Owners of the Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone often face the desire to personalize the interface, making it more compact or, conversely, more voluminous. the standard shell of MIUI provides ample opportunities for customization, but some settings are hidden from the eyes of the average user. Changing the size of the desktop elements allows not only to improve ergonomics, but also to place more widgets and shortcuts on one screen.
The process of scaling graphics does not require root rights or complex system reprogramming. All the necessary tools are already built into the Android operating system or available through the official Themes app. In this article, we will discuss all legal and safe methods of changing the dimensions of icons.
It is worth noting that Xiaomi Mi 9 has a high-quality AMOLED-It's a high-resolution display that makes working with small interfaces comfortable for the eye, but the standard scale may not be suitable for users with certain vision preferences or smartphone use.
Use of built-in screen settings
The first and easiest step to change the visual experience of the interface is to adjust the system-scale. In the MIUI shell, this feature is often integrated with font settings, which affects the overall size of the elements. To access these parameters, you need to go to the Settings menu → Screen → Text Size.
Here, the user can choose one of the proposed options or adjust the scale manually with a slider. When you reduce the text size, some interface elements, including the signatures under the icons and the size of the shortcuts themselves in certain launchers, are automatically adjusted, this is the basic method that is safe for the system.
However, the global reduction of fonts can make reading news or messages in messengers less comfortable. Therefore, this method is better used in conjunction with other methods of settings described below. Android system on Xiaomi devices responds to these changes instantly without requiring a reboot.
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Before changing the system settings, take a screenshot of the current screen settings to quickly return everything to the original state if necessary.
Setup through the “Themes” app
The most flexible tool for changing the look of Xiaomi Mi 9 is the official Theme app. This is where you can change the size of the icons without affecting the system fonts. Open the Themes app and go to profile by clicking on the person icon in the lower right corner.
From the profile menu, select Settings, and then find the icon size option, and you'll be offered three options: Small, Medium, and Large. The Small option allows you to compactly place shortcuts, which is especially true for users who are used to minimalism.
⚠️ Note: Applying some third-party themes can completely change the interface, and customizing the icon size within such a theme may not be available or work properly.
Once you have selected the right size, the system will apply the changes to all desktops, a change that is global for the MIUI launcher. If you decide to change the theme, the size settings may reset or adapt to the new design, so check the result after each style change.
Use of the developer mode
For more advanced users who are not comfortable with standard settings, there is the possibility of using hidden Android features. The developer mode allows you to fine-tune the minimum width of the screen (Smallest width), which directly affects the density of pixels and, as a result, the size of all graphic elements, including icons.
To activate this mode, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the MIUI version seven times. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, select Additional → For Developers. Find the “Drawing” section and the “Minimum Width” option.
The default value for the Xiaomi Mi 9 is usually around 392 dp. Increasing this number (for example, to 420 or 450 dp) will visually reduce all interface elements, making the icons more compact.
☑️ Checking before change DPI
Changing the minimum width is a powerful tool, but it affects not only icons, but also navigation buttons, keyboards and application interfaces. It's a system change that requires care. If you accidentally set too much and the interface becomes unreadable, you can return everything back through the recovery menu or reset the launcher settings.
Application of third-party launchers
If the built-in MIUI capabilities don’t satisfy you, the best solution is to install an alternative launcher from the Google Play Market, where programs like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher provide detailed control over each pixel of the desktop.
Once you install a third-party launcher, you have to go to its settings and find the partition that controls the look or grid of the desktop, and you can not only resize the icons with the slider, but you can also adjust the indentations, the number of columns and rows, and this gives you maximum freedom.
Using a third-party launcher on the Xiaomi Mi 9 also allows you to use unique icon packages that can be initially executed in a more compact style. However, it is worth remembering that replacing the system launcher can affect the operation of some shell features, such as gestures or widgets "Always on the screen".
| Parameter | Standard MIUI launcher | Third-party launcher (Nova) | Developer mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexibility of setting | Low (3 options) | Tall (sliders) | Medium (systemic) |
| Impact on the system | Minimum | Local. | Global |
| Difficulty | Simple. | Medium | Tall. |
| Security | Tall. | Tall. | It requires caution. |
How do you get back the standard launcher?
Fine-tuning of the desktop grid
In addition to directly resizing graphic elements, the density of their placement plays an important role. In the Xiaomi Mi 9 desktop settings, you can change the number of icons in a row and column. Go to Settings → Desktop or pinch with two fingers on your desktop and select Settings.
By changing the grid from 4x6 to 5x7, for example, you automatically reduce the apparent size of each icon, as the system has to fit more objects in the same screen area, creating a shrinking effect without actually changing the shortcut image file.
This is particularly effective when combined with a smaller font size, a comprehensive approach that strikes the perfect balance between desktop space and user readability, and your device's Super AMOLED screen is great at rendering small details.
⚠️ Attention: When increasing the grid density (number of icons), make sure you can accurately hit the labels. Too small elements can make it difficult to control one hand.
Remember that changing the grid can cause widgets to shift. After applying the new settings, check if the widgets of weather, watches and news are displayed correctly, and if necessary, they will have to be reinstalled or resized.
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The optimal balance between icon size and usability is achieved experimentally: change one setting at a time and evaluate the result in everyday use.
Possible problems and solutions
When customizing the interface, users may encounter display artifacts, sometimes they may “go” or overlap or become unreadable, most often when using developer mode or incompatible themes.
If you notice strange interface behavior, the first thing you can do is reset the launcher settings, which you can do through the application menu by finding the MIUI Launcher (or the name of your launcher), and selecting Clear → All Data, which will return the grid and dimensions to factory values.
In rare cases, problems can be caused by the system cache. Cleaning the cache through the Recovery Mode menu or using the built-in cleaning in the Security app can help eliminate visual glitches. MIUI Updated to the last available.