The "TaskbarSi" trick doesn't work.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 4, 2024

Hi,

I wanted to make my taskbar thinner and I've found online this trick of creating the registry voice TaskbarSi and setting it to 0.
But in my case it doesn't change anything. I set it at 0, 1 or 2 and the taskbar is always the same.
I've set the TaskbarSmallIcons and TaskbarSizeMove at 1 and yet no difference.
I've cheched in gpedit if the "prevent" and "lock" options for the taskbar are interfering but they were all in "Not configured". I've disabled them just in case to see if this would force enabling taskbar changes but it did not.
What could be happening?
Are there maybe other settings in gpedit that could prevent the taskbar from being resized?
Or what else?

Thanks!

antspants · Aug 4, 2024

I don’t know what I did with that link. Will try fix, I’ve lost it

glasskuter · Aug 4, 2024

@antspants Check your link. It's not the direct link to the thread.

antspants · Aug 4, 2024

Yeah I noticed that and removed my comment. Thank you

It was a link to vivetool but doesn’t immediately address the members issue.

Patch KB5022913 from last year, broke the process that the member mentions.
Perhaps the more recent updates in StartAllBack may have incorporated a new way.

I use Start11. Not only can I resize the taskbar, I can also make it float, give it adjustable rounded corners and reattach when a full screen program is open. I can also attach folders that will act as menus.
But that involves paying for Start11

antspants · Aug 4, 2024

There is also Windhawk. (free open source I believe)
Note the first mod:

Windhawk

The customization marketplace for Windows and programs. Customize your programs with available code snippets or create your own customizations.

windhawk.net

The thing is, it has to be running in the background all the time, from what I gather, to achieve this, but so does SAB and Start11.

Windhawk Taskbar height and icon size

Control the taskbar height and icon size. Make the taskbar icons large and crisp, or small and compact.

By default, the Windows 11 taskbar shows taskbar icons with the 24x24 size. Since icons in Windows are either 16x16 or 32x32, the 24x24 icons are downscaled versions of the 32x32 variants, which makes them blurry. This mod allows to change the size of icons, and so the original quality icons can be used, as well as any other icon size.

Icon size: 24x24, taskbar height: 48 (Windows 11 default)

Icon size: 32x32, taskbar height: 52

Icon size: 16x16, taskbar height: 34

Windhawk

The customization marketplace for Windows and programs. Customize your programs with available code snippets or create your own customizations.

windhawk.net

antspants · Aug 4, 2024

If you look at the mods on the Windhawk mods page online and click on “details” for each mod, you can view the source code for the mod.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 5, 2024

antspants said:
If you look at the mods on the Windhawk mods page online and click on “details” for each mod, you can view the source code for the mod.

Ooook, so, first of all thanks for the answer :)
Now, did I understand correctly that there is no way to customize the dimension and/or position of the taskbar without a third party software which must be running all the time in the background?
Or, when you say "you can view the source code" you mean that I could use that code in cmd to achieve the same effect without software?

I really am not into background programs, specially not for something like that.
For now I ended enabling the "hide automatically", which faffs me off a bit (I never liked it, ever, and I use Windows since '95). And of course there's no way to customize how fast in milliseconds the taskbar should hide and reappear...
WHY does Windows constantly try to imitate the stubborn non-customizable style of Apple?
I swear, Google and Microsoft have the worst UX designers ever.

antspants · Aug 5, 2024

Hi.

I believe in Feb last year, Patch KB5022913 broke the ability to use the TaskbarSi hack (Google Patch KB5022913 broke TaskbarSi)

Since then, Microsoft has been limiting and even disallowing certain Apps from even installing to manipulate the taskbar. Going as far as denying build updates for Windows. As well as preventing the .executable's from installing softwares. StartAllBack being one (since been corrected):

Microsoft is blocking Windows 11 build upgrades on systems with StartAllBack

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-is-blocking-windows-11-build-upgrades-on-systems-with-startallback/

www.elevenforum.com

I couldn't tell you if there is an alternative way without using a 3rd party application. I have not seen one mentioned in here.
As for the source code of the hacks in Windhawk, It would depend on your expertise I would suppose. For instance, click on Source Code here:

Taskbar height and icon size - Windhawk

Control the taskbar height and icon size, improve icon quality (Windows 11 only)

windhawk.net

If you can make sense of that (I certainly can't) then you're off to a good start. But at a guess, next update might undo it.

I would guess Windhawk (and possibly StartAllBack) create a very small footprint. It would depend on how important it is to you, I would assume.
Having said that, there seems to be a lot of great workarounds in Windhawk.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 5, 2024

And so, Windhawk is opensource and, I suppose, certified safe to use?

antspants · Aug 5, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
And so, Windhawk is opensource and, I suppose, certified safe to use?

One way to think about Open Source, is that if there was anything malicious, it would be widely mentioned. BUT... As I mentioned, I know nothing about it.
I'll have a quick look around.

antspants · Aug 5, 2024

I can't see anything mentioned to say it is bad. It is still on the Github site and I assume they'd remove it if it was malicious.

The download size is 10Mb. perhaps mods are downloaded as that seems very small.

There is a discussion here with recent but limited activity:

ramensoftware windhawk · Discussions

Explore the GitHub Discussions forum for ramensoftware windhawk. Discuss code, ask questions & collaborate with the developer community.

github.com

There is also a "Mod" discussion page here:

ramensoftware windhawk-mods · Discussions

Explore the GitHub Discussions forum for ramensoftware windhawk-mods. Discuss code, ask questions & collaborate with the developer community.

github.com

One thing I will note: Windows Updates may of caused issue with the taskbar hack in Windhawk also. The largest thread in the Mod link is the taskbar issue.
I don't have time to read it, sorry. Perhaps go to the most recent post and read backwards?

Taskbar height and size icon not OK... with the new windows update... · ramensoftware/windhawk-mods · Discussion #424

Hello ! What happens ? The size in parameters are OK, but the size is medium not large... In the past he worked... Windows Build/Version Win 11 Home 23H2 22631.2861

github.com

antspants · Aug 5, 2024

Alternatively, I think StartAllBack still allows the taskbar resizing, @Edwin?

Edwin · Aug 5, 2024

antspants said:
Alternatively, I think StartAllBack still allows the taskbar resizing, @Edwin?

Yes.

antspants · Aug 5, 2024

StartAllBack is way way less expensive that Start11

What about ExplorerPatcher? Which is Opensource and free.

Edwin · Aug 5, 2024

DesignHeaad9206 said:
I really am not into background programs,

I'd rather have a 3rd party app do it's thing once, silently in the background than have MS's 67 Runtime Brokers chugging away in the background!

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

antspants said:
One thing I will note: Windows Updates may of caused issue with the taskbar hack in Windhawk also. The largest thread in the Mod link is the taskbar issue.
I don't have time to read it, sorry. Perhaps go to the most recent post and read backwards?

The last message says it's all fine now. I downloaded it and I will try, thanks :)
I also downloaded the other ones that you mentioned. If I like one of the two paid ones better, it's not a big deal paying that little amount of money to have things that I use DAILY being how I need them to be.

DesignHeaad9206 · Aug 11, 2024

Edwin said:
I'd rather have a 3rd party app do it's thing once, silently in the background than have MS's 67 Runtime Brokers chugging away in the background!

What's this broker that you mention?

asteski · Aug 11, 2024

antspants said:
StartAllBack is way way less expensive that Start11

What about ExplorerPatcher? Which is Opensource and free.

Still IMO SAB is the best out of these 3, most stable and looks more like how Windows 11 taskbar sholud look like, not liek copy-paste from Windows 10.

The "TaskbarSi" trick doesn't work.

Member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

aka Mama Glass

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

Windhawk Taskbar height and icon size​

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

Like a rolling drone.

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

Member

My Computer

Member

My Computer

WinMac creator

My Computers

Similar threads

Windhawk Taskbar height and icon size