Systray mahem..

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Finally after harassing Microsoft for SO long they have added back in Personalization->Taskbar->Other System Tray Icons->Hidden Icon menu so I can turn off that damned ^ and stop it from hiding icons.

BUT... In the same breath they seem to have left a dead area on both sides of each icon in the Systray making the Systray icons take up extra space, I am beginning to wonder if they did this just to annoy us users who were complaining about the ^. In addition I use Start 11 from Stardock and have a custom texture in the background of my Taskbar which is now not working.. so Microsoft has fixed one thing and broken two.. Typical.

To this end and I will be very specific here because people have tended to mix these two definitions. The Taskbar icons are on the Left hand side ( or in the middle if you are running a Windows 11 standard Taskbar ) and the Systray icons are on the right hand side next to the time.

What I would like to know is - Does any one know how to decrease the distance between the Systray icons which now seem to have 8 to 10 pixels of dead space to the left and right of their icons when you hover over them.

Thanks in advance

Wisewiz · Mar 3, 2023

ViveTool does it. Closes the gaps nicely, but it also removes the new round-corner dark balloons-on-hover and puts back the lighter square-cornered ones.

JIC you need this help:

How to use ViVeTool on Windows 11

Learn how to use ViVeTool on Windows 11 to get instant access to new APIs or hidden features in Windows builds before their public release.

www.thewindowsclub.com

Releases · thebookisclosed/ViVe

C# library and console app for using new feature control APIs available in Windows 10 version 2004 and newer - thebookisclosed/ViVe

github.com

I put the ViveTool FOLDER on C:\ temporarily (while I'm using the tool) and then delete it from C:\ afterwards.

Command prompt (admin) commands:

cd [path to the FOLDER, obtained by right-clicking FOLDER and clicking Copy as Path]

vivetool /disable /id:26008830

That'll get 'er done after you reboot.

If you need any help with this fairly simple routine, just ask here.

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

I am assuming that this vivetool some how alters the registry if it a ROAR tool ( Run Once And Remove ), is that the case?

Have you tested it using Windows 11 Version 22H2 Build 22621.1344 ? I ask as apparently Microsoft has altered the way it does things.

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Wisewiz said:
ViveTool does it. Closes the gaps nicely, but it also removes the new round-corner dark balloons-on-hover and puts back the lighter square-cornered ones.

JIC you need this help:

How to use ViVeTool on Windows 11

Learn how to use ViVeTool on Windows 11 to get instant access to new APIs or hidden features in Windows builds before their public release.

www.thewindowsclub.com

Releases · thebookisclosed/ViVe

C# library and console app for using new feature control APIs available in Windows 10 version 2004 and newer - thebookisclosed/ViVe

github.com

I put the ViveTool FOLDER on C:\ temporarily (while I'm using the tool) and then delete it from C:\ afterwards.

Command prompt (admin) commands:

cd [path to the FOLDER, obtained by right-clicking FOLDER and clicking Copy as Path]

vivetool /disable /id:26008830

That'll get 'er done after you reboot.

If you need any help with this fairly simple routine, just ask here.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!! Turning on Taskbar overflow which is what this did is NOT the answer myself and others have spent almost a year trying to get rid of this "feature".

What is required is the same distance between icons as shows when Taskbar overflow is on but without Taskbar overflow being on. If you turn it on you will see there is no dead space between icons but you have the stupid ^, if you turn it off while the ^ is gone there is a huge amount of dead space between the systray icons.

What is needed is no ^ and no deadspace.

Wisewiz · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
I am assuming that this vivetool some how alters the registry if it a ROAR tool ( Run Once And Remove ), is that the case?

It is.

VaultDweller said:
Have you tested it using Windows 11 Version 22H2 Build 22621.1344 ? I ask as apparently Microsoft has altered the way it does things.

I have. Go back to

KB5022913 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Build 22621.1344 (22H2)

UPDATE 3/14: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/kb5023706-cumulative-update-for-windows-11-build-22621-1413-22h2.13395/ Microsoft Support: February 28, 2023 - KB5022913 (OS Build 22621.1344) Preview For information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the types of Windows updates...

www.elevenforum.com

and see, especially, posts #36, 83, and 131-132.

Wisewiz · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!! Turning on Taskbar overflow which is what this did is NOT the answer myself and others have spent almost a year trying to get rid of this "feature".

What is required is the same distance between icons as shows when Taskbar overflow is on but without Taskbar overflow being on. If you turn it on you will see there is no dead space between icons but you have the stupid ^, if you turn it off while the ^ is gone there is a huge amount of dead space between the systray icons.

What is needed is no ^ and no deadspace.

Just use enable where you used disable before, and it will revert. Best I can do. (What you seek may be impossible.)

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Wisewiz said:
Just use enable where you used disable before, and it will revert. Best I can do. (What you seek may be impossible.)

I did and it reverts back to having dead space.

Wisewiz · Mar 3, 2023

Maybe I should add here that I have no new knowledge of your ^ vs. non-^ problem, because I have gone into Other system tray icons and pushed every slider there to ON, and as a result, I almost never see the ^. When it does pop up, I slide the icon (the one it's indicating as hidden) down to the tray to get rid of the ^. I have Malwarebytes, Defender, and my keyboard app there normally, along with the network icon and the sound icon. They are more spread out in the latest update than pre-update, and I've left them spread out because if I use Vivetool to close them up, I lose the new hover-balloons, which I like better than the ugly off-white squares I had pre-update. You win some; you lose some.

Ghot · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
I did and it reverts back to having dead space.

Microsoft is trying to make Taskbar icons... easier for tablet and phone people.
So they spread them out a bit, so people wouldn't accidentally hit two of them at once, with their fat fingers.
I think you're pretty much stuck with the spacing.

IF you make the Taskbar fatter (taller)... the icons (which are now fatter also), will "look" closer together.
I see that one of your monitors is 27". You should be able to handle a fatter Taskbar.

Change Size of Taskbar Icons in Windows 11 Tutorial

Changing the size of the taskbar icons no longer works starting with Windows 11 build 22621.1343. If you wanted to make the taskbar icons larger, you can still increase the DPI scaling level to do so. It will also make everything appear larger though. The taskbar in Windows 11 shows the Start...

www.elevenforum.com

The following, is what the batch files in the tutorial will do...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
On the right side create a new 32 bit Dword called: TaskbarSi

The double click TaskbarSi and set it to 0, 1 or 2

small icons = 0
medium icons = 1
large icons = 2

You may have to Reboot or restart Explorer... to apply the changes, made to the registry.

When you increase the icon size, the whole Taskbar will get taller as well.
The bigger the icon size... the less space between them (at least in appearance).
The "actual" space between the "center" of each icon will be the same.
They will just "look" closer together, the bigger they are.

Wisewiz · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
I did and it reverts back to having dead space.

"Dead space" is an aspect of the update. When you said you hated that, I gave you one possible way to eliminate that space while keeping the rest of the update. I wasn't aware at that point that the ^ was a big thing to you (as it is to me), and my disabling the dead space and re-enabling the dead space had no visible effect on the ^ for me, since I have only five permanent icons in my tray.

TVeblen · Mar 3, 2023

Ghot said:
Microsoft is trying to make Taskbar icons... easier for tablet and phone people.

Grrrrrrrrrr.
Freakin' phone and tablet people! Again!

Ghot · Mar 3, 2023

TVeblen said:
Grrrrrrrrrr.
Freakin' phone and tablet people! Again!

And they're breeding like rabbits !!!
I blame Instagram filters.

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Ghot said:
Microsoft is trying to make Taskbar icons... easier for tablet and phone people.
So they spread them out a bit, so people wouldn't accidentally hit two of them at once, with their fat fingers.
I think you're pretty much stuck with the spacing.

IF you make the Taskbar fatter (taller)... the icons (which are now fatter also), will "look" closer together.
I see that one of your monitors is 27". You should be able to handle a fatter Taskbar.

Change Size of Taskbar Icons in Windows 11 Tutorial

Changing the size of the taskbar icons no longer works starting with Windows 11 build 22621.1343. If you wanted to make the taskbar icons larger, you can still increase the DPI scaling level to do so. It will also make everything appear larger though. The taskbar in Windows 11 shows the Start...

www.elevenforum.com

The following, is what the batch files in the tutorial will do...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
On the right side create a new 32 bit Dword called: TaskbarSi

The double click TaskbarSi and set it to 0, 1 or 2

small icons = 0
medium icons = 1
large icons = 2

You may have to Reboot or restart Explorer... to apply the changes, made to the registry.

When you increase the icon size, the whole Taskbar will get taller as well.
The bigger the icon size... the less space between them (at least in appearance).
The "actual" space between the "center" of each icon will be the same.
They will just "look" closer together, the bigger they are.

Here is the thing from my perspective though if you enable task bar overflow the deadspace between icons goes away but you are stuck with that ^ if you turn it off the dead space is back, the very fact that the dead space is not there when you turn on task bar overflow shows that windows CAN do this WITHOUT task bar overflow being on, so we either fix it or force Mickymouse soft to add the option to turn off the deadspace.

Ghot · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
Here is the thing from my perspective though if you enable task bar overflow the deadspace between icons goes away but you are stuck with that ^ if you turn it off the dead space is back, the very fact that the dead space is not there when you turn on task bar overflow shows that windows CAN do this WITHOUT task bar overflow being on, so we either fix it or force Mickymouse soft to add the option to turn off the deadspace.

"^" ...is Taskbar overflow.
Me... I like Taskbar overflow.
I put things in there that I don't want to see in my System Tray all the time, but that I want to keep handy.

And I wouldn't hold my breath while trying to force MS to change things.

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Ghot said:
"^" ...is Taskbar overflow.
Me... I like Taskbar overflow.
I put things in there that I don't want to see in my System Tray all the time, but that I want to keep handy.

And I wouldn't hold my breath while trying to force MS to change things.

View attachment 54209

They already have by giving us the ability back to turn taskbar overflow off from within Personalisation->Taskbar->Other system tray icons->Hidden icon menu->On/Off, they just didn't go far enough and could very easily do what I have asked for by having one more option. Include deadspace for tablet users Yes/No... How hard is that?
If you like taskbar overflow then good for you personally I find it a pain in the @ss as it always manages to hide the one icon I need forcing me to do two clicks when one would do. I drag that one icon out which I am told should ensure that it stays out of the area where it gets hidden but it does NOT and the next time I reboot it goes back to being hidden again.
In addition ( and note I have not checked this recently ) any program that receives updates and sits on the systray I.E nVidia GeForce Experience amongst others ends up with multiple copies in the taskbar overflow list. The last time I went through and cleaned up all the replicated copies of programs that update themselves there, there were 26 entries which forced me to run a script to clean them all up so I had one entry per item and then go through and unhide them again. It is a PAIN.
If Microsoft wants to have options for tablet users I don't have a problem with that but they should be selectable through some sort of UI not forced down the throats of desktop users.

Ghot · Mar 3, 2023

VaultDweller said:
They already have by giving us the ability back to turn taskbar overflow off from within Personalisation->Taskbar->Other system tray icons->Hidden icon menu->On/Off, they just didn't go far enough and could very easily do what I have asked for by having one more option. Include deadspace for tablet users Yes/No... How hard is that?
If you like taskbar overflow then good for you personally I find it a pain in the @ss as it always manages to hide the one icon I need forcing me to do two clicks when one would do. I drag that one icon out which I am told should ensure that it stays out of the area where it gets hidden but it does NOT and the next time I reboot it goes back to being hidden again.
In addition ( and note I have not checked this recently ) any program that receives updates and sits on the systray I.E nVidia GeForce Experience amongst others ends up with multiple copies in the taskbar overflow list. The last time I went through and cleaned up all the replicated copies of programs that update themselves there, there were 26 entries which forced me to run a script to clean them all up so I had one entry per item and then go through and unhide them again. It is a PAIN.
If Microsoft wants to have options for tablet users I don't have a problem with that but they should be selectable through some sort of UI not forced down the throats of desktop users.

I agree, but Microsoft is bigger than I am.

VaultDweller · Mar 3, 2023

Ghot said:
I agree, but Microsoft is bigger than I am.

Doesn't mean that you can't fight the power.. sometimes you can actually get results.

tbmljk · Mar 4, 2023

I also hate the carrot overflow as well as the new padding around the updated Win 11 tray icons. I solved it by using Explorer patcher, set to use the windows 10 taskbar, set to show all icons. With the windows 10 taskbar the program PS tray factory will also work as well for further tray customization