How To Extend the Taskbar Across Multiple Rows in Windows 11

On Windows 10, resizing the taskbar was pretty straightforward — just click, hold, and drag the edge upwards to make it taller or wider. But in Windows 11, things got a bit more locked down. You can’t resize the taskbar naturally like before, at least not easily. Microsoft totally redesigned it, and yeah, some features didn’t make the cut. If you’re trying to get a multi-row taskbar or just want to slightly adjust its size, you’ll need to get a little creative or tweak some system settings.

1) Use the Registry Editor

Changing the registry sounds scary, but it’s a common way to enable features Microsoft decided to hide or disable by default. Really, it’s about coaxing Windows into doing what you’d like, like letting you expand the taskbar onto multiple rows. Not sure why it works, but in some setups, this tweak actually allows you to resize the taskbar height or turn on extra rows.

Warning: The registry is sensitive territory. A wrong move can mess things up. Always back up your registry before diving in — you can do this easily through the Registry Editor itself or use a restore point.

1. Open the Registry Editor. Hit Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Or search “Registry Editor” in the Start menu.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > StuckRects3. You might need to scroll or expand folders — it’s a bit hidden in here.
3. Click on Settings (the binary value).A dialog box appears showing hex data.
4. Look for the row with the value 00000028, and within that, find the column FE. Change its data from 01 to 02. This tweak suggests to Windows that you want more than just one row of the taskbar — kind of a hack, but it seems to trigger the resizing behavior.
5. Click OK. Then, to make Windows recognize the change, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart.

Yeah, this isn’t a 100% guaranteed fix, and on some machines, it may need a couple of tries or a reboot. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than it should be.

2) Explorer Patcher

For those who prefer a less delicate approach, Explorer Patcher is an open-source tool that’s been around forever in some circles. It basically replaces the default Windows 11 taskbar with the Windows 10 version, which is way more customizable — including resizing and adding multiple rows.

Here’s how it works:

1. Head over to the Explorer Patcher GitHub repository. Make sure you’re grabbing the latest release — that’s usually near the top of the page.
2. Scroll down to the Releases section and click on the most recent one — it’s called something like “vx.x.x”.
3. Download the file named ep_setup.exe.
4. Run the installer. It’ll briefly turn your taskbar black — don’t panic, that’s just the patcher integrating.
5. Once you see the Windows 10-style taskbar, right-click on it and uncheck Lock the taskbar. That’s crucial if you want to resize or add rows.
6. Hover over the top edge of the taskbar and drag upwards. It should give you a lot more flexibility — including multiple rows if you want.

One weird thing I noticed — sometimes it takes a restart or a little fiddling around, but on the whole, it makes resizing way easier. Just keep in mind it’s basically replacing core taskbar stuff, so it might break with future Windows updates. Always good to check the GitHub issues page if something weird happens.

Overall, whether you tinker with the registry or install Explorer Patcher, both are legit ways to reclaim some resize control in Windows 11. Not perfect, but better than nothing.