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Windows 11 now has a supported control for making the taskbar smaller, but its availability depends on your Windows build and Insider channel. When available, the setting reduces both the taskbar’s height and the size of its icons.
There is no supported Windows setting for choosing an exact icon dimension such as 32×32 pixels. Older guides that use the TaskbarSi Registry value are outdated on newer Windows 11 builds.
Use the built-in smaller taskbar buttons setting
Microsoft announced Show smaller taskbar buttons on May 15, 2026, initially rolling it out to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel. The option may not yet be present on every retail or stable Windows 11 installation.
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- Go to Personalization and select Taskbar.
- Expand Taskbar behaviors.
- Find Show smaller taskbar buttons.
- Change the setting to Always.
The taskbar should become shorter and its icons smaller immediately. Microsoft says you do not need to restart Windows or sign out.
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Another way to open the same setting
- Right-click an empty area of the taskbar.
- Select Taskbar settings.
- Expand Taskbar behaviors.
- Set Show smaller taskbar buttons to Always.
Depending on the version of Windows 11, the control may offer these choices:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Always | Uses smaller icons and a shorter taskbar. |
| Never | Keeps the original taskbar icon size and height. |
| An automatic or conditional option | May reduce the taskbar when it fills with open applications, if that option is shown on your build. |
If “Show smaller taskbar buttons” is missing
The setting is not documented as available on every Windows 11 build yet. In particular, Microsoft’s announcement describes the feature as an Experimental-channel rollout rather than a universal stable-release feature.
Try the following:
- Open Settings → Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates and install any available updates.
- Restart the computer.
- Return to Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors and check again.
If the option is still absent, your device may not have received the feature rollout. Windows 11 edition alone does not guarantee that the control will be available.
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What happened to the TaskbarSi Registry trick?
Many older Windows 11 instructions tell you to create or edit this value:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvancedThey usually refer to a DWORD (32-bit) Value named TaskbarSi, with these historical values:
| Value | Historical result |
|---|---|
0 |
Small |
1 |
Default or medium |
2 |
Large |
That method is not a current supported Windows 11 setting. A Microsoft Q&A answer says that changes introduced with Windows 11 Moment 2 stopped the taskbar from checking these old Registry entries. The values can remain in the Registry without doing anything.
For that reason, editing TaskbarSi is unlikely to resize the taskbar on a current build and should not be used as the primary solution. It also does not provide a supported way to set an arbitrary size in pixels.
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Can you set the icons to exactly 32×32?
No. Windows 11 does not expose a supported taskbar control for an exact pixel size. The built-in option is a predefined compact mode, not a numeric size selector.
If you need a different appearance than the built-in modes provide, third-party taskbar customization tools may offer additional controls, but those tools can break after Windows updates and are outside Windows’ supported settings.
Fix blurry icons after making the taskbar smaller
Compact taskbar mode can make custom application icons look blurry because Windows renders them at the smaller taskbar size. Try this:
- Return to Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors.
- Set Show smaller taskbar buttons to Never.
- Check whether the icon becomes sharp again.
If a custom icon remains blurry after switching back to Never, report the problem in Feedback Hub by pressing Windows + F. There is currently no additional supported taskbar-size control for correcting that problem.
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| Method | Works on current Windows 11? | Supported? |
|---|---|---|
| Show smaller taskbar buttons → Always | Available on supported feature rollouts | Yes |
TaskbarSi=0, 1, or 2 |
Generally ignored by newer builds | No; legacy workaround |
| Exact pixel size, such as 32×32 | Not provided by Windows | No built-in control |
FAQ
Why can’t I see the smaller taskbar buttons option?
Microsoft announced the feature as an Experimental-channel rollout, so it may not be available on your Windows 11 build yet. Install available Windows updates, restart, and check Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors again.
Does the setting reduce only the icons?
No. The compact mode reduces the icon size and makes the taskbar shorter, giving you more vertical workspace.
Do I need to restart after choosing Always?
No. Microsoft says the change takes effect without restarting or signing out.
Can I make the taskbar icons exactly 32×32 pixels?
No. Windows 11 does not provide a supported control for an arbitrary pixel dimension.
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Does the TaskbarSi Registry value still work?
It is an outdated, unsupported workaround. Newer Windows 11 builds stopped checking the old TaskbarSi entries, so changing values 0, 1, or 2 may have no effect.
How do I restore the normal taskbar size?
Open Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors and set Show smaller taskbar buttons to Never.
The Bottom Line
Use Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors → Show smaller taskbar buttons → Always if the feature is available on your build. It is the supported way to reduce both taskbar height and icon size. If the option is missing, update Windows and check again; do not rely on the old TaskbarSi Registry hack, which newer Windows 11 builds generally ignore.
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