Personalization is one of the most important aspects for Windows users. We all like to adapt the appearance of the operating system to our tastes. We change the wallpaper , colors, icons, sounds, and everything we can, to feel as comfortable as possible when using our PC.
However, the possibilities of Windows customization can go much further, although the truth is that Microsoft does not put it precisely in sight. For example, we can customize the size of the scroll bar, or scroll, of the windows so that they take up less space or be able to see them better.
The Windows scroll bar is the bar that appears to the right of each window (including the web browser) and allows us to scroll vertically (or horizontally) through all the content within that window. If we have a very long list of elements, for example, we can move through it with this bar, in addition to using the mouse wheel.
Although Microsoft is bringing many options to the Operating System Settings menu, we often find functions and settings that are not yet in this Settings menu. For example, the possibility of adjusting the size of this scroll bar of the windows of our Windows. Therefore, if we want to change its size, it is necessary to resort to a simple change in the Windows registry.
Change the size of the Windows scroll bar
To make this change in the configuration, the first thing we will do is enter the Windows registry. To do this we will use the Cortana search engine, or press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut and execute the command:
regedit.exe
Within the Windows registry editor, we move to the next section:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop / WindowMetrics
Here we will find two values: ScrollHeight and ScrollWidth. These two will allow us to modify these values (although we must know how to enter the appropriate value).
By default, these values have a value of -255. This value is obtained by multiplying -15 by the value, in pixels that we want the scroll bar to have. By default, the value it has is 17 pixels (-15 × 17 = -255). If we want this bar to be 10 pixels thick, what we should do is change the values to the number, in negative, that corresponds (-15 × 10 = -150). If we want it fatter, at 20 pixels, then we change the value to (-15 × 20 = -300).
These registry entries support values from -120 (the thinnest) to -1500 (the thickest).
Restart the computer after changing the values and, when opening a new window of the Windows file explorer, we will have the new value assigned in the PC.
Return to the original scroll bar size
At first we may not finish finding the optimal value. Nothing happens. We simply have to go back to the registry and change the value of these two entries again to another value and restart to see the changes.
If you do not finish convincing us of any configuration, what we must do is restore the default value to the two registry entries. That is, we will give ScrollHeight and ScrollWidth a value of -255 (negative, important value).
We accept the changes, restart the PC and we will have the scroll bar of Windows 10 again in its size and thickness by default.
This trick works on all versions of Windows 10 , from the first to the 2004 version of the operating system that will arrive in spring 2020.