How to reduce the screen size on Xiaomi phone: all the ways

Have you ever seen a situation where the interface elements on Xiaomi seem too large? Or want to return to the usual scale after accidentally changing the settings? Reducing the screen size on Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones solves several problems at once: improves visibility, makes it easier to control one hand and even saves battery power by reducing the load on the GPU. But in MIUI this feature is hidden in an unobvious way – it is not in the main display menu.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to reduce the screen, including standard system settings, zoom gestures and even an engineering menu for advanced users. AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Pro or Redmi K60), where scaling changes can affect color reproduction. MIUI 14/15 and new versions of the shell.

1. Standard scaling in MIUI settings

The easiest way to shrink the screen is to use the built-in zoom feature, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones starting with MIUI 12, but the path to it differs depending on the firmware version.

To change the size of the displayed elements:

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Go to the zoom (or screen size in new versions).
3. Move the text scale to the left – this will reduce fonts and icons.
4. To change the size of the interface globally, tap the Display Scale and select Small or Normal.

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F5) After zooming, the location of elements in games may be lost, in which case additional permission settings in Settings are required. → Display. → Screen resolution.

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If after zooming the text became unreadable, return the settings to the original state and try to reduce only the font size in the Settings → Display → Text Size

2.Using a zoom gesture (for MIUI 14+)

Recent versions of MIUI have a hidden gesture to quickly scale up the screen, which works even if standard settings are locked (e.g., on corporate phones).

How to activate:

1. Open any application (such as Settings or Browser).
2. Bring together three fingers (indicator, middle and ring) on the screen.
3. Hold them for 1-2 seconds and a zoom panel will appear.
4. Move the slider to the left for reduction or to the right for enlargement.

This method works on a locked screen (if the lock gesture option is enabled in the security settings).However, on Xiaomi with Always-On Display (for example, Xiaomi 12T Pro), the gesture can conflict with the notification display.

Is Trifine gesture mode activated in Settings → Additional → Gestures |

Third-party launchers are disabled (for example, Nova Launcher)|

Is the update verified? MIUI last-minute|

Are your default gesture settings reset (if the gesture doesn't work)-->

Change of screen resolution (for advanced users)

If standard zooming doesn't work, you can manually change the screen resolution, which will reduce all interface elements, but can affect game performance.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Screen resolution.
2. Select a value below the current one (e.g. FHD+ (2400×1080) instead of QHD+ (3200×1440)).
3. Confirm the changes and restart the phone.

⚠️ Attention: On phones with AMOLED-In a matrix (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) lower resolution can lead to deterioration of color rendering in dark colors, and some applications (for example, banking) can block work on non-standard resolutions.

Maximum (QHD+/4K) |

Full HD+ (1080p)|

HD+ (720p)|

Automatic |

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4. One Hand Mode and Reduced Workspace

If the goal is not to reduce the interface, but to make the screen more convenient for one hand, MIUI has a special mode, which reduces the workspace to 4-4.5 inches, shifting it to the left or right corner.

How to turn on:

1. Open Settings → Special features → One-handed mode.
2. Activate the switch and select the side of the screen (left/right).
3. Set the size of the mini-screen (from 3.5 to 4.5).

To quickly turn the mode on/off, add it to the notification bar:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen.
2. Slip on the icon Edit (pencil).
3. Find the tiles One-hand Mode and drag them to the active area.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi with curved screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra mode of one hand can distort the display in the corners. In this case, it is recommended to use the swipe gesture diagonally from the lower corner (configured in Settings). → Additionally. → Gestures).

5. Engineering menu: hidden scale settings

For power users who lacked standard methods, there is a way to scale through an engineering menu, which allows you to fine-tune the size of the items, but requires caution - incorrect parameters can lead to interface failures.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
2. In the menu that appears, select Hardware Testing → Display.
3. Find the Density (pixel density) and Screen Scale (screen scale) options.
4. Reduce the values by 10-15% from the standard (for example, from 440 DPI to 400 DPI).
5. Save the settings and restart the phone.

Changing the settings in the engineering menu is not officially supported by Xiaomi. If the values are incorrect, you may need to reset your settings through Recovery.

If the screen is not displayed correctly after the changes (for example, cropped icons or black bars), return the standard values:

• 🔄 For Redmi Note 11: Density = 440, Screen Scale = 1.0
• 🔄 For POCO X4 Pro: Density = 420, Screen Scale = 0.95
• 🔄 For Xiaomi 12: Density = 480, Screen Scale = 1.0

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The engineering menu allows you to scale more accurately than standard MIUI tools, but requires knowledge of the technical parameters of your model.

6. Third-party applications for fine-tuning

If the built-in MIUI tools don't work, you can use third-party utilities, which offer more options, but require ADB or root rights.

Top.-3 tested applications:

• 📱 Display Size Changer - Changes DPI rootless, but you need rights ADB.
• 🔧 MIUI Tweaks – Module for Magisk, adds hidden zoom settings.
• 🎨 Second Screen – Creates a virtual screen with custom resolution.

How to Configure with Display Size Changer:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Connect the phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell wm density 400 (replace 400 with the desired value).
3. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Apps that require root may disrupt the work MIUI-feature (e.g. Always-On Display or Super Wallpapers) Backup through Settings before use → System system → Backup.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you zoom in, you often have typical problems, and here's how to solve them:

• 🔍 The icons have become blurry. → Return the standard resolution to Settings → Display or turn off font smoothing in Settings → Special facilities → Improved clarity.
• 🎮 Games are off-limits → Some titles (like Genshin Impact) block non-standard permissions. Return default settings or add the game to exceptions via Settings → Annexes → Special rights.
• 🔋 The battery goes down fast. → Reduced permit for AMOLED-On the other hand, screens can increase consumption due to pixel recalculation. → Battery → Battery utilization.
• 📱 The scaling gesture doesn't work. → Update. MIUI until the latest version or reset your gesture settings in Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting gesture settings.

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If the screen flickered or artifacts appeared after the changes, try calibrating the display through the engineering menu (##6484##) or returning the factory settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions