How to change the size of icons on Xiaomi: 5 ways to MIUI 12-14

The size of the icons on Xiaomi’s screen is one of the little things that can change the way you experience the interface. Big icons take up useful space and small icons make navigation difficult. Fortunately, MIUI offers several ways to adjust their scale, and not all of them are obvious to the user. In this article, we will examine official and alternative methods, including launcher settings, hidden developer settings and even third-party utilities for those who want to go beyond the standard features.

It's important to understand that the functionality may vary depending on the version of the MIUI (12, 13 or 14) and the model of the smartphone - for example, on the POCO F5 and Redmi Note 12, different options are available. We tested all the methods on the current firmware in 2026 and highlighted the ones that work stable. If you did not find the right item on the menu, do not be upset: it may be hidden under a different name or require pre-activation.

1. Standard method: screen settings in MIUI

The easiest method is to use built-in personalization options, which is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 12 and later, and the main advantage of this method is that there is no risk of system failure, since changes are applied at the launcher level.

To change the size of the icons:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Screen section (or Home Screen on some models).
3. Select icon size or screen size.
4. Move the slider to the right (increase) or to the left (reduce).
5. Click Apply to save the changes.

On some devices (such as Xiaomi 13T), this item may be called Element Size and affect not only icons, but also fonts, notification menus and other interface elements. If the slider is not available, then your version of MIUI does not support this feature directly, and you will have to use alternative methods.

• ✅ It works on all clean devices. MIUI (custom-free).
• ⚙️ It does not require the rights of a superuser (root).
• 🔄 Changes apply instantly, without rebooting.
• ❌ In some models (for example, POCO X5 Pro) option may not be available.

2.Size change through launcher settings

If the standard method didn't work, try setting up the launcher, the shell that handles the desktop display. MIUI uses the default MIUI Launcher, but even it hides some of the options to reveal them:

1. Press and hold your finger to the free space on the home screen.
2. In the menu that appears, select Home Screen Settings (or Launcher Settings).
3. Go to the section The size of icons or the scale of the grid.
4. Choose one of the options (for example, Small, Medium, Large).

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for Xiaomi 13) also has the option to Change the Grid Size, which allows you to adjust the number of rows and columns on the screen. This indirectly affects the size of the icons: the more cells, the smaller the icons.

On devices with MIUI 14 and HyperOS (such as Xiaomi 14), some of the launcher options are moved to the Personalization section in the main settings. If you do not find the right item, try updating your firmware to the latest version or use the method with ADB (described below).

3.Using the Developer Mode for Fine Customization

For advanced users who need to calibrate icon sizes accurately, a method that includes developer mode and wm density commands is suitable, which allows you to change the pixel density (DPI), which indirectly affects the scale of all interface elements, including icons.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Press 7 times on MIUI Version. Enter a pattern lock or password if required.

Settings → Additional → For Developers

Minimum width (dp)

411

380

Reset the device.

For more flexible customization, connect your smartphone to your PC and use ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

adb shell wm density 400 # Reduces element size


adb shell wm density reset # Returns standard settings

⚠️ Warning: Changing the wm density settings may cause some applications (e.g. banking or gaming) to display incorrectly. 4PDA or XDA Developers for your model.

4. Third-party launchers: Nova Launcher, Apex, Lawnchair

If the built-in MIUI options don't suit you, the best solution is to install an alternative launcher.

• 📱 Nova Launcher – supports fine-tuning the size of icons (from 50% to 150%), and also allows you to change the desktop grid.
• 🎨 Apex Launcher – Offers pre-configured themes with different icon scales.
• 🚀 Lawnchair is a lightweight open source launcher with flexible interface settings.

To change the size of the icons in Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Press and hold the free space on the screen → Settings.
3. Go to the Home Screen. → Size of badges.
4. Select the desired scale or manually specify the value (for example, 80%).

Third-party launchers have the advantage of being able to adjust not only the size but also the style of icons (e.g., use packages from Icon Pack Studio), animations and gestures. However, some features (e.g. Always-on Display) may not work properly.

💡

If Xiaomi’s weather or calendar widgets are missing after installing a third-party launcher, try installing the MIUI Widgets Pack app from Google Play, which restores compatibility with system widgets.

5 Size resizing through MIUI themes

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden feature to zoom in on icons through the theme editor, which doesn't require root rights and works even on locked downloaders.

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to the Editor section (or create your own theme).
3. Select Badges → Size.
4. Move the slider and save the changes as a new theme.
5. Apply the created theme to the system.

This method has limitations:

• 🔧 It doesn't work on all versions. MIUI (on MIUI 14 may be absent).
• 🎨 The changes apply only to system icons, not to all applications.
• 🔄 After updating the firmware settings can be reset.

If the theme editor is not available, try downloading the themes with the changed icon size from the official Xiaomi Themes store. To do this, type in searches like “small icons theme” or “big app icons”.

Problems and Solutions: What to Do When Nothing Works

Sometimes, even after all the manipulations, the size of the icons does not change, and let's look at the typical reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If you use Xiaomi with custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), standard MIUI methods won’t work.

1. Install Magisk and the App Systemizer module to integrate launchers into the system.
2. Use Tasker or AutoTools to automatically scale when you run certain applications.

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (e.g. Xiaomi 14 or Redmi) K70) Some of the methods described may not work due to the system architecture changes.

💡

The most versatile method is to use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher) that works on all versions of MIUI and does not require superuser rights, unlike ADB or DPI changes.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the size of the icons on Xiaomi