How To Make Your Screen Smaller On Windows

Role of the appeal of Windows is that yous can apply various customization layers to fit your preferred way of handling productivity tasks. Microsoft knows what its user base wants, so they've been introducing subtle merely noticeable changes to the chore menu, widgets window, search field, and UI options.

If you recollect nigh information technology, you're going to spend a lot of fourth dimension be looking at the icons on your computer a lot, so you need to be comfortable with how big (or how small) they are.

The size of the icons on your computer needs to exist just right – they shouldn't be so big that they accept up an unnecessarily large amount of space, and they shouldn't exist then small-scale that you lot have to squint to make out the icons on your screen or have trouble borer on them while using a impact screen.

Well, Microsoft did things differently with their upcoming new OS (Windows 11) since it has no UI carte du jour pick assuasive yous to resize the taskbar (but you still can do it using a quick & piece of cake registry modification).

Thankfully, though, if you lot're still using the latest stable Os iteration, Windows 10 gives full control over the size of icons to its users – you lot freely and seamlessly make all of the icons you see on your computer smaller – You tin decrease the size of not only the icons on your Desktop but also the ones located in yourTaskbar and all of the icons inside whatever given binder on your reckoner.

To make matters easier for you, we've put together a series of guides that volition show yous how to change the size of the taskbar icons regardless if you lot're nonetheless on Windows x or y'all take already migrated to the newer version (Windows xi).

Here'south how you lot tin make the taskbar, desktop and File Explorer icons appear larger or smaller (depending on your preferences) on Windows 10 and Windows 11:

Modify the Size of Windows 11 icons

Desktop icons

Like to Windows 10, you can conform the desktop icon size on Windows xi by correct-clicking anywhere on your desktop and accessing the View option cluster.

Accessing the View option cluster
From the View context menu that just appeared, become ahead and select from the 3 available options: Large icons, Medium icons and Pocket-sized icons.

Select an icon size for your desktop icons on Windows 11
As soon as you select a different desktop icon size, the changes volition be enforced instantly, and so there'south no need to restart your Windows 11 PC.

Taskbar Icons

Since there's no native option of changing the taskbar icon size on Windows 11 (as of now), you will accept to use a registry tweak to become the job done.

To do so, follow the instructions below:

Printing Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Inside the text box, type 'regedit' and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Registry Editor with Admin access.

Open Registry Editor on Windows 11 via Run box

Note: When you see the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, click Yes to grant authoritative privileges to the Registry Editor plan.
Once you're inside the RegistryEditor, utilise the left-hand side to navigate to the following location:
```
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
```
Note:Yous can either navigate to this path manually or yous tin can paste the location straight into the navigation bar at the top and press Enter to become there instantly.
Once you lot're inside the correct location and yous're sure that the Advanced fundamental is selected, motion over to the correct-hand side carte, right-click on an empty space and choose New > Dword (32-bit) Value.

Creating a new DWORD value
In one case the resulting Dword key is created, correct-click on it and rename it to TaskbarSI.

Renaming the TaskbarSI value
Once the newly created DWORD value is modified with the correct name, double-click on it.

Next, fix the Base to Hexadecimal, then set the Value Data field to one of these 3 values, depending on the taskbar size that y'all want:

Small Size -                  0                  Medium Size (Default) -                    1                  Larger Size -                  2

After you finally set the Value Information to the appropriate value (according to the icon size that you lot want), click Ok to save the changes.
Reboot your computer and await for the modify to exist enforced once the side by side startup is complete.

Note: If yous're not happy with the change you made, you tin can always retrace the steps above and set up the value of TaskbarSI to a different one to adjust the size until you get it right.

File Explorer icons

Open File Explorer and employ the ribbon at the top to click on theLayout and view optionsicon.

Accessing the Layout and View options icon
Next, from the list of bachelor options, select from the four different icon sizes for File Explorer: Extra Large Icons, Large icons, Medium icons and Small Icons.

Choosing the right icon size for File Explorer on Windows 11

Note: As soon every bit you lot select a different icon size for File Explorer on Windows eleven, the changes will be instantaneous, so in that location'southward no need to restart your reckoner.

Change the Size of Windows 10 icons

Desktop icons

Navigate to yourDesktop. Correct-click in infinite on your Desktop.
Hover over theViewoption in the resulting context menu.

Click View in the menu
Select how small yous want theDesktopicons to be – if theLarge icons option was selected, select theMedium iconsoption and if that's all the same too big, become for theModest iconsoption.

Select your View Options

Experience with the different Desktopicon size options Windows 10 has to offering varies from ane user to the other, especially depending on the screen resolution of the user in question. Information technology is worth noting that changing the size of theDesktopicons on a Windows ten reckoner changes but that and cipher else.

Taskbar icons

Navigate to yourDesktop. Correct-click in a infinite on yourDesktop.
Click onBrandish Settingsin the resulting context menu.

Open Display Settings
Motility the slider under theModify the size of text, apps, and other items option to100%,125%,150% or175%, any value is lower than the already selected one.

Accommodate the slider to change the size of text, apps, and other items option

Note: IfTaskbaricons on the new value are withal too large, simply switch to a value that is fifty-fifty lower than that i.
Click onUtilise.
If Windows asks you lot if you'd similar to proceed the changes, confirm the action.
If Windows asks you to log out and and then dorsum in so that it may be able to provide you with a more consistent experience, log out and then back into Windows.
Also, you lot can utilise another approach to resize the Taskbar icons on Windows 10, to do so, right-click on your Taskbar and and then click on "Taskbar Settings".

Open Taskbar Settings
In the left pane of the window, find "Employ Small Buttons" and toggle its switch to on position.

Enable "Apply Small Buttons Selection"

You should know that decreasing the size ofTaskbaricons on Windows 10 volition also decrease the size of the text in apps like Microsoft Edge and Calendar, as well as text in notification windows.

Icons in File Explorer

The other remaining area of Windows x where y'all see icons is theFile Explorer.

In File Explorer, yous can command the size of icons (and even how they are displayed to you) by just pressing theCtrlkey and with information technology still held, scrolling downwards on your mouse's ringlet cycle. As you lot scroll down on your mouse'southward ringlet wheel, the icon size and display settings go fromBig iconstoMedium iconstoSmall iconstoListtoDetailstoTilesand toContent.

Annotation: You lot can decide not only how small the icons in the File Explorerare but also how they are displayed and if any other information is displayed with them.

However, you should annotation that icon size and brandish mode inFile Exploreris a folder-specific setting – while Windows will recollect your icon size and display manner settings for a specific folder, those settings will merely be applied to that specific folder, non to its parent folder, non to its child folders, and not to whatever other folders inFile Explorer. This means that you are going to have to suit icon size for different folders in File Explorer individually.