or URLs. If the command starts with the special keyword uac, the application will be started with elevated privileges (UAC prompt will appear).
    • The command line parser attempts to intelligently handle spaces in file paths and arguments. However, if you encounter issues, enclose paths containing spaces in double quotes.
    • Error codes and error messages can be found in the mod log if the application fails to start.
12. Task Manager - no additional arguments supported
13. Taskbar auto-hide - no additional arguments supported
14. Toggle Taskbar alignment - no additional arguments supported
15. Virtual key press - virtualKey1;virtualKey2;...;virtualKeyN
    • Example: 0x5B;0x45 or 0x7A;focusPreviousWindow
    • Each text field corresponds to one virtual key press. Fill in hexadecimal key codes of the keys you want to press. Key codes are defined in Win32 inputdev docs. Use only hexadecimal (0x) or decimal format for a key code! Example: (0x5B and 0x45) corresponds to (Win + E) shortcut that opens an Explorer window. If your key combination has no effect, check the log for more information.
    • There is a special keyword focusPreviousWindow that can be used to set focus back to the previously active window. This is useful when you want to send keypresses to the last active window instead of the taskbar. That way you can, for example, turn on fullscreen mode in the web browser by sending the F11 key. You can use this keyword anywhere in the sequence of virtual keys.
    • Please note that some special keyboard shortcuts like Win+L or Ctrl+Alt+Delete cannot be sent via the inputdev interface.
16. Win+Tab - no additional arguments supported

Example presets

Windows lets you set few handy touchpad gestures for media playback or window control. However, if you are using a mouse, you might miss those gestures.

Following examples serves as an inspiration for setting up your own actions. Of course you are not limited to these examples only. You can set up any action to any mouse click or touchscreen tap. Especially with the virtual key press action, you can setup own macros and shortcuts.

Media controls

• Side Button 1 click - Media Previous Track
• Middle click - Media Play/Pause
• Side Button 2 click - Media Next Track
• Mouse scrolling with Taskbar Volume Control mod installed - Volume control

Window management

• Side Button 1 click - Ctrl+Alt+Tab
• Middle click - Win+Tab
• Side Button 2 click - Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Tab (use reverse argument)
• Left double-click - Switch virtual desktop forward
• Right double-click - Switch virtual desktop backward (use reverse argument)

Consider installing Alt+Tab per monitor mod if you are using multiple monitors. Check out Virtual Desktop Helper and Virtual Desktop Preserve Taskbar Order mods if you are into virtual desktops.

Caveats and limitations

Click/tap gesture evaluation

By default, after every click or tap on the taskbar, the mod waits for the Windows double-click time (GetDoubleClickTime, usually 500 ms) before running any action.

This short delay is needed so the mod can correctly decide whether you did a:

• single click/tap
• double click/tap
• triple click/tap

This is what allows you, for example, to double-click the taskbar without triggering the single-click action first.

If you don't like this delay, you can turn on the Eager trigger evaluation option in the mod's settings.

With Eager trigger evaluation enabled:

The action runs immediately when a matching trigger is detected (no waiting). However, double or triple clicks/taps can still trigger the single-click/tap action, as long as you haven't configured a separate double or triple click/tap action for that same trigger. In other words, this option is a trade-off:

• Off – slight delay, but more accurate recognition of single vs. double vs. triple gestures
• On – no delay, but less precise gesture detection

Right-click behavior

When you configure any right-click trigger (single, double, or triple), the mod needs to temporarily delay the taskbar's context menu to detect your intended action.

Here's how it works:

• When you right-click the taskbar, the mod checks if you're using the keyboard modifier associated with your configured trigger
• If the keyboard modifier matches your trigger setup, the context menu is blocked and your custom action runs instead
• If the keyboard modifier doesn't match (or you don't complete the trigger), the context menu appears normally

What this means for you:

If you set up a right-click trigger without keyboard modifiers (for example, a right double-click), you'll notice a brief delay before the context menu appears after a single right-click. This happens because the mod waits to see if you're going to complete a double or triple click. The delay is short but noticeable—it's the trade-off for having custom right-click actions.

Tip: To avoid this delay, consider using keyboard modifiers with your right-click triggers (like Ctrl + right double-click). This way, the mod can instantly show the context menu when you right-click without holding the modifier key.

Supported Windows versions

• Windows 10 22H2 (prior versions are not tested, but should work as well)
• Windows 11 24H2 - latest major release (prior versions are not tested, but should work as well)

I will not be supporting Insider preview or other minor versions of Windows. However, feel free to report any issues related to those versions. I'll appreciate the heads-up in advance.

⚠️ Caution! Avoid using the option "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" in Windows Update. Microsoft releases symbols for new Windows versions with a delay. This can render Windhawk mods unusable until the symbols are released (usually a few days).

Troubleshooting

I am using Windows 10 taskbar on Windows 11

If you are using the old Windows 10 taskbar on Windows 11 (ExplorerPatcher or a similar tool), enable the corresponding option in the Settings menu. ExplorerPatcher should get detected automatically.

I can't click on empty space when the taskbar gets full

If your taskbar becomes fully occupied by open windows and pinned icons, there is no empty space left to click on. To reserve minimal empty space on the taskbar (the Reserve empty space feature from 7+ Taskbar Tweaker), you can use the Windows 11 Taskbar Styler mod with this example configuration.

Task Switching (Ctrl+Alt+Tab) window always reopens on consecutive triggers

If you are using Vertical Taskbar for Windows 11 or Taskbar on top for Windows 11 mod, taskbar click detection might not work correctly when the Task Switching window is opened. See here for more details. As a workaround, you can install Alt+Tab per monitor that implicitly fixes the Task Switching window rect size so that the taskbar is not overlaid by it anymore.

Selected app/window from Task Switching (Ctrl+Alt+Tab) window is not focused

If you've manually selected an app/window from the Task Switching dialog using the mouse, but the window is not focused after closing the dialog, try pressing Win+Tab once. I encountered a weird issue where the underlying mechanism used to identify what you clicked would work only once and then stop working. Opening the Win+Tab window once seems to fix the issue until the next logout/restart.

I just installed/updated the mod, but no actions are triggered

The mod uses Windhawk's ArrayOfNestedOptions widget type that enables you to create multiple trigger+action configurations. However, if you have just installed or updated the mod, there are no configurations set up yet. It might happen that Windhawk spawns a default empty configuration with all keyboard modifiers selected and no mouse trigger or action selected. Users then overlook the modifiers and only set up the mouse trigger and action. The mod will never trigger any action since it is impossible to press all keyboard modifiers at once on most keyboards. If that's the case, open the mod's Settings and either remove the empty configuration or set up your desired trigger+action configuration (including keyboard modifiers). For more information, please see the gif animation on the mod's Description tab.

I have set my trigger correctly, but the action is not executed

Please see the previous section about empty configuration. If that is not the issue, check the mod's log for any error messages or other clues:

1. Disable the mod
2. Go to the Advanced tab
3. Under Debug logging, select Mod logs
4. Click on the Show log output button
5. You can clear the console first using the buttons in the upper right corner
6. Re-enable the mod and try to trigger your action again
7. Check the log for any error messages or other clues

Make sure the action trigger parsed from settings corresponds to your expectation. Make sure the mod reports a taskbar version that corresponds to your Windows taskbar. If you are using ExplorerPatcher with the Windows 10 taskbar, check that the mod is using Windows 10 taskbar mode. If you are using the Windows 11 taskbar with ExplorerPatcher, make sure the mod is using Windows 11 taskbar mode.

If you can't find anything useful, try enabling DEBUG logging:

1. Disable the mod
2. Fork the mod and click on the Edit button
3. Find // #define ENABLE_LOG_DEBUG and remove the leading // characters to uncomment the line
4. In the toolbar on the left, enable logging and click on Compile Mod
5. Enable your forked mod
6. Now much more information will be logged
7. Try to trigger your action again and check the log for any error messages or other clues

I have tried everything, but the mod is still not working as expected

Please open an Issue on the GitHub page describing your problem. Please always include the following information:

• Your Windows version including the exact build number (e.g., Windows 10 25H2 build 26200.7171) - use the winver command to get this information
• Whether you are using the classic taskbar on Windows 11 (ExplorerPatcher or a similar tool)
• Windhawk version
• Mod version
• Mod settings you are using - a screenshot of the mod's Settings tab, or ideally the entire settings JSON record from the Advanced tab
• Mod log output with DEBUG logging enabled (see the previous section for instructions on how to enable it)

Hints and tips

Opening an application on the currently active monitor

By default, Windows opens new application windows on the primary monitor. Even if monitor hint information is provided, many applications ignore it and still open on the primary monitor. If you want to open an application on the currently active monitor more reliably, you can use Microsoft PowerToys with the FancyZones feature enabled. FancyZones will remember the last active monitor and open new windows there. For more information, see GitHub issue #52.

Opening Start menu on currently active monitor

The mod tries to find the Start button on the taskbar you clicked on to open the Start menu. However, if you used e.g., Windows 11 Taskbar Styler mod to hide the button, the mod will fall back and send a Win key press to open the Start menu. By default, Windows opens the Start menu on the primary monitor. If you want to open the Start menu on the currently active monitor, you can use the Start menu open location mod.

Volume control with mouse wheel over taskbar

If you wish to extend media playback control further, you can use the Taskbar Volume Control mod. It lets you control the system volume by scrolling the mouse wheel over the taskbar.

Opening Ctrl+Alt+Tab on the currently active monitor

By default, Windows opens Task Switching dialog on the primary monitor. If you want it to open on the currently active monitor, consider using Alt+Tab per monitor mod.

Fine grade control over virtual desktops

The "Switch virtual desktop" feature is based on u2x1's Virtual Desktop Helper mod. If you want more fine-grained control over virtual desktops (e.g., switch to a specific desktop number, move the current window to another desktop, etc.), consider installing that mod and sending custom keypresses to it using this mod. Also checkout Virtual Desktop Preserve Taskbar Order mod.

Suggestions and new features

If you have a request for new functions, suggestions, or you are experiencing some issues, please post an Issue on the GitHub page. Please be as specific as possible and provide as much information as you can. Please consider using an AI chatbot if you are struggling to put everything together in English.

Contact

You can contact me via Windhawk's Discord channel (@m1lhaus) or GitHub page.