For some strange reason, my Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop suddenly stopped showing the running program buttons on the task bar. I could only switch between running programs with ALT+TAB.

It’s easy when you know how, but for those who don’t, this is what you do:

  • Right click on the blank task bar.
  • Select the “Add to Panel…” option. (Or similar depending on your version of Mint.)
  • Type “Window” into the search box.
  • Select “Window List” from the subsequent list.
  • Click “Add”.
  • Job done!