Tasbar Icons - Hide Labels, Never Combine

I had this posted on the seven forums but tested and working perfectly in Windows 8 too.

A lot of of people seem to want to have the labels on the taskbar buttons hidden but without combining. This option is not available in the settings. To do this, simply download the attached reg file and run it as administrator, then restart your computer.

NOTE: There are 2 attached reg files, one for large icons and one for small icons. Please make sure you download the correct one to your preference.

Alternatively:

1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit).
2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ControlPanel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
3. Right click on a blank space on the right pane, select New, then String Value.
4. Name the new string value as MinWidth.
5. Double click on “MinWidth”, and set its value data as one of the following, depending on Taskbar is using normal (large) icons or small Icons:

Normal icons: 56
Small icons: 40

Are there still issues with a vertical taskbar? I am still getting labels with some icons. Using normal (not small) icons, StartIsBack, medium DPI and the taskbar is as narrow as possible. Horizontal seems to be working fine, there are no labels.

One thing to note to new users of this tweak: you must right click on the taskbar -> properties -> chooose "never combine" for the Taskbar Buttons dropdown.