How to hack the Registry File to change the size of the Windows 11 taskbar

Normally, Microsoft does not allow users to modify the relative size of the Windows 11 taskbar. But with a hack of the Registry File, we can make that possible.

While Microsoft Windows 11 is full of ways to customize and personalize your overall user experience, there are still more than a few obvious exceptions that cannot be readily modified. One of these is the size of the Windows 11 taskbar. Whether your screen resolution is 4K or VGA, the relative size of the taskbar is constant.

However, with a tweak of the Windows 11 Registry File, users can adjust the size of the taskbar to be relatively smaller or larger based on their current display needs. This how-to tutorial shows you how to add the Registry File key necessary to make this possible.

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Change the size of the Windows 11 taskbar

Disclaimer: Editing the Windows Registry file is a serious undertaking. A corrupted Windows Registry file could render your computer inoperable, requiring a reinstallation of the Windows operating system and potential loss of data. Back up the Windows Registry file and create a valid restore point before you proceed.

To make our edits in the Windows 11 Registry File, we will type “regedit” into the Windows 11 search tool. From the results, choose the Regedit app and then use the left-hand window to navigate to this key, as shown in Figure A.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\

Figure A

Right-click the “Advanced” key and select New | DWORD (32-bit) Value and give the new key the name “TaskbarSI”, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

Now, double-click the TaskbarSI key you just created and change the Value data to either a “0” (zero) to make the taskbar smaller or a “2” to make the taskbar larger, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C

Click the OK button when you are finished, close the Regedit app, and then restart your Windows 11 PC. When the computer restarts, the taskbar should be larger or smaller than normal.

To restore the Windows 11 taskbar to its original size, you have two options. You can either change the Value data setting of the TaskbarSI key to “1” or you can elect to delete the TaskbarSI key altogether. The result of either option is to return the Windows 11 taskbar to its default size.