How to the Change Size of Taskbar Icons in Windows 11

What’s New?

Windows 11 now lets your taskbar automatically resize icons to fit more apps when needed, giving you more space when you’re running many programs.

• When taskbar is full (default): Icons get smaller only when there’s no more space.
• Never: Icons stay the original size no matter what.
• Always: Icons are small all the time.

How to Change Taskbar Icon Size Using Settings

You can easily change your taskbar icon size in Windows 11 using the Settings app by adjusting the ‘Show smaller taskbar buttons’ option.

1. ⚙️ Open Settings by pressing Win + I on your keyboard.
2. Click on Personalization on the left side, then select Taskbar on the right.
3. Scroll down and click Taskbar behaviors to expand it.
4. Find the drop-down menu labeled Show smaller taskbar buttons. Choose one of these:

   • Always – icons stay small all the time.
   • Never – icons stay the original size.
   • When taskbar is full – icons shrink only when taskbar runs out of space.
5. Close Settings. Your changes will apply right away.

Open Taskbar Settings directly

Change Taskbar Icon Size Using the Registry (Advanced)

For advanced users, you can change the taskbar icon size in Windows 11 by editing the Registry, which allows you to set icons to always be smaller.

This method lets you set the icon size by adding a small code change:

Always show smaller icons:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v IconSizePreference /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Never show smaller icons:

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v IconSizePreference /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Show smaller icons only when taskbar is full (default):

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" /v IconSizePreference /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f

How to edit the Registry manually:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. Find IconSizePreference on the right. If it doesn’t exist, right-click and create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value with that name.
4. Double-click IconSizePreference and set the value to:

   • 0 for always small
   • 1 for never small
   • 2 for small only when full
5. Click OK and close Registry Editor.
6. Sign out and back in, or 🔄 restart your PC to see the changes.

Manually editing the Registry in Windows 11 to change taskbar icon size involves opening the Registry Editor and setting the ‘IconSizePreference’ value to 0 for smaller icons.

Change Taskbar Icon Size for All or Specific Users (Using Local Group Policy Editor)

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education users can change the taskbar icon size for all or specific users using the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor:

   • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. To apply for all users: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > ⊞ Start Menu and Taskbar
3. To apply for specific users: Go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > ⊞ Start Menu and Taskbar
4. In the right pane, double-click Configure Taskbar Small Button Behavior.
5. Choose one of the following:

   • Not Configured: lets users choose their own size (default).
   • Enabled: then pick “Always”, “Never”, or “When taskbar is full” from the dropdown.
6. Click OK.
7. 🔄 Restart your PC or sign out and sign back in to apply changes.

Summary

In Windows 11, you can change your taskbar icon size using Settings for simplicity, or the Registry and Group Policy for more advanced control, with options to keep icons normal, always small, or small when the taskbar is crowded.

• You have choices: Use Settings for simple changes, or Registry/Group Policy for advanced control.
• Flexible options: Keep icons normal size, always small, or only small when 🖥️ the taskbar is crowded.
• User-friendly: Easy to do with just a few clicks in Settings.
• Save screen space: Smaller icons help fit more apps on 🖥️ your taskbar.
• Customize your PC: Make your Windows 11 look and work the way you like.

Enjoy your personalized taskbar!