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How to Make the Windows 11 Taskbar Smaller in Settings

Change the taskbar height and icon size in Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, troubleshoot a missing setting, and understand the limits of taskbar-locking policies.
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On supported Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 PCs, change the taskbar through Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors > Taskbar size. Choose Small to reduce both the taskbar’s height and its icons, or choose the standard size to restore the usual dimensions. Microsoft says the feature is rolling out gradually, so the control may not yet appear on every eligible device. Windows’ regular Settings interface does not provide a separate switch to disable future size changes.

Change the taskbar size in Settings

  1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
  2. Select Personalization, then Taskbar.
  3. Expand Taskbar behaviors if it is collapsed.
  4. Open Taskbar size.
  5. Select Small to reduce the taskbar height and icon size, or select the standard size to restore the usual dimensions.

Microsoft’s August 27, 2026 update notes for KB5120998 describe this option for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. The notes say that the smaller setting reduces both icons and taskbar height, while Start, Search, and the system tray remain accessible. Read Microsoft’s KB5120998 notes.

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What to do if Taskbar size is missing

First check that the PC is running Windows 11 version 24H2 or 25H2 and has received the relevant update. Microsoft describes the feature as a gradual rollout, so a compatible version alone does not guarantee that the setting has arrived on your device. Its May 2026 announcement covered an earlier Experimental-channel rollout; the later KB5120998 notes provide the current version guidance. See the earlier Insider announcement.

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Can you disable the ability to change the size?

For an ordinary user, Windows’ cited Settings documentation provides size choices, not a separate on/off control that prevents later changes. Administrators can consider Windows management policies, but the policies do not all do the same thing or apply to the same Windows releases.

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Older policy: Prevent users from resizing the taskbar

Microsoft documents the Group Policy path User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Prevent users from resizing the taskbar. Enabling it prevents users from resizing the taskbar. However, Microsoft’s policy description does not establish that this older, general resizing policy disables the newer Taskbar size setting. Do not assume it locks that specific control. Check Microsoft’s taskbar policy settings.

Size-specific policy: DisableTaskbarSize

Microsoft’s Start Policy CSP documents a setting named DisableTaskbarSize. A value of 1 sets the taskbar to the default size and grays out the size setting in Settings; 0 allows users to change the size; and 65535 leaves the policy unconfigured and permits user changes. Microsoft currently lists its applicability as Windows Insider Preview, so do not treat it as generally available on stable Windows 11 without checking for a newer applicability update. See Microsoft’s Start Policy CSP documentation.

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For organizational deployments, Microsoft says Group Policy can be used with Active Directory–joined or Microsoft Entra hybrid-joined devices; local Group Policy is also available on devices that are not domain-joined. Administrators should verify policy applicability against the device’s edition and build before deployment. Read Microsoft’s Group Policy overview.

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Do not confuse taskbar size with smaller taskbar buttons

An older option called Show smaller taskbar buttons was described as shrinking icons when the taskbar was full or keeping the icons smaller all the time. That is not the same as the newer Taskbar size control: Microsoft’s 2026 notes say the newer Small choice reduces the bar’s height as well as its icons. See Microsoft’s August 2025 Office Hours answer.

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