The vertical toolbar introduced in Windows 8 was called the Charms bar. It gathered five context-sensitive controls—Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings—into a strip that appeared from the right side of the screen.
Users could open it by swiping inward from the right edge of a touchscreen or touchpad, moving the pointer into a right-hand corner, or using a keyboard shortcut. The controls could behave differently depending on the active app: Search could search apps, files, settings, or app-specific content, while Share exposed services supported by that app.
The Charms bar was part of Windows 8’s redesigned, touch-oriented interface, which also replaced the traditional Start menu with a full-screen Start screen. It was frequently confused with the taskbar or an app sidebar, but those were different interface elements. Windows 8.1 retained the charms while restoring a visible Start button, and later Windows versions removed the system-wide charms interface.