How to Make a Font Less on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where the standard font size seems too cumbersome, taking up excess screen space and disrupting the visual balance of the MIUI or HyperOS interface. Modern displays have a high pixel density, which allows you to display the smallest details without losing readability, however, factory settings are often focused on the average user with imperfect vision. If you want to return the conciseness of the menu, increase the amount of visible information on the screen and make the interface more airy, you need to change the scaling parameters.

Android provides flexible customization tools, but in shells from the Chinese manufacturer they can be hidden in different sections or require activation of special modes. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods, from basic settings in the menu to advanced manipulation of screen density through the engineering menu, you will learn to safely reduce text without disrupting the layout of applications and maintaining the convenience of using the device in everyday life.

Basic text size setting in the standard menu

The easiest and safest way to change the display of characters is to use the built-in slider in the system settings. This method does not require superuser rights or a connection to a computer and is completely reversible at any time. First, you need to open the Settings app and scroll down to the Screen or Additional Settings section, depending on the version of your firmware.

Inside the menu, find text size. Here you'll see a multi-division scale, where the center position is usually factory-standard. As you move the slider to the left, you'll consistently reduce the font size across all system interfaces: menus, contacts, messages and settings. It's important to note that changing this parameter only affects text elements, without affecting the size of app icons or navigation buttons.

Some users prefer the smallest possible size for maximum convenience, but consider ergonomics. Too small text may require you to squint or hold your phone closer to your eyes, which increases the burden on vision. The optimal solution is to find a balance in which text remains readable without the need to zoom, but takes up less space than the default.

• 📱 Open Settings and go to the Screen section.
• 🔍 Find the text size item and move the slider to the left to a comfortable value.
• 👁️ Check readability across different apps to make sure the new size is comfortable.
• ↩️ If necessary, return the slider to the original position to reset the settings.

It's worth mentioning that in the new versions of the HyperOS shell, the zoom algorithm has been redesigned, so changing the font size can automatically adjust the indentations between interface elements, making the picture denser, and if the standard minimum is still not enough, you'll have to resort to deeper system settings.

⚠️ Note: Changing font size in the standard menu does not affect the scaling of elements within third-party applications such as Instagram or Telegram, unless the developers of these programs have provided adaptation to the system settings of the fonts.

Using Developer Mode for Accurate Calibration

For those who don't have the standard slider, Android offers access to hidden engineering settings through Developer Mode. It's a powerful tool that allows you to control display settings with much greater accuracy. To activate this mode, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on MIUI Version or OS Version seven times.

When activated, a new section will appear in the menu called Additional Settings → For Developers. Here we are interested in Smallest Width. By default, on Xiaomi smartphones, this value is usually around 360-392 dp (density-independent pixels). Reducing this number will make all interface elements larger and zooming in smaller. It is the increase in the DPI value that allows you to achieve the effect of the “tablet” interface on a smartphone.

Be careful when changing this parameter. A sharp increase in value can cause some interface elements to become so small that it will be almost impossible to hit them with a finger, and it is recommended to change the value in steps of 20-30 units, checking the result after each change.

Recommended DPI values for different diagonals:


- 5-6 inches: 400-420 dp




- 6-7 inches: 440-480 dp




- Tablet mode: 600+ dp

It's important to understand the difference between tweaking a font and setting up a DPI. If the first one changes only the size of the letters, the second one scales the entire interface, including buttons, indentations and graphic elements, and this gives a more harmonious result, as the proportions of the interface are maintained, it just becomes more compact.

• 🛠️ Activate Developer Mode by pressing the firmware version 7 times.
• 📐 Find the Minimum Width option in the Developer Menu.
• 📈 Increase the current value by 20-40 units to scale.
• ✅ Check the work of the touch screen and readability of the text.

⚠️ Note: Remember the initial value DPI If you set too many numbers and the interface becomes unreadable, you can't get the settings back through the screen -- you have to do a complete reset.

Size adjustment of interface elements and scale

Beyond pure text, the overall scale of interface elements influences perception. There is a separate setting in the MIUI/HyperOS shell that allows you to resize the objects displayed regardless of the font, and this is especially true for owners of devices with high-resolution screens, where standard elements may look disproportionately large.

You can find this option by Settings → Screen → Size of interface elements (or Scale), and there is also a slider that moves left to reduce application icons, widgets and system plaques, and the combination of reduced font and reduced interface elements gives you the maximum result of freeing up screen space.

However, not all apps respond to zoom changes correctly. Some programs may have text bumping into pictures, or buttons too small to be easily clicked, so after making changes, it is recommended to go through the main apps used: messengers, browser and social networks to make sure that there are no visual bugs.

There is also the option to change the font size specifically in the browser or individual reading apps if system settings seem redundant. For example, Chrome or Yandex.Browser have their own page zooming settings that override system preferences.

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For quick access to the frequently used screen settings, add the Settings widget to your desktop and select Screen, which saves time with frequent calibration.

Hidden opportunities through ADB and computer

For advanced users who want to gain full control of their Xiaomi typography, there is a method of changing settings through USB debugging and a computer. By connecting the smartphone to a PC and installing the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) package, you can enter commands that change system variables that are not available through the normal interface.

This method is especially useful if you need to set an exact value. DPI, which is not achieved by sliders, or if you want to reset the font settings to the original state when the touch screen has stopped responding due to incorrect values. USB developer-like.

To change the density of the screen, the command wm density is used. For example, to set the value of 450 dpi, the command will look like this:

adb shell wm density 450

And to return the standard value (reset settings), the command is used:

adb shell wm density reset

The advantage of ADB is that it can be fine-tuned in 1-unit increments, which is not available in the standard menu, and that ADB can change system-level fonts to replace the standard font file with a custom font file, although this requires root rights and carries risks of system stability.

• 💻 Connect your smartphone to your PC and make sure drivers are installed.
• 🔌 Put the debugging on. USB developer-like.
• ⌨️ Enter the command adb shell wm density in the terminal.
• 🔄 Restart the device to apply changes.

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB An error in syntax or setting extreme values can lead to a "brickle" interface where you can't press anything on the screen.

The impact of the design theme on the perception of the font

Remember, visual perception of text size is highly dependent on the design theme you've set. There are thousands of options in the MIUI Themes theme store that completely change the system fonts. Some themes use thinner, more elongated outlines, which visually reduces text without changing the system's zoom settings.

When searching for a topic, look for screenshots in the description. Often, topic authors demonstrate how their product looks on the desktop and in the settings menu. Installing a theme with a compact design is a safe way to make the interface more neat without risking the system's stability, as with changing the DPI.

You can also install a third-party font through your screen settings. Go to Settings → Screen → Font (or through the theme store). Selecting a font with narrow glyphs (for example, some Roboto variants or specialized compact fonts) will allow you to fit more characters in one line.

However, using third-party fonts can lead to coding problems. Some applications may display "squares" or characters instead of text if the selected font does not have the desired Cyrillic characters or specific characters.

• 🎨 Open the Themes app on your device.
• 🔍 Type "Minimal", "Compact" or "Small Font".
• 👁️ Study the preview of the topic, paying attention to the size of the text in the menu.
• ⬇️ Download and apply a topic to evaluate the result.

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The combination of a minimalist theme and a slightly increased DPI value gives a better visual result than simply changing the font size with a slider.

Frequent problems and ways to solve them

Users may encounter artifacts during the setup process, such as when the font is reduced, text in some applications may crop or overlap, because app developers place fixed sizes on the containers for text, and when the font is greatly reduced, the layout "floats".

Another common problem is the mismatch of font size in different parts of the system: some customization screens may have text that is microscopic and others that are the same, because different system applications use different rendering techniques, and in such cases, it helps to go back to standard values and use only one zoom method (either font or DPI only).

If you accidentally make the text so small that you can't find the back button or menu, use Google Assistant voice control. Say "Open Settings" or "Back" to navigate the system without touching. It also helps to connect a physical mouse via a USB-C adapter.

For owners of devices with AMOLED-The reduction of font in screens may be particularly important because of the subpixel structure of the matrix. On very small sizes, the colored edges of letters may blur. In such cases, it is recommended to use a black background (dark theme) to improve the contrast and readability of small text.