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Are the current Windows taskbar icons bigger than you prefer them? This guide shows you how to use the Windows registry to make the taskbar and icons smaller in Windows 11.
Create a Registry Key to Resize the Taskbar
There is no native option to adjust the size of the Windows 11 taskbar. However, you can add a registry key that gives you this option.
Follow the steps below to create a DWORD (32-bit) key:
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- Open the Windows 11 search box. Then, search registry. Then, from the search results, click Registry Editor.
Windows 11 will display the User Account Control tool. Click Yes.
- When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the key below:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
- Right-click the Advanced key in the left pane and point to New. Then, from the displayed options, select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
This action will create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value with the default name, “New Value #1”. You’ll rename this default name to “TaskbarSi” in the next step.
- To rename “New Value #1” to “TaskbarSi”, right-click “New Value #1” and select Rename. Then, enter TaskbarSi as the new name and press Enter.
In the following steps, you’ll modify the registry DWORD, TaskbarSi, to make the taskbar smaller in windows 11.
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- Right-click TaskbarSi DWORD value and select Modify.
- Then, modify the Value data as required on the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value pop-up. Here are the values and how they adjust the taskbar in Windows 11:
0 – makes Windows 11 taskbar smaller
1 – keeps the Windows 11 taskbar medium (default taskbar size)
2 – makes Windows 11 taskbar bigger
Since the TaskbarSi DWORD Value data is 0 (zero) by default, the taskbar will be smaller. So, click OK and restart your computer.
When your computer restarts, your taskbar will be smaller. See mine in the screenshot below:
Restore the Taskbar to its Default Size
Whenever you want to change the taskbar to its default size, follow the steps below:
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- Open Registry Editor (See the steps in the previous section). Then, navigate to the key below and click the Advanced key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
- Then, on the details pane of the Advanced key, locate the TaskbarSi and double-click it. When you double-click the DWORD value, it opens for editing.
- Modify the Value data on the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value pop-up from 0 to 1. Then, to save your changes, click the OK button.
Finally, restart your computer to resize the taskbar to its default size.
After restarting my computer, my taskbar is back to its default size.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can resize the taskbar in Windows 11, but you have to modify the registry to do this. To achieve this, create a DWORD key called TaskbarSi in the following registry path:
“HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\”
Then, make the value of TaskbarSi 0 and restart your computer.
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Right-click the Windows 10 Start menu and click Settings. Then, in the Windows 10 Settings, click Personalization -> Taskbar.
Finally, on the right pane of the Taskbar settings, toggle the Use smaller taskbar buttons switch from off to on.
In Windows 10, you can modify the Taskbar settings under Settings -> Personalization – see the details in my answer to question 2 above.
However, in Windows 11, you have to create a registry value to modify the size of the taskbar – see my answer to question 1 above for details.
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Yes, just like every other Windows, Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 has a taskbar. However, the look and feel of the new taskbar are substantially different from the Windows 10 taskbar.
One other major difference between Windows 10 taskbar and the taskbar in the new Windows is that in Windows 10, you can modify the size via Settings. However, Windows 11 does not offer this option via Windows settings.
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Finally, for more Windows 11 guides, visit our Windows 11 How-To page. You may likewise find our Windows 10 How-To guides valuable.
