diff --git a/changes/3547.feature.md b/changes/3547.feature.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d933865bd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/3547.feature.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add a `array.max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding` to [`zarr.config`][] to allow users to set a maximum number of bytes per-shard when `shards="auto"` in, for example, [`zarr.create_array`][].
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/user-guide/performance.md b/docs/user-guide/performance.md
index 88d8e69936..6550064bc1 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide/performance.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide/performance.md
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ z6 = zarr.create_array(store={}, shape=(10000, 10000, 1000), shards=(1000, 1000,
 print(z6.info)
 ```
 
+`shards` can be `"auto"` as well, in which case the `array.max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding` setting can be used to control the size of shards; otherwise, a default is used.
+
 ### Chunk memory layout
 
 The order of bytes **within each chunk** of an array can be changed via the
diff --git a/src/zarr/core/chunk_grids.py b/src/zarr/core/chunk_grids.py
index cf5bd8cdbe..ed9fb5755b 100644
--- a/src/zarr/core/chunk_grids.py
+++ b/src/zarr/core/chunk_grids.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 
+import zarr
 from zarr.abc.metadata import Metadata
 from zarr.core.common import (
     JSON,
@@ -202,6 +203,22 @@ def get_nchunks(self, array_shape: tuple[int, ...]) -> int:
         )
 
 
+def _guess_num_chunks_per_axis_shard(
+    chunk_shape: tuple[int, ...], item_size: int, max_bytes: int, array_shape: tuple[int, ...]
+) -> int:
+    bytes_per_chunk = np.prod(chunk_shape) * item_size
+    if max_bytes < bytes_per_chunk:
+        return 1
+    num_axes = len(chunk_shape)
+    chunks_per_shard = 1
+    # First check for byte size, second check to make sure we don't go bigger than the array shape
+    while (bytes_per_chunk * ((chunks_per_shard + 1) ** num_axes)) <= max_bytes and all(
+        c * (chunks_per_shard + 1) <= a for c, a in zip(chunk_shape, array_shape, strict=True)
+    ):
+        chunks_per_shard += 1
+    return chunks_per_shard
+
+
 def _auto_partition(
     *,
     array_shape: tuple[int, ...],
@@ -237,12 +254,24 @@ def _auto_partition(
                 stacklevel=2,
             )
             _shards_out = ()
+            max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding = zarr.config.get(
+                "array.max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding", None
+            )
+            num_chunks_per_shard_axis = (
+                _guess_num_chunks_per_axis_shard(
+                    chunk_shape=_chunks_out,
+                    item_size=item_size,
+                    max_bytes=max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding,
+                    array_shape=array_shape,
+                )
+                if (has_auto_shard := (max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding is not None))
+                else 2
+            )
             for a_shape, c_shape in zip(array_shape, _chunks_out, strict=True):
-                # TODO: make a better heuristic than this.
-                # for each axis, if there are more than 8 chunks along that axis, then put
-                # 2 chunks in each shard for that axis.
-                if a_shape // c_shape > 8:
-                    _shards_out += (c_shape * 2,)
+                # The previous heuristic was `a_shape // c_shape > 8` and now, with max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding, we only check that the shard size is less than the array size.
+                can_shard_axis = a_shape // c_shape > 8 if not has_auto_shard else True
+                if can_shard_axis:
+                    _shards_out += (c_shape * num_chunks_per_shard_axis,)
                 else:
                     _shards_out += (c_shape,)
         elif isinstance(shard_shape, dict):
diff --git a/src/zarr/core/config.py b/src/zarr/core/config.py
index 5acf242ef7..3aad7e66e4 100644
--- a/src/zarr/core/config.py
+++ b/src/zarr/core/config.py
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ def enable_gpu(self) -> ConfigSet:
             "array": {
                 "order": "C",
                 "write_empty_chunks": False,
+                "max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding": None,
             },
             "async": {"concurrency": 64, "timeout": None},
             "threading": {"max_workers": None},
diff --git a/tests/test_array.py b/tests/test_array.py
index 5219616739..7acff567f0 100644
--- a/tests/test_array.py
+++ b/tests/test_array.py
@@ -966,33 +966,58 @@ async def test_nbytes(
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("array_shape", "chunk_shape"),
-    [((256,), (2,))],
+    ("array_shape", "chunk_shape", "max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding", "expected_shards"),
+    [
+        pytest.param(
+            (256, 256),
+            (32, 32),
+            129 * 129,
+            (128, 128),
+            id="2d_chunking_max_byes_does_not_evenly_divide",
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            (256, 256), (32, 32), 64 * 64, (64, 64), id="2d_chunking_max_byes_evenly_divides"
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            (256, 256),
+            (64, 32),
+            128 * 128,
+            (128, 64),
+            id="2d_non_square_chunking_max_byes_evenly_divides",
+        ),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), 255, (254,), id="max_bytes_just_below_array_shape"),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), 256, (256,), id="max_bytes_equal_to_array_shape"),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), 16, (16,), id="max_bytes_normal_val"),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), 2, (2,), id="max_bytes_same_as_chunk"),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), 1, (2,), id="max_bytes_less_than_chunk"),
+        pytest.param((256,), (2,), None, (4,), id="use_default_auto_setting"),
+        pytest.param((4,), (2,), None, (2,), id="small_array_shape_does_not_shard"),
+    ],
 )
 def test_auto_partition_auto_shards(
-    array_shape: tuple[int, ...], chunk_shape: tuple[int, ...]
+    array_shape: tuple[int, ...],
+    chunk_shape: tuple[int, ...],
+    max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding: int | None,
+    expected_shards: tuple[int, ...],
 ) -> None:
     """
     Test that automatically picking a shard size returns a tuple of 2 * the chunk shape for any axis
     where there are 8 or more chunks.
     """
     dtype = np.dtype("uint8")
-    expected_shards: tuple[int, ...] = ()
-    for cs, a_len in zip(chunk_shape, array_shape, strict=False):
-        if a_len // cs >= 8:
-            expected_shards += (2 * cs,)
-        else:
-            expected_shards += (cs,)
     with pytest.warns(
         ZarrUserWarning,
         match="Automatic shard shape inference is experimental and may change without notice.",
     ):
-        auto_shards, _ = _auto_partition(
-            array_shape=array_shape,
-            chunk_shape=chunk_shape,
-            shard_shape="auto",
-            item_size=dtype.itemsize,
-        )
+        with zarr.config.set(
+            {"array.max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding": max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding}
+        ):
+            auto_shards, _ = _auto_partition(
+                array_shape=array_shape,
+                chunk_shape=chunk_shape,
+                shard_shape="auto",
+                item_size=dtype.itemsize,
+            )
     assert auto_shards == expected_shards
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index 150aca7c96..c6a08b8118 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ def test_config_defaults_set() -> None:
                 "array": {
                     "order": "C",
                     "write_empty_chunks": False,
+                    "max_bytes_per_shard_for_auto_sharding": None,
                 },
                 "async": {"concurrency": 64, "timeout": None},
                 "threading": {"max_workers": None},