Microsoft has not yet provided any option in the Windows 11 settings to change the size of the taskbar. However, the operation is still possible… by getting your hands dirty.
If you’re looking for a solution in Windows 11 settings to resize the taskbar size, you can stop right there: there is none. At least officially. Microsoft has not provided any menu or option in the settings of its operating system to change this setting.
However, it is possible to remedy this, provided you are ready to roll up your sleeves. By directly modifying a value in the Windows Registry Editor, it is possible to display the taskbar in three different sizes. Here’s how.
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1. Create a restore point
The Windows 11 Registry Editor being a tool as powerful as it is delicate to handle, it is preferable before any modification to create a restore point on your machine. Thus, in the event of a problem or malfunction, you can restore your PC to its last known functional configuration.
To create a restore point, use the keyboard shortcut Windows + R then, in the Run window that opens, type systempropertiesprotection.exe and validate by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard.
In the System Properties that appear, select the System Protection tab, then at the bottom of the window, click the Create button.
Choose a name for your restore point then click Create to start creating your restore point.
In the event of a problem, you will only have to return to the System Protection tab of the System Properties window to launch System Restore.
2. Open Registry Editor
To change the size of the taskbar, you need to modify certain Windows registry values. To open Registry Editor, use the keyboard shortcut Windows + R, then in the Run window, type Regedit in the field provided for this purpose and validate by clicking on OK or by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard.
3. Navigate to the correct directory
In the Registry Editor window that opens, place the mouse cursor in the address bar and paste the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvanced
4. Create a new key
In this Advanced directory, within the main window, right-click, then in New, choose to create a 32-bit DWORD Value.
A new value should then be created. name it TaskbarSi and validate by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard.
5. Change taskbar size
Then double-click on this value to open the editing window. It is within this window that you can determine the size of the Windows 11 taskbar, in the Value data field.
If you type 0, your taskbar will have the smallest size. If you type 1, it will be medium in size, and if you type 2, the taskbar will reach its maximum size.
Once you have entered the size value you want, click the OK button. You can now close Registry Editor.
6. Restart Windows Explorer
For your changes to take effect, you must restart Windows Explorer.
To do this, open the task manager using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc. In the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer, right click on it and choose Restart.
Windows Explorer, of which the taskbar is a part, should then restart and display the taskbar in its new size. Only drawback, this method is not officially supported by Microsoft, elements such as the clock and the date, displayed at the bottom right, are nibbled when the taskbar is in its smallest size.
Note that the operation is completely reversible. All you have to do is go back to step 5 and modify the value 0, 1 or 2 to change the size of the taskbar, the value 1 being the default size in Windows 11.