The Surface is one of the best devices out there. From what we’ve gathered recently, some owners of the Surface Pro are facing an issue where the icons on the taskbar are not spaced out properly whenever the lid is closed and a secondary screen is used. Space is automatically increased, which is quite strange, so what is the reason behind this problem?
What is the cause behind the Taskbar icon spacing problem?
Windows 11 acts a bit differently from Windows 10 in many ways. You see, fixing this issue on Windows 10 requires the user to navigate to the Tablet Settings, but Windows 11 does not have such a feature anymore. Switching from tablet to desktop is automatic; therefore, solving the issue on Windows 11 needs a different approach.
Taskbar icon spacing is too wide in Windows 11
When it comes down to fixing this problem on your Windows 11, Windows 10 device or your Surface laptop, we can say for certain that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to get the job done. Simply follow the steps we’re about to discuss below, and in no time your taskbar will return to its normal state even when the lid is closed. We can now discuss how to fix this problem in more detail.
- Change additional tablet settings (Windows 10 only)
- Disable and reenable Tablet Mode
- Run the Surface Diagnostic Tool
- Download and install the latest firmware & driver pack
1] Change additional tablet settings (Windows 10 only)
OK, so the first thing you will want to do here, is to fire up the Windows 10 Settings area, then from the search box, type Change additional tablet settings.
After that, go to When I’m not using tablet mode > Make app icons on the taskbar easier to touch and turn it off.
Finally, restart your computer and attempt to do what you were doing before. We are confident the spacing on the taskbar should now be fixed.
2] Disable and re-enable Tablet Mode
If you are using Windows 11, you need to disable and re-enable Tablet Mode on your computer. Since there is no Tablet Mode in the Settings area, in case of Surface, you will have to detach the keyboard to disable it, then reattach to enable it.
This is a good way of fixing the icon spacing because inconsistencies can happen whenever Tablet Mode is up and running. Therefore, the simple task of disabling and reenabling can be a powerful means to get things back under control.
For better results, restart your Surface computer and check again if icon spacing is still a problem on the new Windows 11 Taskbar.
3] Run the Surface Diagnostic Tool
Most common issues on Surface can be solved by running the Surface Diagnostic Tool. Run it and see.
4] Download and install the latest firmware & driver pack
The final step to take, then, is to download and install the required firmware and driver pack for your Surface Pro computer. Visit this link to download the pack. Be sure to select the correct Surface device from the list to avoid any errors when installing.
Windows laptop users should similarly update their firmware and device drivers and see if that helps them. All OEM manufacturers have utilities that help you easily update BIOS, firmware, and drivers. Search for yours and download it from the official site only. This is the safest way to update the BIOS.
- If you own a Dell laptop, you can head over to Dell.com or use Dell Update Utility.
- ASUS users can download the MyASUS BIOS update utility from the ASUS support site.
- Lenovo users can use the Lenovo System Update Tool.
- HP users can use the bundled HP Support Assistant.
- ACER users can go here. Enter your Serial Number/SNID or search for your product by Model, select BIOS/Firmware, and click the Download link for the file you want to download.
Hope something here helps you.
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