How To Change Taskbar Size in Windows 11

With a simple trick, you can change the taskbar height and adjust the size of icons to small, medium, or large in Windows 11. Here’s how.

In previous versions of Windows, you could easily toggle the “Use small taskbar buttons” option to adjust the taskbar size. However, Microsoft removed this option in Windows 11. While this may not matter to most users, it can be essential for some. For example, on laptops with limited screen real estate, a smaller taskbar will increase the overall screen space.

The good news is that even though Windows 11’s Settings app doesn’t include this feature, you can still customize the taskbar height and icon size in two ways. The first method uses a free tool called Windhawk that gives you fine control over the taskbar height and icon sizes. The second uses a well-known registry hack for those who prefer not to use a third-party tool. Let’s get started.

Before You Being

• Administrator rights are required to change the taskbar height in Windows 11.

Change Taskbar Height and Icon Size in Windows 11

1. Get Windhawk from here.
2. Double-click the downloaded file and install Windhawk.
3. Open the Start menu.
4. Search and open Windhawk.
5. Go to the “Explore” tab.
6. Type “taskbar height” in the top search bar.
7. Click the “Details” button under the “Taskbar height and icon size” section.
8. Click the “Install” button.
9. Click the “Accept Risk & Install” button.
10. After installation, go to the “Settings” tab.
11. Adjust the following options to change the taskbar height and icon size.
    1. Icon size
    2. Taskbar height
    3. Taskbar button width
12. Once done, click the “Save settings” button.
13. With that, you’ve changed the taskbar and icon size in Windows 11.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, you must install Windhawk. To do that, download it from here, double-click the downloaded installer, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Next, open the Start menu by pressing the Windows key. Search for “Windhawk” and click “Open” to launch the application.

Once the application opens, click the “Explore” button at the top.

Type “taskbar height” in the top search bar and then click “Details” under the “Taskbar height and icon size” mod.

Click the “Install” button.

When prompted, click the “Accept Risk and Install” button to install the selected mod.

Once the mod is installed, go to the “Settings” tab. This is where you can customize the taskbar height and icon size.

Here, change the following options to adjust the taskbar height, icon size, and space between icons. Click the “Save settings” button.

• Icon size: Increase or decrease the size of icons on the taskbar.
• Taskbar height: Adjust the taskbar height.
• Taskbar button width: Adjust the gap or space between icons on the taskbar.

You might have to play with the options a bit to adjust the taskbar height and icon size how you want. In my case, it took a couple of times. In the end, this is how my taskbar looks after making it small.

That is all. It is that simple to make the taskbar small and change the taskbar icon size. If you want to restore the default height and size, simply click the “Disable” button to disable the mod. Alternatively, you can also uninstall it by clicking the “Remove” button.

Change Taskbar Height and Size of Icons Using Registry

Note: This method only works in older Windows 11 versions (v22H2 and prior). If you are using the latest version, follow the first method instead.

To change the taskbar icon size and taskbar height, we need to create and modify a single registry value called “TaskbarSi”. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search and open “Registry Editor”.
3. Go to the following folder the Registry Editor. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. Right-click the “Advanced” folder.
5. Select the “New” > “DWORD Value” option.
6. Type “TaskbarSi” as the new value name.
7. Double-click the “TaskbarSi” value.
8. Set one of the below values in the “Value Data” field.
   • 0 — small taskbar and icon size
   • 1 — medium taskbar and icon size
   • 2 — large taskbar and icon size
9. Click the “OK” button.
10. Close the Registry Editor.
11. Restart the computer.
12. With that, you’ve changed the taskbar height and icon size.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu, search for “Registry Editor”, and click the “Open” option.

After opening the Registry Editor, go to the following folder in it. You can also paste the following path in the address bar at the top and press Enter.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Right-click the “Advanced” folder and select the “New” and then “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

Name the new value as “TaskbarSi” and press the Enter button.

After that, double-click the “TaskbarSi” value. Next, set one of the below values in the “Value Data” field and click “OK“. For instance, for a small taskbar, set the Value Data as “0”.

• 0 — Small size icons & slim taskbar
• 1 — Medium-size icons with medium-height taskbar (default).
• 2 — Big size icons with a large taskbar.

After setting the Value Data, close the Registry Editor and restart the computer. Once you do that, you should see the taskbar with the new height and icon size.

small taskbar icons

medium taskbar icons

large taskbar icons

To revert, either delete the “TaskbarSi” value or change its Value Data to “1.”

Wrapping Up — Changing Taskbar Height and Icon Size in Windows 11

To sum up, you can adjust the taskbar height and icon size in two ways. The first method uses the free Windhawk tool, which works on all Windows 11 systems and allows you to fine-tune the taskbar height, icon size, and spacing. The second method, a registry hack, is ideal for those who prefer not to use third-party tools. However, this method is limited to older versions of Windows 11 (v22H2 or earlier).

Each method has its pros and cons, so choose the one that best suits your needs.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to help.

Update: The tutorial is updated to include a new method that works on all Windows 11 systems and added a note to the registry method to highlight it’s compatibility limitation.

Related: How to move taskbar icons to the left side in Windows 11