How to increase icons on the Xiaomi desktop: from standard settings to hidden MIUI chips

Small icons on Xiaomi desktop are a common cause of discomfort, especially for users with vision problems or owners of smartphones with large screens (for example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or Xiaomi 13 Ultra). Fortunately, the MIUI system offers several ways to scale interface elements, but not all of them are obvious. In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods - from basic settings to advanced tricks using ADB and third-party launchers.

It's important to understand that the ability to resize icons depends on the version of the MIUI and the device model. For example, on the Poco F5 with MIUI 14, one option is available, and on the Redmi 10A with MIUI 12.5 - others. We tested the instructions on the current firmware 2023-2026, but if your smartphone Released before 2020, some points may be missing. Also note that changing system parameters through ADB can cause malfunctions in the shell - back up the data before experimenting.

1. Standard MIUI settings: screen scale and icon grid

The easiest way to increase icons is to change the display scale or pixel density (DPI), which works on all Xiaomi devices without root rights, but has limitations: along with the icons, the size of the fonts and other interface elements will change.

To scale up:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select Text Size and Display (Screen Size on some versions).
3. Move the slider to the right to zoom in on the elements. Available values: Small, Standard, Big, Very Large.
4. Click Apply and confirm the changes.

For more accurate configuration of the grid icons:

• 📱 Hold an empty space on the desktop → Select Screen Settings.
• 🔧 Find the option Grid Size (or Desktop Size).
• 📏 Select the minimum number of rows and columns (for example, 4×5 instead 5×6). The smaller the cells, the larger the icons will be.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Black Shark 5) have grid size locked, in which case use the methods in the following sections.

2.Use of third-party launchers: Nova Launcher and others

If standard MIUI settings don't work, install an alternative launcher. The best option for flexible icon settings is Nova Launcher (a free version available on Google Play), which allows you to resize icons regardless of the system's scale, customize indentations, and even apply custom themes.

Instructions for setting up Nova Launcher:

1. Install the launcher from Google Play and select it as the default launcher.
2. Click the empty space on the screen → Settings.
3. Go to the desk. → Size of icons.
4. Move the slider to the desired value (from 70% to 130%).
5. For additional options, click Additional Settings → Grid Size and select the number of rows/columns.

The advantages of Nova Launcher:

• 🎨 Support for adaptive icons (automatic change of shape under the theme).
• 📦 Ability to hide application icons without removing.
• 🔄 Flexible customization of gestures and animations.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ When using third-party launchers, weather widgets and system notifications may disappear. MIUI Weather by hand from APKMirror.

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

If you want to precisely manage the size of your icons without changing the scale of the entire interface, use the ADB-This method requires connecting a smartphone to a PC and basic command line knowledge, but gives you maximum flexibility.

Step-by-step:

1. Enable USB Debugging in the Developer Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version – Press 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers.
2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell settings put global icon_size_scale_factor 1.3

Where 1.3 is the scaling factor (range from 0.8 to 1.5).

To return the standard size, do:

adb shell settings delete global icon_size_scale_factor

Additional ADB-setup MIUI:

4. Hidden MIUI settings: Theme editor and lab

MIUI has hidden interface customization tools that are not advertised in the standard menu, one of which is the Theme Editor, which allows you to resize icons through theme system files.

How to use the topic editor:

1. Download and install a customization-enabled theme (e.g. MIUI Default or Dark Mode from the official theme store).
2. Open the topic → My → Edit the current topic.
3. Go to the Icons section and select Size.
4. Set the value between 80% and 120% and save the changes.

Another hidden section is MIUI Lab (not available on all devices) to open:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click 5 times in a row on the MIUI version.
3. Return to the main settings - a new item will appear Laboratory.
4. Find the option Scale of icons and set the desired value.

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If the Lab section doesn't appear, try searching for settings to search for "lab" (without quotes).

5 Manual editing of system files (requires root)

For the most advanced users, there is a way to resize icons by editing system files, a method that requires root rights and backups, as doing the wrong thing can lead to shell collapse.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /system/media/theme/default.
3. Find the file. icon_size.xml (or similar, depending on the version MIUI).
4. Open the file in the text editor and change the settings icon_width and icon_height (for example, 48dp on 64dp).
5. Save the changes, restart the device.

Example of file content icon_size.xml:

<resources>


<dimen name="icon_width">64dp</dimen>




<dimen name="icon_height">64dp</dimen>




<dimen name="icon_text_size">12sp</dimen>




</resources>

⚠️ Attention: Editing system files can cause bootloop (locking on the boot). /system through TWRP Or OrangeFox Recovery.

6. Alternative solutions: widgets and folders

If you can not increase the icons, consider alternative ways to organize the desktop:

• 📁 Folders: Combine frequently used apps into folders – this will reduce the number of icons on the screen.
• 📊 Widgets: Replace icons with a widget MIUI Shortcuts (available in the theme store).
• 🔍 Search: Use the swipe gesture down for quick app search instead of navigating icons.

To create a folder:

1. Press the app icon and drag it to another icon.
2. Let go, the folder will automatically be created.
3. Click on the name of the folder to rename it.

Advantages of this approach:

• ✅ No changes to system settings are required.
• ✅ It works on all versions. MIUI, including Xiaomi EU ROM.
• ✅ Allows you to group applications into categories (social networks, games, utilities).

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Widgets and folders are the only safe way to “enlarge” icons on devices with locked settings (for example, on corporate Xiaomi smartphones).

FAQ: Frequent questions about customizing icons on Xiaomi