Many Xiaomi and Poco smartphone owners are faced with the need to change the visual design of their desktops sooner or later, most often because standard icons seem too small, especially on high-resolution screens or people with visual impairments. MIUI, and now HyperOS, provides flexible tools for personalization, but not all of them are on the surface.
Changing the size of interface elements is not just a matter of aesthetics; the comfort of use directly affects speed and eye fatigue. If you have to look to figure out which application to run, it creates an extra burden. Fortunately, Xiaomi's shell has several mechanisms that allow you to solve this problem without third-party software.
In this article, we will look at all the available methods, from built-in system settings to installing alternative launchers, learn how scaling fonts and elements works, and why it affects icons, and discuss the topic of security and stability of the system when making changes to standard display parameters.
📊 What is most important to you in the smartphone interface?
Big icons.
Minimalist design
High productivity
Long-term battery life
Built-in theme and font settings
The easiest and safest way to change the visual experience of the desktop is to use standard system tools. In the settings Xiaomi and Poco has a parameter that directly affects the size of text tags and, as a result, the overall perception of space by icons. Go to Settings → Screen and brightness → Text size and display.
So here you'll see a slider that scales, and when you move it to the right, not only does the signature font of the apps increase, but the space between the elements, and the system automatically recalculates the desktop grid, which means that the visual weight of the icons gets bigger, even if the physical size of the icons changes slightly in pixels.
It's worth noting that over-enlargement of the font can cause app signatures to crop or overlap, and in some design themes, this looks sloppy, so it's recommended that you pick a value that's readable but doesn't break the integrity of the interface.
⚠️ Note: With a strong zoom in, some elements of the system menu may become unreadable or go beyond the screen, which will require resetting the display settings.
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Use the “Preview” feature in the font settings to see immediately how the changes will affect the desktop and settings menu.
Besides size, style is important. Some of the themes in the MIUI Themes store initially have larger, bolder graphics. Changing the theme is a quick way to resize icons globally. Go to the Themes app, pick a design you like, and apply it. Often, the theme description will indicate whether it is optimized for large fonts.
Changes in screen resolution and DPI
A more advanced method that requires caution is to change the density of dots per inch (DPI) or screen resolution, which allows you to actually increase the physical size of all interface elements, including icons, buttons and input fields.
To get into the hidden menu, go to Settings → About the phone and press 7 times in a row on the item "Version" MIUI» or "Version" OS». After the “You Become a Developer” notification appears, go back to the main settings menu and find the “More” section» → «For developers».
Within this section, you are interested in the “Minimum Width” (or “Smallest Width”) item. The default value is usually around 360-390 dp. Reducing this number will cause the system to have to display less content on the screen, and all elements, including icons, will become larger.
Risks of changing DPI
If you set a low value (for example, less than a low value). 300 dp, the interface may become so large that you can't press the back or OK button, which will require resetting data via Recovery (DPI) 390 dp 320 - 340 dp Significant enlargement of all elements Screen resolution Maximum Average (HD+) Icons get sharper and bigger Standard Large only enlarges the text of the captions Be careful when you change these parameters. DPI If the screen has turned black or does not respond to touch after changing the values, try to quickly press the combination of volume and power buttons to restart the device, or wait for an automatic timeout reset. If the standard features of the Xiaomi shell do not suit you, the best solution is to install a third-party launcher. This application completely replaces the desktop, application menu and often the status bar. The most popular and stable options are Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher and Smart Launcher. Once you install such a launcher, you have full control of the desktop grid, you can reduce the number of icons in the row, which automatically increases their size. For example, going off the grid. 5x6 on 4x5 Make each item much larger and more convenient to press. 📱 Nova Launcher: Allows you to customize the size of each icon individually or globally, and change the signature style. 🎨 Microsoft Launcher: Offers handy widgets and large, readable Fluent Design icons. 🚀 Smart Launcher: Automatically sorts applications and offers large, finger-adapted interface elements. ☑️ Installation of a new launcher Download APK From Play MarketInstall and open the application Click Home and select a new launcher by default Set up the grid and icon size in the launcher settings menu: 0 / 4 It is important to understand that when installing a third-party desktop, you may lose some of the functionality associated with deep integration. MIUI, For example, double-press gestures or specific swipes in the curtain, but for the task of magnifying icons, this is often the only complete solution. In the shell itself Xiaomi has a built-in function of changing the desktop grid, which is often ignored by users. It allows you to change the number of rows and columns without installing additional applications. You go into desktop editing mode (do a pinch with two fingers or press a long time on an empty space) and select Settings. Here you will see layout options. By choosing a option with fewer cells (for example, 4x6 instead of 5x7), you will force the system to stretch the icons into available space. It is a simple but effective method. It does not require superuser rights and is completely reversible in one click. However, this method has a limitation: the standard shell of MIUI does not always give different themes in proportion to the way that the layouts can be changed in the way, and the way that different themes can be disparate in the previous ones. ⚠️ Note: Some system widgets (calendar, weather) may not display correctly when a non-standard grid, taking up too much space or cropping at the edges. Compatibility issues and interface bugs When trying to increase the size of icons, users may encounter artifacts. This is often because graphic elements in older or poorly optimized applications are fixed in size and when zooming in, become "soapy" or pixelated.This is especially noticeable on high-resolution screens (Full). HD Another common problem is the "got" layout in the settings menu or system applications. DPI or font size is too strong, buttons in dialog boxes may become inaccessible to press. In this case, it helps to temporarily reset availability settings or use voice control to return to the original values. MIUI. Sometimes, after updating the firmware, zoom settings may fly or apply incorrectly. In such cases, it is recommended to clear the cache of the Themes and System application. UI», to reset the graphic caches. 🐞 Blurring of text: Occurs with strong digital zooming of raster icons. 📐 Indentation Violation: Elements can overlap in contact or message lists. 🔄 Reset the interface: The system can force the desktop to restart when incompatible settings are applied. If you notice that the phone has started to work slower after the changes, try reducing the number of live wallpapers or widgets on the desktop. Enlarged elements require more GPU resources to render animations and transitions. FAQ: Frequently asked questions Will increasing icons affect battery consumption? The size of the icons alone does not affect power consumption. However, if you use complex live wallpapers or widgets that increase with the icons, battery consumption can increase slightly due to the more active GPU. Can only increase a specific icon? Standard MIUI means do this. To change the size of an individual icon, you will need to install a third-party launcher, such as Nova Launcher, which increases with the icon size, usually allows for the editing of the system. However, the parameters changed through the developer mode (DPI), They can be reset to factory values after a major firmware update or reset. Why did icons become square after zooming in? It depends on the theme chosen. Some themes force icons to change shape as they scale. Try changing the topic to standard or classic in the “Themes” app». 💡To return to the factory display settings without losing data, it is enough in the “For developers” menu to find the settings reset point or simply restart the device to safe mode and exit it.