How to Use Small Icons on the Windows 11 and Windows 10 Taskbar and Desktop

The default Windows taskbar and desktop icons are large and if you’d rather reclaim that screen space, both are easy to shrink. Here’s how to do it in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Small Taskbar Icons in Windows 11: What You Need to Know

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 does not include a built-in option to use smaller taskbar icons. Microsoft redesigned the taskbar in Windows 11 and removed the small taskbar buttons toggle that existed in Windows 10. Navigating to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors will show options for taskbar alignment and auto-hide, but there is no “Show smaller taskbar buttons” control.

That said, there are a few legitimate ways to make your Windows 11 taskbar feel less crowded:

Option 1: Adjust Display Scaling

Lowering your display scaling percentage will make the taskbar and its icons appear smaller alongside everything else on screen.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to System > Display.
3. Under Scale & layout, lower the Scale percentage (e.g., from 125% to 100%).

Note: Reducing scaling affects your entire display — text, apps, and UI elements will all appear smaller, not just the taskbar.

Option 2: Reduce visual clutter via Taskbar behaviors

While Windows 11’s Taskbar behaviors section doesn’t offer a dedicated icon-size toggle, it does include a few settings that can make the taskbar feel less crowded:

• Taskbar alignment: Set to Left to move icons to the left side of the taskbar, which can feel more spacious depending on how many items you have pinned.
• Automatically hide the taskbar: Hides the taskbar when not in use, freeing up screen space entirely.
• Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels (where available on your build): Collapses open windows into icon-only buttons, reducing horizontal clutter.

To access these options, press Windows + I, go to Personalization > Taskbar, and expand Taskbar behaviors.

Option 3: Use a third-party customization tool

Tools like StartAllBack or Start11 can restore a more Windows 10-style taskbar with smaller icon support. These are reputable, widely used utilities, but keep in mind:

• Third-party tools may break after major Windows updates.
• They modify system UI components, so use them only if you’re comfortable with that trade-off.
• Always download from the official developer’s website.

Bottom line: If you need smaller taskbar icons on Windows 11 without third-party tools, adjusting display scaling is currently the only built-in option. Native small taskbar icon support is not available in current Windows 11 builds.

How to Use Small Icons on the Windows 10 Taskbar

Enable small taskbar buttons in Windows 10

1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Taskbar settings.

2. Under the Taskbar section, toggle Use small taskbar buttons to On.

The taskbar shrinks immediately. Toggle it back off any time to return to the default size.

How to Reduce Desktop Icon Size in Windows 11 and 10

Desktop icon size is controlled the same way in both Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Method 1: Right-click the desktop

1. Right-click an empty area of the desktop.
2. Hover over View.
3. Select Small icons, Medium icons, or Large icons.

Small icons fits the most items on the desktop and keeps your wallpaper visible. Large icons can be useful if you have display scaling set low or have accessibility needs.

Method 2: Scroll to resize (mouse with scroll wheel)

This gives you far more granular control than the three preset sizes.

1. Click any desktop icon once to focus the desktop.
2. Hold Ctrl and scroll your mouse wheel up to make icons larger, or down to make them smaller.

You can land on any size between the standard presets, useful if the default “Small” is still a touch too big or “Medium” isn’t quite large enough.

Troubleshooting: Icons jumping size unexpectedly

On Windows 10: If your taskbar icons seem to flip between sizes, check the Use small taskbar buttons toggle in Taskbar settings. This setting is a simple on/off switch — it does not change automatically — so if icons are changing size unexpectedly, something else is likely at play, such as a display scaling change or a system update resetting preferences.

On Windows 11: Since there is no built-in small taskbar icon toggle, unexpected icon size changes are most commonly caused by a change in display scaling, the taskbar auto-hide setting toggling on or off, or a third-party customization tool applying or reverting changes after a Windows update. Check Settings > System > Display to confirm your scale setting hasn’t changed, and review any taskbar customization tools you have installed.

If desktop icons look wrong or appear blank after resizing, rebuild the icon cache: open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart. That clears any display artifacts immediately.

Wrapping Up

On Windows 10, toggling Use small taskbar buttons on is the quickest way to shrink your taskbar icons. On Windows 11, there’s no equivalent built-in option, so your best native workaround is adjusting display scaling, or using a reputable third-party tool if you need full taskbar customization.

For desktop icons on either OS, the Ctrl + scroll wheel trick gives you the most control without locking you into one of the three preset sizes. If you’re looking to further customize your Windows 11 experience, check out 9 new Windows 11 features you may have missed or explore the best Windows 11 Start Menu alternatives to keep optimizing your workflow.

You can also hide or remove Copilot from the Windows 11 taskbar to free up even more taskbar space, or learn how to remove text from icons on the Windows taskbar for a cleaner look.