# Windows question: icons above app icons on taskbar
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 30, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809 "2018-01-30T15:33:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/1 "2018-01-30T15:33:39Z")
I had some computer troubles and IT had to do a re-build of my profile. That’s caused a minor glitch that I can’t solve.
I’ve got Windows 7. I have Word and Outlook pinned on my taskbar. If I’ve got more than on document or e-mail open, by hovering the cursor on the app icon, it makes the different docs and e-mails show up above it. I click on the doc or e-mail, and it takes me there.
The irritating thing is that it used to show little icons of the docs or e-mails. Now, it shows a bar for each doc or e-mail, with the name in the bar.
Functionally, it works okay. It’s just an appearance issue. I’d rather have the little icons that
I’m used to, rather than the big bars.
I don’t even know how to phrase my inquiry on Google, so I thought I’d ask you folks.
Any suggestions on how I get my little icons back?
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/2 "2018-01-30T16:46:03Z")
I haven’t used Windows 7 in quite a few years, but is this what you’re looking for?
> **[3 Ways to Customize the Size of the Windows 7 Taskbar Icons](https://www.wikihow.com/Customize-the-Size-of-the-Windows-7-Taskbar-Icons)**
>
> Are the icons on your Windows 7 taskbar too large or small for your liking? We'll show you how to adjust the size of your taskbar icons, as well as change the resolution of your screen, using the Windows 7 Control Panel. Open Start . Click...
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/3 "2018-01-30T17:01:27Z")
Thanks, but that one explains how to change the size of the icons in the taskbar. I’m trying to change the icons that pop up above the taskbar when I hover over a taskbar icon.
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### Author:  [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/4 "2018-01-30T17:57:16Z")
Here is a site that may answer your question (I don’t have Windows 7 so I can’t verify):
> **[Windows 7 Taskbar Not Showing Thumbnail Previews?](https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/windows-7-taskbar-not-showing-thumbnail-previews/)**
>
> One of the nice features of Windows 7 is that the taskbar shows a nifty thumbnail preview of a window or group of windows when you hover over it. So \[...\]
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### Author:  [@biometricks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biometricks)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/5 "2018-01-30T18:44:55Z")
Are you trying to Combine all of the Word windows into one Taskbar instance and all of the Outlook windows into one instance so that they take up less real estate on the taskbar? You may want to try right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Properties, then under the Taskbar tab try changing the options between Never Combine, Always Combine, and Sometimes Combine to see if that’s what you’re looking for.
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### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-question-icons-above-app-icons-on-taskbar/807809/6 "2018-01-30T18:57:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> The irritating thing is that it used to show little icons of the docs or e-mails. Now, it shows a bar for each doc or e-mail, with the name in the bar.
> [@biometricks](#):
>
> Are you trying to Combine all of the Word windows into one Taskbar instance and all of the Outlook windows into one instance so that they take up less real estate on the taskbar? You may want to try right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Properties, then under the Taskbar tab try changing the options between Never Combine, Always Combine, and Sometimes Combine to see if that’s what you’re looking for.
I think **biometricks** is onto the issue. If the “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” “Taskbar” tab “Taskbar buttons:” control is set to “Never Combine”, each instance of an open document is a separate icon in the taskbar, surrounded by a little box which might fit the definition of “bar” in OP’s description.
If you switch that control to “Always combine, hide labels”, those icons collapse into the one icon which represents the running program, without labels, and with a pop-up display of miniatures of each document window currently open.
ETA: PC World [article about what I’m talking about](https://www.pcworld.com/article/195865/win7_taskbar_icons.html).