How do you keep main icon in task bar?

[Floymin]

The icon that links to the main client keeps disappearing, and all I am left with is the Friends List. How do I keep the main client on the task bar?
Edit: Whenever I tab to Steam from another app that is hiding the window, like a browser, the app is still active.

[Bee🐝]

Did you pin it to the taskbar? Is it still disappearing after that?

[Floymin]

Originally posted by Bee:

Did you pin it to the taskbar? Is it still disappearing after that?

I tabbed through all the other open windows, and it hasn't disappeared yet. Frustrating that I have to manually pin an active app on my taskbar.

[ReBoot]

Don't close the main Steam window.

[Floymin]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Don't close the main Steam window.

Is there a way I can do that by accident? I try to make it a habit to close apps from the tab menu instead of the upper right corner, but I sometimes forget.

[ReBoot]

Tab menu?

[Floymin]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Tab menu?

When you press Alt+Tab and hold the Tab key, a bunch of windows show up in a grid formation. You can close apps with the X in each window.

[ReBoot]

I see.

So are you using this (or any other) method to close Steam's main window?

[HiFive]

If you use the upper right options to minimize the Steam window, the icon will remain on your task bar. If you hit the x to close the Steam window, the icon will go away.

[Floymin]

Oops...
Forgot to mention this...
Whenever I tab to Steam from another app that is hiding it, like a browser, the app is still active.

[The HopelessGamer™]

So... ok... lets get this straight...

Basic 101 of using a computer. You can pin any icon, whether the program is open or not, to the task bar.

Specifically in relation to steam, when you open steam and you open your friends list aswell, then you close the steam client, and leave the friends list open, the the icon on the task bar will still be "active" but for the friends list instead of the client since the client is closed.

To reopen steam, you can either close the friends list and then you can click on the icon again to open steam or you can right click the icon and select steam to open the main client while the friends list window is open.

I am assuming, you want each one of steams windows to be its own icon so when you close the main client, you can click the task bar icon and have it open the main client, regardless of what other steam windows are open?

[Floymin]

Originally posted by The HopelessGamer™:

So... ok... lets get this straight...

Basic 101 of using a computer. You can pin any icon, whether the program is open or not, to the task bar.

Specifically in relation to steam, when you open steam and you open your friends list aswell, then you close the steam client, and leave the friends list open, the the icon on the task bar will still be "active" but for the friends list instead of the client since the client is closed.

To reopen steam, you can either close the friends list and then you can click on the icon again to open steam or you can right click the icon and select steam to open the main client while the friends list window is open.

I am assuming, you want each one of steams windows to be its own icon so when you close the main client, you can click the task bar icon and have it open the main client, regardless of what other steam windows are open?

In the Taskbar settings, I chose Always Combine. For some reason, the window for the Steam client icon disappears, and I am left with the Friends List, so I can't move the Steam client to the front of the desktop. But when I remove the Friends List when the Steam client window is hidden, it removes both, so I have to reactivate from the other icon in the right corner.

[Planetfall Survivor X]

I have the same or similar issues since a while now. I have steam's bootstrapper pinned to the taskbar (Win10). So, I use that most of the the time to open steam. Usually, when I'd switch to another program or simply minimize steam, I'd be able to open it back up from where I left simply from that spot on the taskbar.
Frustratingly, at some point, steam started to minimize into the notification area instead of the taskbar. If I were to switch to my browser window, while writing this here, I'd have to double click the steam icon in the notification area which sends me to my library home screen instead of this discussion window and I have to click on the back arrow to get back here.
Super inconvenient compared to how it used to work.
Unpinning steam from the taskbar and repinning it helps for a while, sometimes.
I don't understand why steam started to behave like this. If it's steam or windows that's causing this. It's a minor issue, but bothersome nevertheless.

[Floymin]

Originally posted by Planetfall Survivor X:

I have the same or similar issues since a while now. I have steam's bootstrapper pinned to the taskbar (Win10). So, I use that most of the the time to open steam. Usually, when I'd switch to another program or simply minimize steam, I'd be able to open it back up from where I left simply from that spot on the taskbar.
Frustratingly, at some point, steam started to minimize into the notification area instead of the taskbar. If I were to switch to my browser window, while writing this here, I'd have to double click the steam icon in the notification area which sends me to my library home screen instead of this discussion window and I have to click on the back arrow to get back here.
Super inconvenient compared to how it used to work.
Unpinning steam from the taskbar and repinning it helps for a while, sometimes.
I don't understand why steam started to behave like this. If it's steam or windows that's causing this. It's a minor issue, but bothersome nevertheless.

That must be why I briefly see 2 Steam icons in the notification bar when I open it. You described the issue better than I did. Thanks.

[Giuliano]

Same here. Sometimes when I start steam there is no icon in the taskbar. This problem also occurs when I minimize steam....and no icon showing in taskbar but only in system tray.
However the problem sometimes resolves itself if I close and reopen steam.
I don't understand if it's a steam bug or a windows update that created this problem.
Does anyone else have the same problem, any solution?

[Planetfall Survivor X]

Originally posted by Giuliano:

Same here. Sometimes when I start steam there is no icon in the taskbar. This problem also occurs when I minimize steam....and no icon showing in taskbar but only in system tray.
However the problem sometimes resolves itself if I close and reopen steam.
I don't understand if it's a steam bug or a windows update that created this problem.
Does anyone else have the same problem, any solution?

Still the same problem, no solution. Like right now, Steam is in the taskbar where I'd like it to be, I can minimize it and it will stay there. We'll see how long that will last until I'm stuck with useless steam icon in the notification area/system tray (?) again.