How to increase text on your Xiaomi phone

Many smartphone users are faced with a situation where the standard font size seems too small for comfortable reading, this may be due to age-related changes in vision, features of a particular screen model, or simply personal preferences. Xiaomi devices running MIUI shells or the new HyperOS have a flexible system for customizing the display of content.

Unlike many competitors, the Chinese manufacturer allows you to change not only the size of the letters, but also the scale of the entire interface, which makes working with the gadget accessible to people with low vision. It is important to understand that the increase of elements affects the amount of information that fits on a single screen.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, from basic system settings to hidden features for developers, learn how to configure the font so that reading news and messages in messengers does not cause eye strain, and touch on specific modes, such as Second Space and Read Mode, which can dramatically change the perception of text.

Basic setting of font size in the system menu

The easiest and most effective way to change the display of text is to use the standard settings menu, which does not require installing third-party software and works consistently on all current versions of the firmware, and first you need to unlock the device and find the Settings icon on the home screen or in the notification curtain.

In the list of options that opens, you should scroll down to the Screen and Brightness section, and this is where the main visual management tools are concentrated. In some versions of the shell, this item may be simply called "Screen" or located inside the "Additional Settings" category, but the layout logic remains similar.

When you go to the screen menu, look for text size, and if you click on it, you'll see a slider with multiple divisions, and if you move the token to the right, you'll increase the size of the characters in real time, and the system immediately shows the changes, so you can get the optimal value without any experimentation.

Note that when you zoom in, some interface elements can go or overlap. This is normal for applications that aren't adapted to large fonts. In standard Xiaomi applications, the layout is usually rearranged correctly.

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If the app icons have become too large after changing the text size, check the separate Element Size setting in the same menu to calibrate them regardless of the letters.

An important nuance to note is that changing this setting affects system fonts, but does not always affect the content of web pages or text within some games. There is a separate feature for global scaling of all screen content, which will be discussed below. The basic setting primarily concerns menus, messages, contacts and system notifications.

Changing the scale of interface elements

If you don't have enough font size to zoom in on all the elements at once -- icons, buttons, input fields -- you should use the zoom function, which is often confused with text size, but it's responsible for the density of objects on the display (DPI in Android terms).

This option is usually next to the font settings. → Screen and brightness look for element size or Scale. Moving the slider to the right will cause all objects on the screen to become larger and their number on one page will decrease.

This is especially useful for older people who have difficulty getting to the small buttons, and zooming in makes the interface more airy and easy to navigate with a finger, but at maximum value, some menus will have to scroll for much longer.

• 📱 Comfort: Enlarged buttons reduce the number of random clicks and errors when entering text.
• 👁️ Readability: Pictures and graphics in news feeds are getting bigger and more detailed.
• 🔋 Energy consumption: On OLED-displaying large black elements may slightly save charge, but in general the effect on the battery is minimal.

There is also a hidden possibility of finer tuning through the engineering menu, but it is not recommended for ordinary users because of the risk of knocking down the touchscreen calibration.Standard MIUI tools are usually enough for 95% of use cases. If the standard magnification range is not enough, you can turn to special availability modes.

Use of high contrast mode and large text

The Android operating system that HyperOS is built on, has powerful tools for people with disabilities, can be useful to anyone who wants to make text as large and contrasting as possible, accessed through Advanced Settings or Special Features.

This is the Large Text Switch, which, unlike the normal typeface setting, ignores the minimum size constraints set by the app developers, and it forces text to be enlarged even in programs that don't normally respond to changes in the system font.

⚠️ Attention: Enabling the “Close Text” mode may cause some applications to crop or climb beyond the screen, as the layout does not have time to adapt.

Also in this section, the option High Contrast Text is often found, and it adds black framing to white letters, which greatly improves readability in colorful backgrounds or in bright sunlight, and it doesn't increase the size of the letters physically, but visually makes them more massive and noticeable.

The combination of the usual font zoom and special features mode allows you to achieve extreme text sizes, but you should use them simultaneously with caution, since navigating the menu can become difficult due to the fact that only a couple of lines will fit on the screen.

Configuring fonts through the theme of design

One of the unique features of Xiaomi's ecosystem is the Theme app, which allows you not only to change icons and wallpaper, but also to replace the system font with another. Some third-party fonts initially have larger and bolder characters, which solves the problem without zoom sliders.

To do this, open the Themes app, go to your profile (a human icon) and select the Fonts section. The catalog offers many free and paid options. Look for fonts marked "Large", "Bold" or just visually rate them in the preview.

Once installed, it applies to the entire system, affecting menus, settings, standard apps, and many third-party programs that use the system font library. However, in some heavy games or applications with a proprietary layout (for example, Viber or Telegram in some modes), the font may remain the same.

• 🎨 Style: The ability to choose not only a large, but also a more pleasant font without serifs for the eyes.
• 🔄 Flexibility: You can change fonts quickly depending on your mood or situation.
• ⚠️ Compatibility: Not all third-party fonts support Cyrillic or correctly display special characters.

It is recommended to use only the built-in directory or proven resources. If after installing the font, the phone started to work slower, try resetting the font settings to the standard ones.

Reading regime and vision protection

While this mode does not directly enlarge text, it has a significant impact on perception: Reading Mode (or Reading Mode) changes the color temperature of the screen to make it warmer, and can use a monochrome filter, which reduces eye strain, allowing you to focus on small text longer without fatigue.

You can activate the function through the quick-set curtain or in the Settings menu → Screen and brightness → Reading Mode. Here you can set settings for individual applications. For example, you can set the automatic turn on mode only for browsers or books, leaving the colors saturated for viewing photos.

There is also an Eye Safety (or Anti-Flicker) feature that eliminates screen flickering at low brightness. For people with sensitive vision, turning on this option makes text more stable and clear, indirectly making it easier to read even standard font sizes.

By combining these tools, you can create the perfect reading environment, such as using a standard font with eye protection on during the day, and switching to a larger font and warm spectrum in the evening. Xiaomi’s flexibility allows you to customize your device as accurately as possible.

Hidden features and settings for developers

For advanced users who lack standard tools, there is a Developer Menu, which you can access by 7 quick clicks on the build number in the About Phone section, and there are powerful interface management tools that hide behind it.

Find the Minimum Width (or Smallest Width) setting. The default value is usually around 360-411 dp. Reducing this number leads to an increase in all interface elements, similar to a scale slider, but with higher step accuracy. Change the value gradually, by 10-20 units, so that the interface is not unusable.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t set too low (less than 200 dp) as the interface can become so large that you won’t be able to click the Back button or get into settings to return everything as it was.

You can also find animation settings here: Accelerating window animation and transitions doesn't increase text, but it does make the interface more responsive, which subjectively improves the experience, especially if the large font makes navigation slower.

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The developer menu gives access to the exact DPI calibration, but requires caution: write down the original value before the changes so you can go back.

Another useful option in this section is Forced Scaling, which allows you to make applications that don't support resizing items look better on larger screens or with custom font settings, but the results can be unpredictable in any particular application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)