Microsoft is bringing smaller taskbar icons to Windows 11

Microsoft has been making quite a few changes to the Windows 11 taskbar, but there’s still room for improvement. Despite the big Windows 11 2024 Update that just dropped and all the nifty features and improvements in that update, Microsoft is already looking ahead to the next update and what that one is going to bring.

As noticed by Twitter user @phantomofearth and reported by Windows Latest, an upcoming version of Windows 11 that’s currently only available to Insiders on the Beta Channel shows that it’ll be possible to change the size of taskbar items.

In the latest Beta version of Windows 11, there’s a new toggle in the Taskbar section of Windows Settings that lets you Show smaller taskbar buttons with options for Always, Never, and When taskbar is full. (As of this writing, the setting isn’t fully working as intended.)

This particular option was already in Windows 10 but was removed for unknown reasons when Windows 11 launched. It’s a great way to reclaim just a bit more screen real estate, so a welcome change.

If you aren’t a Windows Insider, you can expect this feature to release to the general public some time in November or December.

Further reading: Is the Windows Insider Program worth joining?