Make Windows 11 Taskbar Icons Smaller: Show More

If your Windows 11 taskbar feels crowded and you want to fit more icons or just prefer a more compact look, this guide shows you how to shrink the taskbar icons and enable the “small taskbar buttons” feature. This tweak also reduces the overall taskbar height, giving you more vertical screen space. You don’t need any third-party tools—everything is done through the built-in Windows settings and registry editor.

What You’ll Need

• A PC running Windows 11 (any recent version, including 22H2 and 23H2).
• Administrator access to your user account (you’ll need it for the registry edit).
• Optional: a backup of your registry before making changes (recommended for safety).

Step-by-Step

1. Open Windows Settings. Press Win + I on your keyboard, or click the Start button and select the gear icon.
2. Go to Personalization > Taskbar. In the left sidebar, click “Personalization,” then select “Taskbar” from the list.
3. Find “Taskbar behaviors.” Scroll down in the Taskbar settings page until you see the “Taskbar behaviors” section. Click it to expand.
4. Enable “Small taskbar buttons.” Look for the checkbox labeled “Small taskbar buttons.” Click it to turn it on. You’ll immediately see the taskbar icons shrink and the taskbar height reduce.
5. Optional: Adjust icon alignment. If you want even more space, you can also change the taskbar alignment from center to left. In the same “Taskbar behaviors” section, find the “Taskbar alignment” dropdown and select “Left.” This moves all icons to the left corner, freeing up the middle area for more pinned apps.
6. Close Settings. The change is applied instantly—no restart needed.

If you don’t see the “Small taskbar buttons” option (it’s missing in some early builds or if you’ve customized your taskbar), you can use the registry method below.

Registry Method (if the setting is missing)

1. Open Registry Editor. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click “Yes” if prompted by User Account Control.
2. Navigate to the Taskbar key. In the Registry Editor, paste this path into the address bar and press Enter:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. Create or modify the “TaskbarSmallIcons” value. Look for a DWORD value named TaskbarSmallIcons. If it doesn’t exist, right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it TaskbarSmallIcons.
4. Set the value to 1. Double-click the TaskbarSmallIcons value, set the “Value data” to 1, and click OK. (A value of 0 means normal size.)
5. Restart Explorer. To apply the change without restarting your PC, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find “Windows Explorer” in the list, right-click it, and choose “Restart.” Your taskbar will blink and then reappear with smaller icons.

Common Mistakes

• Looking for the setting in the wrong place. The “Small taskbar buttons” toggle is under “Taskbar behaviors,” not the main Taskbar page. Make sure you expand that section.
• Using the registry incorrectly. If you create the DWORD as a 64-bit value instead of 32-bit, it may not work. Always choose “DWORD (32-bit) Value”—even on 64-bit Windows.
• Not restarting Explorer after a registry edit. The change won’t take effect until Explorer restarts. If you skip this, nothing happens.
• Typing the registry path wrong. A single typo can lead to a non-existent key. Copy and paste the exact path to avoid errors.

Tips

• Combine with auto-hide. If you want maximum screen space, right-click the taskbar, select “Taskbar settings,” and toggle on “Automatically hide the taskbar.” It will slide away when not in use.
• Group taskbar buttons. In “Taskbar behaviors,” you can also set “Combine taskbar buttons” to “Always” to save even more space by merging multiple windows of the same app.
• Use keyboard shortcuts. With smaller icons, you can pin more apps and still switch quickly using Win + number keys (e.g., Win + 1 for the first icon).
• Restore easily. To revert, simply uncheck the “Small taskbar buttons” box or set the registry value back to 0.

Troubleshooting

I don’t see the “Small taskbar buttons” option. This can happen if you’re on an older Windows 11 build or if your taskbar is in a non-standard state. Try the registry method above—it works on all versions. Also, make sure you’re not in Tablet Mode (if your device supports it), as that can hide the option.

The icons are smaller, but the taskbar height didn’t change. That’s normal—the height reduction is subtle. If you want a truly thin taskbar, you’ll need third-party tools, but those are outside the scope of this guide.

After the registry edit, nothing changed. Double-check that you set the value to 1 and that you restarted Explorer. If it still doesn’t work, try signing out and back in, or restart your PC.

My taskbar disappeared after restarting Explorer. This is rare but can happen. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, click “File” > “Run new task,” type explorer.exe, and press Enter. That should bring it back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this affect the Start menu or system tray icons?

No, the “Small taskbar buttons” setting only affects the icons for pinned and running apps in the main taskbar area. The Start button, search box, and system tray (clock, volume, etc.) remain the same size.

Can I make the taskbar even smaller than this?

Not with built-in options. The small buttons setting is the minimum size Microsoft provides. For a truly ultra-thin taskbar, you’d need to use third-party customization tools, which we don’t cover here.

Does this work on Windows 10?

No, this guide is specifically for Windows 11. Windows 10 has a similar setting, but the steps differ slightly—you’d right-click the taskbar, select “Taskbar settings,” and toggle “Use small taskbar buttons.”

Will smaller icons affect touchscreens?

Yes, smaller icons are harder to tap accurately on a touchscreen. If you’re using a tablet or touch laptop, you might prefer keeping the default size for better usability.

Can I change the icon size back to normal later?

Absolutely. Just reverse the steps: uncheck “Small taskbar buttons” in Settings, or set the registry value back to 0 and restart Explorer.

Is the registry edit safe?

Yes, this is a standard, well-documented tweak. However, always back up your registry before making changes (File > Export in Registry Editor) to be safe, and only change the specific value mentioned.

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