: Scroll down and click on Taskbar behaviors to expand the section.
In previous iterations of Windows, specifically Windows 10, the "Use small taskbar buttons" option was a staple feature in the settings menu. This simple toggle allowed users to shrink the height of the taskbar, effectively doubling the amount of visible vertical space for open applications. For users who work with dozens of open windows, this feature was essential for organization. Windows 11, however, launched with a taskbar that was permanently "large." The icons were sized for touch inputs and aesthetic uniformity, prioritizing a clean look over information density. For a user with a standard 1080p monitor, the expanded taskbar consumed a noticeable chunk of vertical pixels—space that could otherwise display lines of code, paragraphs of text, or timelines in video editing software. windows 11 small taskbar icons
Would you like a script to toggle small/medium/large icons with one click? : Scroll down and click on Taskbar behaviors
If you find that the icons and the taskbar itself are too large for your display, you can adjust the overall scaling of your system. This will shrink everything on your screen, including the taskbar. Go to . Under Scale & layout , look for the Scale dropdown menu. For users who work with dozens of open
| Feature | Small Icons Status | |---------|--------------------| | Taskbar height | ✅ Reduced | | Icon size | ✅ Reduced | | Clock font | ✅ Smaller | | System tray spacing | ✅ Reduced | | Show labels (never combine) | ❌ Not available | | Drag & drop to taskbar | ❌ Removed by Microsoft | | Full context menu | ❌ Limited |