Set Up a Windows-Style XFCE Panel on Pardus Linux

To make Pardus XFCE feel familiar to a Windows user, place one horizontal panel along the bottom of the screen and arrange its items as an app menu, launchers, open-window buttons, a notification area, and a clock. Right-click the panel and open Panel Preferences; the same controls are available in Settings Manager > Panel. The result can resemble a Windows taskbar, although XFCE uses separate panel items rather than one combined taskbar control.

In XFCE, these items are called panel plugins. The Xfce panel can host application launchers, menus, window buttons, a workspace switcher, and more. Pardus may also include Pardus XFCE Tweaks, which offers panel and appearance preferences plus an option to revert changes; its availability and labels can vary by Pardus release.

Which panel items match common Windows taskbar functions?

Plugin names are not always identical across Pardus versions or translations. The standard Applications Menu is a useful fallback if Whisker Menu is not listed. The Xfce documentation describes the panel plugins and their functions.

How do you move the panel to the bottom and set its size?

1. Open the settings. Right-click an empty part of the panel and choose Panel > Panel Preferences or Panel Preferences, depending on the menu. If the menu is hard to access, open Settings Manager > Panel.
2. Select the panel to change. If the preferences window lists more than one panel, select the one you want. Xfce marks the selected panel on screen so you can tell which one is being edited.
3. Set a familiar horizontal layout. In the Display tab, set Mode to Horizontal. Clear Lock panel temporarily if you need to reposition it, then drag its handle to the bottom edge; Xfce snaps the unlocked panel to screen edges. Select Never for automatic hiding if you want it visible like a standard taskbar.
4. Adjust height and length. In the measurement controls, increase Row Size until icons and labels are comfortable to read. Keep one row for a simple taskbar. Set the length to span the screen, or enable Automatically increase the length if you want a shorter panel to grow as items are added. Lock the panel again after placement so it is not moved accidentally.

How should you arrange the menu, shortcuts, and open windows?

1. Open the Items tab and check which components are already on the panel. Use Add to add missing items; use the Up and Down controls to reorder a selected item, and Remove to take off an item you do not need.
2. For a Windows-like order, place an Applications Menu or Whisker Menu first, followed by one or more launchers, then Window Buttons. Add a Separator before the Notification Area and Clock. If your separator’s properties offer an expand option, enabling it can push status items toward the right edge. Xfce documents expandable separators as a way to align plugins.
3. Add frequently used apps as launchers. Choose Launcher from Add New Items, then use its properties to add installed applications. In supported Xfce versions, you can also drag an application’s .desktop shortcut from Application Finder onto the panel; hold Ctrl while dropping it between existing launchers to avoid opening the shortcut with another app. See the official Xfce Launcher documentation for this behavior.
4. Use Window Buttons for open-window switching, not the launcher. A launcher starts an application; a window button returns you to an application that is already open. You can keep both for the same app if you want an always-visible shortcut and a separate button for its running window.

What should you change for a smaller screen or a cleaner panel?

On a compact display, use a slightly shorter row size, remove items you do not check often, and consider Intelligently hide if maximized windows need more vertical space. This hides the panel when a focused window overlaps it; Always hides it until you reach the screen edge. If you prefer predictable access, keep Never.

For a cleaner appearance, open Appearance and start with the system style so the panel follows the selected desktop theme. Xfce also supports a solid-color or image background. Transparency is available only when display compositing is enabled, so a missing or inactive opacity control does not necessarily indicate a panel fault. Avoid installing a third-party dock just to pin apps; the built-in Launcher and Window Buttons cover the basic taskbar workflow.

If your Pardus build includes Pardus XFCE Tweaks, you can use it to adjust panel-related appearance settings or revert its changes. Use the normal Xfce Panel Preferences window when you need to add, remove, or reorder individual plugins. The official Pardus Applications page describes XFCE Tweaks and its panel preferences.

Quick check: does the panel work the way you expect?

• The panel stays at the bottom and remains visible after signing out and back in.
• The menu opens your installed applications, and each launcher opens the intended program.
• Opening two applications creates usable window buttons; clicking a button switches to that window.
• Network, audio, and other status icons appear only when the relevant app or service supports the notification area.
• The clock is readable and the panel does not cover buttons or content in maximized windows.

If a status icon is missing, verify that its application provides a compatible tray indicator; not every background program adds one. If the panel looks wrong after a theme change, return to Appearance and select the system style. For control definitions and version-specific details, use the Xfce Panel Preferences reference. Pardus releases may ship a different Xfce version or translated labels, so the precise wording can differ slightly.