How to increase taskbar to 2 or more rows in Windows 11

In this tutorial, we will see how to increase the taskbar to 2 or more rows in Windows 11. With this, you will have more space on the taskbar for pinned apps, running programs, etc. To do this, we need to increase the taskbar height of Windows 11 so we can have more than one row. While there’s an option or trick to resize the taskbar in Windows 10, this functionality is removed in Windows 11. Even the Group Policy setting and Registry tweak to unlock the taskbar to change its size doesn’t seem to work on Windows 11. However, a few Windows 11 customization tools help to customize the taskbar appearance as well as resize it to have two or more rows. This post includes a list of such tools.

How to increase taskbar to 2 or more rows in Windows 11

To increase the taskbar to 2 or more rows on your Windows 11 PC, you use any of the following tools:

Windhawk
ExplorerPatcher.

Let’s check these tools.

1] Windhawk

Windhawk is one of the best options to increase the taskbar height to 2 or more rows on a Windows 11 PC. I like this tool because of the customization options it offers. You can add as many rows as you prefer to the taskbar, change the size of taskbar icons, set taskbar height, and adjust the width of taskbar buttons.

Once you have installed the required customization modules (or mods), you can add multiple rows to the taskbar and adjust settings related to taskbar icons. Whether you have set taskbar alignment to Left or Centre or use taskbar icons with labels, the taskbar looks good and organized. Here are the steps:

Grab this open-source tool from windhawk.net
Proceed with standard installation or portable installation
Run the tool and click on the Browse for Mods button
Look for Multirow taskbar for Windows 11 mod and Taskbar height and icon size mod and install them one by one. Both modes will appear on the Home section of its interface and the default settings will be applied to your Windows 11 taskbar
Click on the Details tab of the Multirow taskbar for Windows 11 mod
Switch to the Settings tab
Add a number in the Rows fields. 2 to 3 rows are sufficient for normal use. If you are a power user, add rows as per your need
Press the Save settings button and changes will be reflected in the taskbar instantly
Now we have the rows but the taskbar will look cluttered and unorganized. This is where Taskbar height and icon size mode come in handy. Click on the Details button of this mod
Switch to the Settings tab
Adjust the numbers for Icon size, Taskbar height, and Taskbar button width fields
Press the Save settings button to see the changes.

You may have to do this multiple times until you get the taskbar the way you want to see it. This might be time-consuming but you will have a better taskbar with multiple rows.

To undo the changes or keep the default taskbar, disable both mods or uninstall this tool.

2] ExplorerPatcher

ExplorerPatcher is a popular and open-source tool with many customization options to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10. Among such options, it brings back the functionality to lock/unlock the taskbar (that we have in Windows 10) in Windows 11 which helps to increase the taskbar height. Once you have grabbed this tool from GitHub, run the installer, and it will apply the preset settings. Now follow these steps:

Right-click on the taskbar and select the Properties option
The Properties window will open with the Taskbar category
Click on the Taskbar style and select Windows 10 (ExplorerPatcher) option from the down-down menu
Restart File Explorer to apply the changes
Right-click on the taskbar
Untick the Lock the taskbar option
Place the mouse cursor on the top edge of the taskbar until you see a double-sided arrow
Now press and hold the cursor to drag it upwards.

That’s it. Now, you will have an extra row on the Windows 11 taskbar. To make it look better, you can also set Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels setting to Never in the Settings app of Windows 11.

When you don’t want to use this tool, uninstall it from the Settings app or Control Panel.

Note: Some antivirus programs have flagged ExplorerPatcher as malware and its developers don’t recommend using it on work machines running Windows 11 version 24H2. I didn’t face any trouble using it on my PC though.

That’s all.

Now read: Can’t unpin or remove Program Icons from Taskbar in Windows PC

How do I extend the taskbar in Windows 11?

If you want to extend the taskbar to show your taskbar on all displays in Windows 11, open the Settings app (Win+I). Navigate to Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors (expand it). Select the Show my taskbar on all displays option. You can also show your taskbar apps to all the taskbars across multiple monitors or only on the taskbar where the window is open.

How do you expand the system tray in Windows 11?

To expand the taskbar system tray in Windows 11, click on the Show hidden icons arrow. Drag an icon and drop it on that arrow. This will unhide that icon and the system tray size will be adjusted automatically. In this way, you can add more icons to the taskbar system tray to expand it. Alternatively, access the Taskbar settings in the Settings app, and expand the Other system tray icons section. You will see a list of hidden icons to add to the system tray which will also adjust the system tray size.