How to increase icons on Xiaomi: all the ways from standard to hidden

Icons on Xiaomi’s screen seem too small? You’re not alone — many users experience discomfort when using standard icon sizes in MIUI. Especially relevant is the problem for owners of devices with large screens (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or POCO F5), where small icons are lost on the desktop, or for people with visual disabilities. Fortunately, the manufacturer and the development community offer several ways to solve this problem, from basic settings to advanced modifications.

In this article, we will discuss all the available methods for increasing icons on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones running MIUI 12-15, including:

• 🔧 Standard launcher settings MIUI (rootless)
• 📱 Use of alternative launchers (Nova, Apex, Hyperion)
• 💻 ADB-commands for hidden parameters
• 🔄 Editing system files (requires root)
• 🎨 Themes and packages of icons with enlarged icons

Important: Not all methods are universal, ADB-Teams may not work on some versions. MIUI For global firmware, and editing system files will require unlocking the bootloader.

1. Standard MIUI settings: resize icons without third-party tools

Since MIUI 12, the manufacturer has added limited desktop customization capabilities, a method that is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices (except for models with lightweight MIUI Lite firmware).

To increase icons with standard means:

1. Long press on the free desktop space → select Screen Settings.
2. Go to the icon size section (or desktop layout in some versions).
3. Move the slider to the right to increase the size (usually 3-5 positions are available).
4. Click Ready and confirm the changes.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 The maximum size is often not sufficient for comfortable use.
• 🔄 The changes only apply to desktop icons, not the app menu.
• 📵 On some devices (e.g. Redmi) 9A s MIUI 12.5) the option may not be available.

If the standard settings don't work, move on to the next one, and for those who want to understand why Xiaomi is restricting customization, let's go into the details:

2.Alternative launchers: Nova Launcher, Apex, Hyperion

Installing a third-party launcher is the most reliable way to gain full control over the size of the icons.

• 🌟 Nova Launcher – supports icon scaling up to 150%, flexible grid settings and gestures.
• 📱 Apex Launcher – a simple interface with the ability to resize icons and text below them.
• 🔥 Hyperion Launcher – optimized for Xiaomi, retains branded chips MIUI (For example, Second Space).

Instructions for Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Long press on the desktop → Settings → Desktop.
3. Select the size of the icons and move the slider (available up to 150%).
4. To change the size of the text under the icons, go to Settings → Appearance → Font size of the icon.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Full freedom of customization (including animations, gestures, concealment of elements).
• ⚡ It works on all versions. MIUI Android.
• 🔄 The ability to return the standard launcher at any time.

Note: Some features (such as Double Tap to Sleep) may conflict with Xiaomi’s signature gestures.

💡

Turn off conflicting gestures in MIUI settings: Settings → Additional settings → Gestures and buttons → System gestures

3. ADB-commands MIUI

If you do not want to install third-party launchers, but standard settings are not enough, you can use the ADB-commands to change hidden parameters MIUI. This method works on most devices without root rights, but requires a connection to a computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on Smartphone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode) Settings → Additional Settings → Developers → Debugging on USB
2. Connect the device to the PC and execute the command to ADB: adb shell settings put global icon_size_scale 1.5 (where 1.5 — The scaling factor can be specified from 1.0 before 2.0).
3. Reboot your smartphone.

Possible coefficient values and effect:

Important: On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 14 for POCO F4), the command may reset after the system update, in which case it will have to be run again.

💡

ADB-Teams are the only way to change the size of icons in the app menu without root rights.

If the team does not work, check:

• 🔌 Correctness of connection by USB (file transfer).
• 📋 Version MIUI — Other parameters can be used on Chinese firmware.
• 🔄 Existence of rights ADB (confirmation request on the smartphone screen).

4. editing system files (requires root)

For advanced users who are ready to get root rights, a method of direct editing of system files is available, which allows you to change the size of icons globally, including the application menu and system dialogues.

Instructions:

1. Get root rights (for example, through Magisk).
2. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
3. Go to /system/media/theme/default/com.android.systemui
4. Open the file. styles.xml and find a line: <dimen name="icon_size">48dp</dimen>
5. Change the 48dp value to the desired one (for example, 72dp to increase by 50%).
6. Save the file, set the rights to 644, and restart the device.

Risks of the method:

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing styles.xml This can lead to an infinite bootloop. Before you change, back up your file! on some devices (e.g. Xiaomi). 12T s MIUI 14) system partition is mounted in read-only mode - an additional mount command will be required -o rw,remount /system.

Alternative method (without editing XML):

• 📁 Use Magisk modules such as MIUI Modding or QuickSwitch.
• 🔧 Apply the patch via the Xposed Framework (if supported by your version of Android).

5. Themes and icon packages with enlarged icons

If you don't want to mess around with the settings, you can set a theme or icon package that is initially larger than the standard icons, a method that doesn't require root rights and is suitable for all Xiaomi devices.

Where to look for topics:

• 🎨 Topics MIUI (built-in application) - filter by the size of the icons.
• 🌐 Sites like MIUI Themes Editor – Custom themes from the community.
• 📦 Icon Packs on Google Play (such as Fluid Icon Pack or CandyCons).

How to apply the topic:

1. Open the Themes app on your smartphone.
2. In the search, type in a request like big icons or large icons.
3. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
4. For icon packages from Google Play, select them in the launcher settings after installation.

Popular themes with large icons:

Limitation: Themes only change the visual display, but do not affect system dialogs (e.g., icons in the notification bar will remain standard sized).

6. Additional Customization Tips

In addition to resizing the icons, you can improve the usability of Xiaomi in other ways:

• 📏 Change the desktop grid: in the launcher settings, reduce the number of rows/columns (for example, with the 5×6 before 4×5), So that the icons automatically increase.
• 🔍 Font scaling: Settings → Screen. → Font size (affects the text under the icons).
• 🎨 Color filters: for better readability, activate Settings → Special facilities → Color filter (useful for color blindness).

For devices with MIUI 14+, the “Super Wallpaper” function is available, which automatically adjusts the size of the icons to the background:

⚠️ Note: When using "Super Wallpaper", manual adjustment of icon size may reset. → Wallpaper. → Super wallpaper if you plan to customize badges manually.

If you often switch between different icon sizes, create profiles in Nova Launcher or use the Tasker app to automatically apply settings depending on the time of day.

FAQ: Frequent questions about increasing icons on Xiaomi