Are you tired of the huge letters in SMS, Telegram or WhatsApp that take up half the screen? Or are the system notifications on Xiaomi displayed in such a large font that they don't fit in a line? The problem isn't your vision - this is a feature of MIUI firmware that defaults to using enlarged text for "convenience." But the good news is that font size can be reduced globally for the entire system, and selectively for individual applications.
In this article, we'll look at 5 proven ways, from standard MIUI settings to hidden developer settings to third-party utilities. Some work on all models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.), others depend on the firmware version. Importantly, some changes will require a device to restart, and individual chips (such as scaling through ADB) can be reset after the system update.
1. Global font reduction through MIUI settings
The most obvious and safe way to do this is to resize your text in your system settings, which will affect all apps, including messaging, messengers and phone menus, and is suitable for MIUI 12 and later (including MIUI 14 based on Android 13/14).
Instructions:
- 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon on the desktop).
- 🔍 Go to the Screen section. → Text size and display.
- 📉 Move the text size to the left to the value Small or Normal.
- 🔄 Apply changes and wait for the interface to restart (may take up to 10 seconds).
⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 10C, POCO M4 Pro) after changing the text size, the layout in system applications (for example, in Security or Themes) can be “move off” in this case, resetting the display settings to standard or updating the firmware will help.
☑️ What to check after changing the font
Change of font only in the standard appendix "Messages"
If you're happy with the size of text on the system, but you're annoyed with the large typeface in SMS, you can set the display separately. The standard Messages app from Xiaomi has a hidden zoom option.
How to reduce the font in SMS:
- Open the Messages app.
- Slip on three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
- Select Message Style → Text Size.
- Set the value of Small or Medium.
🔍 Important: On some firmware (MIUI 13 for Redmi Note 11) this item may not be available, in which case only a global resizing of text (see the first method) or installing a third-party messenger (for example, Google Messages) will help).
💡
If you don’t have a font change option in your SMS settings, try updating the app via Google Play – sometimes new features appear after an update.
3. Hidden developer settings to fine-tune the scale
For advanced users who need to change the pixel density (DPI) or interface scale to within 1%, developer mode is fine, and this method allows you to reduce the font even more than in standard settings, but requires caution.
How to turn on and use:
- Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
- Return to the main settings menu → Additional → For developers.
- Find the following items: Minimum width (set 360dp or 380dp for compact display); Element size (try 0.85x or 0.9x).
Reboot the phone.
| Parameter | Recommended value | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum width | 360dp | Reduces the size of all interface elements, including fonts |
| Scale of elements | 0.85x | Reduces the size of text and icons without affecting the layout |
| Window animation | Off. | Speeds up the interface (does not affect the font, but is useful) |
⚠️ Attention: Inept change of parameters DPI It can lead to incorrect display of applications (for example, in Instagram or banking programs). If the interface "breaks" after the changes, reset the developer's settings to standard or follow the command:
adb shell wm density reset4.Use of ADB to force font change
If previous methods have failed (e.g., on POCO F4 with MIUI 14), you can use ADB commands. This method allows you to change system parameters that are not available through the GUI.
Step-by-step:
- Install ADB Tools on your PC.
- Connect the phone to your computer and allow debugging over USB (in the developer settings).
- Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (macOS/Linux) Enter: adb shell settings put system font_scale 0.85 (where 0.85 — the desired scale, can be determined from 0.8 before 1.3).
- Reboot the phone.