Choosing an Icon Size for the Taskbar

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated June 17, 2019)

It's possible to customize the size of the icons on the taskbar. You may want large icons if you have difficulty seeing them clearly. Or, if you have a lot of icons on the taskbar, you may want small ones so that they all fit nicely. In either case, you can easily change the icon size by right clicking an open space on the taskbar and selecting the Properties option from the resulting Context menu. Windows then displays the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box. (In Windows 8 it is the Taskbar and Navigation Properties dialog box.) (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Changing your icons' size on the taskbar.

Depending on your version of Windows, you may see a checkbox entitled Use Small Icons or one entitled Use Small Taskbar Buttons. Regardless of the wording, choosing this option significantly reduces the size of the icons on the taskbar. This change occurs as soon as you click OK or Apply. Similarly, if there is already a checkmark in that checkbox, clicking it to remove the checkmark will cause your tiny icons to be enlarged.

The steps to changing the size of the icons on the taskbar is somewhat different in Windows 10. Follow these steps:

  1. Type "Taskbar Settings" (without the quotes) in the Search box to the left of the Taskbar and press Enter. Windows displays the Taskbar section of the Settings dialog box. (See Figure 2.)

    2. Figure 2. The Taskbar section of the Settings dialog box.

  2. Click the Use Small Taskbar Buttons On or Off link. The size of the icons on the Taskbar changes immediately.
  3. Close the Settings dialog box.

 This tip (3584) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

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