How to reduce the icons on the phone Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series is well-deservedly popular due to its combination of affordable price and powerful hardware. However, the standard MIUI interface is often overloaded with large controls, which may not suit users who are used to minimalism or want to see more information on the screen, and the visual issue is especially acute when using the device with one hand or when viewing content in a horizontal orientation.

Redmi Note 7 owners often find that app icons take up too much usable space and text seems cumbersome. Fortunately, MIUI provides flexible tools to customize the look without having to get superuser rights. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can optimize your desktop space and customize the display of items to your personal preferences.

Before you go to radical methods like installing third-party launchers, you should exhaust the capabilities of the standard system. Competent system settings will keep the device stable and the original design of the interface. You will learn how changing the font size affects the dimensions of icons, what hidden engineer menus are available on the Redmi Note 7 and how to safely experiment with the theme design.

Use of built-in MIUI display settings

The easiest and safest way to change the visual experience of the interface is to go to the standard settings menu. In the MIUI shell installed on the Redmi Note 7, font and screen size are closely interrelated. The resizing of the font automatically adjusts the size of many interface elements, including the application icons in the menu and on the desktop.

You start by opening the Settings app and finding the Display section, and you're interested in Text Size, and as you move the slider down, you'll notice that not only the text changes, but the overall element density changes, and this is an Android feature that Xiaomi developers use to adapt the interface to different screen diagonals.

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Changing the font size is the safest method that does not violate the warranty and does not require the installation of additional software.

It's worth noting that over-sizing fonts can make text unreadable, so it's important to find a balance. If you don't have a standard setting range, you can use advanced settings. Text Size menus often require you to click on the menu button or a special gear icon to open the full range of values available.

In addition to text, Redmi Note 7 has a customization of the interface element size. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Interface Element Size. Here you will see a scale where you can select a value from Small to Large. Setting a value of Small (XS or S) will significantly reduce the indentations between icons and their own dimensions, allowing you to place more widgets and shortcuts on a single screen.

Adjust the screen density through the engineering menu

For more advanced users who want to maximize their impact, there is a pixel density change (DPI) method that determines how many dots are displayed per inch of the screen. Increasing the DPI value makes the system think the screen has a higher resolution, which makes all the elements, including icons, become smaller.

To access these settings, you need to activate the Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7-10 times on MIUI Version. Once the "You've Been a Developer" notification appears, go back to the main settings menu, select Advanced Settings → For Developers. Find the "Draw" section and the "Smallest width" option.

⚠️ Warning: Be extremely careful when changing the minimum width value.Write too high (for example, above 600 for the Redmi Note 7) can make the interface unreadable or lead to a "brickle" system when you can not see anything on the screen to return the settings.

The standard density value for the Redmi Note 7 is usually around 392-411 dpi. An increase of this value by 20-30 units will give a noticeable result without critical consequences for readability.

This affects the entire system globally, not only by reducing icons, but also the keyboard, notification panels and elements in applications, creating the feeling of working with a tablet or a higher-resolution device, but some applications may not display correctly if they are not adapted to non-standard density values.

Application of themes and third-party launchers

If the system settings don't work, the themes come to the rescue. The MIUI theme store contains thousands of options, many of which have unique icon sets, and some themes are specifically designed with minimalism and reduced graphic elements in mind.

To install the theme, open the Themes app, find your favorite design, and click Download. After applying the theme, the icons will be replaced with new ones that may be visually smaller or smaller than standard ones. It is important to check the theme compatibility with your version of Android and MIUI to avoid display errors.

An alternative and very effective solution is to install a third-party launcher, applications like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher allow you to control the size of icons with pixel accuracy, and once you install such a launcher, it becomes your main desktop.

In the third-party launcher settings, there is usually a separate Desktop or Icon section where you can set the grid size (for example, 6x6 or 7x7 instead of the standard 5x5) and manually zoom in on the icons themselves, which gives you maximum flexibility and allows you to create a unique interface that fully meets your requirements.

• 📱 Nova Launcher – a classic customization with a huge number of grid settings and icon sizes.
• 🎨 Microsoft Launcher – Minimalist design and great optimization for one-handed operation.
• 🚀 Smart Launcher – automatically sorts applications and offers compact widgets.
• ⚡ Niagara Launcher – an ultra-minimalist list of applications that takes up minimum space.

Comparison of methods of changing the size of the interface

The right method depends on your technical skills and goals, and each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages, and to make it easier for you to decide, we have prepared a comparative table of basic methods of setting up.

As you can see from the table, for most users, a combination of standard font settings and element sizes is the best option, which balances functionality and security, and only requires advanced users who understand the risks.

Using third-party launchers is a “middle ground” for those who want to radically change the appearance without risking the stability of the system. The launcher can be removed at any time and the phone will return to its original state, which is impossible to do quickly after an erroneous change in the DPI.

Optimizing the workspace without changing icons

Sometimes the problem is not the size of the icons themselves, but the organization of the space. Redmi Note 7 has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen, which gives you a lot of vertical space. Proper use of folders and widgets can visually unload the interface.

Create application-themed folders, like merging all social networks into one social networking folder, and tools into Utilities, and folders take up the place of a single icon, but store them inside up to 20 apps, which reduces the number of shortcuts on the home screen by several times.

Also, look at widgets. Large weather or news widgets can take up half the screen. Replace them with compact counterparts or use list widgets. MIUI has tool widgets that take up just one grid cell, but provide quick access to a flashlight, calculator or recorder.

Another useful tip is to use Full-screen gestures mode. Turning off the on-screen navigation buttons ("Home", "Back") frees up the lower bar of the screen, which can be used to accommodate another row of icons or widgets. You can switch to gestures from the Settings → Full Screen menu.

Possible problems and solutions

You may encounter artifacts in the process of setting up, such as when you change the DPI, some applications can go, buttons can go out of the screen and text can overlap, and in these cases, resetting the settings of a particular application or returning the original density value helps.

If the interface becomes unreadable immediately after the developer changes its settings, try pressing the combination of the on and volume buttons (the combination may vary depending on the version of MIUI) quickly to trigger the reboot menu, or wait for an automatic timeout reset if this feature is active.

With third-party launchers, there is sometimes increased battery consumption or animation lag.This is because a third-party application consumes processor resources. For the Redmi Note 7 with its Snapdragon 660 processor, optimized launchers work well, but heavy themes can slow things down.

⚠️ Note: When installing launchers from unreliable sources, you risk passing personal data to third parties. use only the official Google Play store and check developer reviews.

Also, remember that MIUI updates can reset some custom settings, especially those that have been changed through hidden menus. After a major firmware update, it is recommended to check the display settings and reconfigure them if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The best way to reduce icons on the Redmi Note 7 is to combine the “Size of UI Elements” setting in the standard menu and use a lightweight third-party launcher to fine-tune the grid.