How to make icons smaller on Xiaomi Redmi: all the ways from standard to advanced

Are you tired of the huge icons on your Xiaomi Redmi screen that take up half the display and interfere with comfortable use? The problem of too large icons is familiar to many owners of smartphones in this series - especially after the MIUI update, when the interface suddenly becomes "blown." In this article, we will discuss all possible methods of reducing icons, from standard MIUI settings to hidden developer parameters and alternative launchers.

It's important to understand that the methods differ depending on the firmware version (MIUI 13, MIUI 14 or HyperOS) and the smartphone model (for example, Redmi Note 12 vs Redmi 10C). We took these nuances into account and prepared universal solutions that work on 90% of the devices in the series. If you're looking for a way to return a compact desktop look, you've come to the right place.

1. Standard MIUI settings: changing icon size

So, to start with, the simplest thing is the built-in interface options, and in the latest versions of MIUI, developers have added the ability to scale icons right into the screen settings. Here's how to do this:

Open Settings → Screen → Text size and display. Here you will see the slider "Size of interface elements." Move it to the left to reduce all elements, including icons. Note: this method affects not only icons, but also fonts, menus and other elements of the system.

• ✅ Pros: does not require the installation of additional applications, works on all models of Redmi with MIUI 12+
• ❌ Cons: changes the scale of the entire interface, not just icons
• ⚙️ Alternative: In some versions MIUI there is a separate parameter The size of icons in the launcher settings (about it below)

If your MIUI version doesn’t have a slider for interface elements, try an alternative path: press the empty space on the desktop → click Screen Settings → find icon size. On Redmi Note 11 and later, this option is often hidden under additional options.

2. setting up the desktop grid (number of icons)

Another effective way to visually reduce icons is to increase the number of rows and columns on your desktop, which makes the icons smaller by reducing the grid cell.

1. Click the empty space on the home screen → select Screen Settings (or Desktop Settings).
2. Find the Desktop Grid or Grid Size item.
3. Select the maximum value (usually 5×6 or 6×7).
4. Confirm the changes – the icons will automatically decrease.

On some models (Redmi 9A, Redmi 8), this option may be called Layout Density. If you don't find it in the standard settings, try updating MIUI to the latest version - in MIUI 14, this option is available on all devices.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware, after changing the grid, icons may overlap. If this happens, restart your smartphone or reset your launcher settings via Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data.

3. Hidden developer settings: Change in screen density (DPI)

For advanced users, there is a way to fine-tune element size through pixel density (DPI), which requires the developer mode to be enabled and can affect the display of some applications, but gives maximum control over scale.

Steps to change the DPI:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the minimum width (this is the DPI).
4. The default value is usually 411 or 440. Reduce it to 380-400 for a compact display.
5. Reset the device.

Recommended DPI values for popular models:

• Redmi Note 11 Pro: 390 (optimal balance)
• Redmi 10: 380 (the icons will be 15% smaller)
• Redmi K40: 400 (no distortion in games)

If after changing the DPI, some applications (such as SberBank Online or VKontakte) are displayed incorrectly, return the standard value or use the Forced Scale function in the developer settings for specific applications.

4. Use of alternative launchers

If the standard methods don't work, the best solution is to install a side launcher, which completely replaces the standard MIUI interface, offering flexible look and feel settings, and we tested 5 popular launchers and selected the best ones for Xiaomi Redmi:

Instructions for setting up Nova Launcher (recommended for maximum flexibility):

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Click Home and select Nova Launcher as the default launcher.
3. Click the blank space on the screen → Settings → Screen size and icons.
4. Set the size of the icons to 70-80% and adjust the desktop grid (maximum 10×8).
5. In the Appearance section, turn off Adaptive icons if you want a uniform size.

⚠️ Note: When using third-party launchers, some chips may stop working MIUI, It's going to increase battery consumption by 5 to 10 percent because of the extra process.

Backup your current desktop settings (via MIUI Cloud)

Check the compatibility of the launcher with your version of Android

Disable battery optimization for launcher in settings

Prepare alternative icons (e.g. Icon Pack Studio)

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5. Change the size of icons through ADB (for power users)

If you are ready for experiments, you can change the size of the icons through ADB-This method requires connecting the smartphone to the PC and knowing the basic commands, but gives you precise control over the scale without installing additional applications.

Step-by-step:

1. Install. ADB-PC drivers.
2. Enable USB debugging on your smartphone (Settings → Developers).
3. Connect Redmi to your PC and type in the command line: adb shell settings put global icon_scale_factor 0.7 where 0.7 — scale (1.0 = standard-size, 0.5 = half-time).
4. Reset the device.

Permissible values for icon_scale_factor:

• 0.6 – Very small icons (may distort text)
• 0.7–0.8 – Optimal balance
• 0.9 - Slightly reduced icons

Important: This command only works on MIUI 13+ and can be reset once the system is updated, and it does not affect the size of the icons in the folders and widgets.

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If so, ADB-Icon commands are blurred, return the standard value (adb shell settings put global). icon_scale_factor 1.0) Use Nova Launcher with the Adaptive Icons setting instead".

6 Problems and Solutions: What to Do If Icons Don't Decrease

Sometimes standard methods don't work because of firmware or setting conflicts, and we've collected typical problems and solutions.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔍 Version MIUI: On some custom firmware (for example, xiaomi.eu), the settings may be in other menus.
• 📱 Device model: on Redmi Go and other budget models with Android Go, features are limited.
• 🔄 Conflicts of topics: some topics MIUI They block the icons from changing size. Try to bring back the standard theme.

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If you are using HyperOS (new firmware for Redmi) K60/Note 13), standard-of-the-art MIUI In this case, the only reliable way is third-party launchers or ADB-team.

FAQ: Frequent questions about reducing badges on Xiaomi Redmi