How to Make Shortcuts Less on Xiaomi: A Detailed Picture Guide

Are you tired of the huge icons on your Xiaomi screen that take up too much space? Want to put more apps on one screen or just make the interface more compact? In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to reduce the size of shortcuts on MIUI-enabled smartphones — from standard settings to hidden features and third-party solutions.

It’s important to understand that the ability to resize icons depends on the firmware version and device model. For example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ with MIUI 14 has some options available, and the POCO X5 with HyperOS has others, and we’ll look at the universal methods that work on most devices, and we’ll also point out the features for specific versions.

If you've never changed your screen settings on your Xiaomi, don't worry, all of the steps described are safe and reversible. Even if something goes wrong, you can always get back standard settings in a couple of clicks. Now let's get to the practice!

1. Standard resizing of icons through MIUI settings

The easiest way to reduce shortcuts is to use built-in shell options. Depending on the version of MIUI, the path to settings may be slightly different, but the general principle remains the same.

Most devices (Redmi 10/11/12, POCO F4/F5, Xiaomi 13/14) need:

1. Long press on the empty space of the desktop.
2. Slip on the screen settings icon** (or screen settings in older versions).
3. Find the item "Size of icons"** or Icons → Scale.

Some firmware (MIUI 12.5 and later) also has the option “Screen density”** (Settings → Screen → Resolution and font size → Screen density). Here you can choose a value of 480 DPI or 560 DPI – the higher the number, the smaller the icons will look (but the text will become smaller).

⚠️ Note: On HyperOS devices (such as Xiaomi 14 Ultra), the standard method may not work.

2.Use of the "Light" mode for compact display

If your firmware version doesn’t have a separate slider to resize the icons, try turning on Light mode** (Settings → Special Opportunities → Light mode). This mode simplifies the interface, but the side effect is to reduce all elements, including shortcuts.

How it works:

• 🔹 Enable the "Light" mode in the settings.
• 🔹 Restart the device (optional, but sometimes helps to apply changes).
• 🔹 Return to the desktop – icons should be 10-15 less%.
• 🔹 If necessary, disable other options in the Light mode (for example, enlarged text), leaving only the scale of the icons.

The downside of this method is that it affects not only shortcuts, but other interface elements as well, so if you want to reduce only icons, move on to the next one.

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Light mode is also useful for older users, increasing contrast and making navigation easier.

3. Change the size of the desktop grid

Another effective way to put more icons on the screen is to increase the number of rows and columns in the desktop grid, which doesn't reduce the shortcuts themselves, but allows them to be placed more densely, visually creating a compact effect.

Instructions for most devices:

1. Press long on the empty screen space.
2. Select “Screen settings” → “Desktop grid”.

On some models (POCO M4 Pro, Redmi 9A), this item may be called “Makeup” or “Grid Size.” If you don’t find it in standard settings, try using a third-party launcher (more on this in the next section).

4.Installation of a third-party launcher for flexible settings

If standard methods don't work, the best solution is to install an alternative launcher, an application that replaces the standard MIUI desktop and allows you to fine-tune the look, including the size of the icons.

Top.-3 Launcher for Xiaomi with support for changing the size of shortcuts:

• 📱 Nova Launcher – the most popular option with the ability to set the size of icons in pixels (Settings) → Appearance → Icon size: Supports adaptive icons and gestures.
• 🎨 Lawnchair is a lightweight open source launcher that allows you to zoom in on icons and screen grids without having to tweak it.
• ⚡ Hyperion Launcher – optimized for Xiaomi devices and POCO. It has built-in themes under MIUI Flexible scaling settings.

How to install and configure:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play (like Nova Launcher).
2. After installation, click the Home button and select the new launcher as the main one.
3. Go to the launcher settings and find the section “Icon Size” or “Makeup”.

⚠️ Note: On some devices (Redmi) 8A, POCO M2) after installing a third-party launcher, weather and calendar widgets may disappear from the MIUI. To return them, install widgets from the same developer (e.g. Nova Widgets).

5. editing system files (for advanced users)

If you’re willing to take risks and have experience with ADB or root rights, you can resize your icons by editing system files, a technique that works for MIUI 11-14 devices, but requires caution.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Developer Settings → USB debugging).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global icon_size_scale 0.8 Here. 0.8 — scale ratio (can be specified from 0.7 before 1.0).
3. Reset the device.

For root-right devices, you can also edit /system/build.prop by adding a line:

ro.sf.lcd_density=440

Where 440 is the density of the screen (the higher the value, the smaller the elements).

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files may result in loss of warranty or device failure.If you are not sure about your actions, use other methods.

6. Reset screen settings to factory

If after experimenting with the size of the icons, the interface began to look incorrect (for example, the text is superimposed on the icons or the elements moved out), you can return everything to the original state through resetting the screen settings.

How to do this:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select “Reset Screen Settings”** (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action.

This operation will return the standard icon size, desktop grid and screen density, but will not affect your files, applications or accounts.

• 🔄 Remove the launcher cache (Settings) → Annexes → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Reinstall updates for system applications (Settings) → Annexes → Three points. → Show system-based → Launcher → Three points. → Remove updates).

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Resetting screen settings is the safest way to return the standard look of the interface without losing data.

Frequently asked questions