How to increase the font in contacts on the Xiaomi phone: all ways for MIUI

Why Xiaomi Contacts Have Small Font and How to Fix It

Many Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners are facing the problem of too small a font in the Contacts app, especially for visually impaired users or those using their phone in the bright sun. Unlike the system font settings that change the size of text in all applications, contacts often ignore global settings, due to the features of the MIUI shell, where the Contacts app has its own display settings.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working ways to increase the font in your contacts on Xiaomi, including hidden MIUI settings, third-party apps, and even manual editing of system files for advanced users. All methods have been tested on the latest firmware versions (MIUI 14/13 based on Android 13/12) and are relevant for models from 2020-2026. If you use the old version of MIUI (up to 12.5), some items may be missing – we will warn you about this separately.

Before you start settings, make sure that the problem is the font size, not the screen zoom. To do this, check: Settings → Display → Text size. If you have the maximum value here, but the text is still small in the contacts, go to our instructions.

Method 1: Scaling changes in special features settings

The easiest and safest method is to use built-in features, which do not require root rights and works on all versions of MIUI.

1. Open Settings → Special Opportunities → Increase.
2. Activate the switch Large text.
3. In the Screen Size section, move the slider to the right to a comfortable size (recommended 125% or 150%).
4. Return to the main menu of special features and turn on the option Magnifying glass (useful for viewing small details).

This method increases the font in all system applications, including contacts, but it has a disadvantage: if you scale more than 150%, some interface elements can go beyond the screen. AMOLED-displays (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) at a scale of 150% can slightly deteriorate the clarity of the text due to software increase.

Make sure the font in the contacts is bigger

Scroll through the list - are there any cropped items?

Check the names and numbers in the contact card

Open the keyboard when editing - have the buttons moved off?

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Method 2: Manually change the settings of the Contacts app

The Contacts app in MIUI has hidden display settings that are not visible in the main menu.

1. Launch the Contacts app.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Scroll down to the Additional section and tap the font size (on some firmware this item is called Display).
4. Choose one of the options: Small, Medium, Large or Very Large.

If you don't have font size on the menu, your version of MIUI doesn't support it, then try an alternative way:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Memory → Clear data

After cleaning the data, the application will reset to the factory settings, and the font size option may appear. Attention: this will delete all your contact groups and favorite numbers (the contacts themselves synchronized with the account). Google/Mi, remain).

Method 3: Using ADB to force font change (for advanced ones)

If standard methods don’t work, you can manually change display settings via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which requires connecting your phone to your computer and basic command line knowledge, and is suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the Poco F4, Redmi K50 and Mi 11 Ultra.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux
• 📱 USB-cable (original)
• 🔧 Installed drivers ADB (You can download from the Android Studio website)
• 🔒 Included debugging by USB phone-on

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode on your phone: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap it 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and activate Debugging over USB.
3. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell settings put system font_scale 1.3

Where 1.3 is the zoom factor (you can set it from 1.0 to 1.5). For very large fonts, use 1.5, but note that this can lead to cropping of interface elements.

To return the standard size, enter:

adb shell settings put system font_scale 1.0

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If some apps start to glittle after changing the font through ADB (for example, the layout in messengers has gone off), try restarting the phone. This will reset the display cache.

Method 4: Install an alternative “Contact” application

If the built-in MIUI settings don’t work, consider using third-party contact management apps. They often offer more flexible display settings. Best options for Xiaomi are:

To transfer contacts to the new app:

1. Export contacts from the standard application: Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to the device (the.vcf file will be saved).
2. Install the selected application from the table above.
3. Import contacts through a similar import menu.

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Third-party applications may not support some MIUI features, such as fast dialing over T9 or integration with system calls. Before fully transitioning, test your chosen application throughout the day.

Method 5: Editing System Files (requires root)

This is an extreme method for power users willing to risk system stability, which involves manually changing the framework-res.apk or miui-systemui.apk files, where font display parameters are stored. Attention: improper actions can lead to a “bootloop” (locked phone load) or loss of warranty.

What you need:

• 📱 Root rights (you can get them through Magisk)
• 💻 Editorial APK-files (e.g. APKTool)
• 🔧 Knowledge of working with XML-file
• 📁 Backup of the system (required!)

Instructions:

1. Backup your phone with TWRP or Mi Flash Tool.
2. Download APKTool and unpack /system/framework/framework-res.apk.
3. In the res/values folder, find the dimens.xml file.
4. Change the parameters that are responsible for the size of the text (look for lines with textSize).
5. Collect the APK back and run it through TWRP.

Example of lines to edit in dimens.xml:

<dimen name="contact_list_item_text_size">18sp</dimen>


<dimen name="contact_detail_name_size">22sp</dimen>

Where 18sp and 22sp are font sizes in scalable pixels (can be increased to 24sp-30sp).

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Before editing system files, check if there are already ready-made modified APKs for your Xiaomi model on the Internet. For example, the XDA-Developers forum often posts patches for popular devices.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change the font size in your Xiaomi contacts, users experience typical errors, and here’s how to avoid or fix them:

⚠️ Note: If, after changing the font, ADB or root stopped working system calls, reset the settings of the application “Phone” (Settings) → Annexes → Phone. → Warehouse → Clear the data. This will bring back the standard call parameters, but it won't affect the contacts.

Problem 1: The font has changed, but the contact names are being cut.

• 🔹 Reduce the scale in Settings → Special facilities → Screen size up to 125%.
• 🔹 Include in contacts display only names (without surnames): Settings → Name format → Show only the name.

Problem 2: After the MIUI update, the font size has reset.

• 🔹 Repeat the settings from Method 1 or Method 2 – they apply over updates.
• 🔹 If you've used ADB, Re-run the command (updates reset user settings put).

Problem 3: Some contacts have large fonts, some have small ones.

• 🔹 This is due to different formatting of names (e.g. Cyrillic vs. Latin). Try editing problematic contacts by adding a space at the end of the name.
• 🔹 Clear the cache of the Contacts app (Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → Memory. → Clear the cache).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions