How to increase the icons of applications on Android Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the need to personalize the interface for ease of use. One of the most popular features is resizing items on the desktop, in particular, app icons. This is especially true for users with reduced vision or those who prefer large and bright navigation elements. Standard settings of the shell MIUI or HyperOS allow you to flexibly manage this parameter without resorting to complex manipulation.

But not everyone knows that there are multiple levels of zoom in Android that affect the final icon size. Basic customization is just the tip of the iceberg. Deep customization is possible through hidden developer menus and additional utilities. In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways, from simple switches to advanced methods of system customization.

It's important to understand that magnifying some interface elements can affect how others are displayed. For example, resizing the font often automatically changes the size of the icons. So you need a comprehensive approach to adjusting the visual style of your device. We'll look at each method Step-by-step so you can choose the best option for your smartphone model.

Basic setting of icon size through the theme of design

The easiest and safest way to resize icons is to use built-in theme tools. MIUI and HyperOS shells give users access to an extensive design library where grid settings and element sizes may vary. To get started, you need to open the standard Theme app, which is preinstalled on all devices of the brand.

Inside the app, go to the profile section (usually the human icon in the lower right corner) and select the theme settings. Here you will find System settings or System UI tuner. In some firmware versions, this item may be called "Font size and display." This is where the basic interface scale is adjusted.

The font size slider directly affects how text captions under icons look, but in many themes it also scales the graphic elements themselves. As you move the slider to the right, you'll notice the elements getting bigger. However, this method has limitations: if the theme doesn't support dynamic sizing, the icons may crop or look incorrect.

To achieve the best result, it is recommended to choose themes marked “Large Icons” or “Big Icons” in the description. These designs are originally designed with enlarged graphic elements in mind. After applying the theme, changes take effect immediately, and a reboot of the device is usually not required.

⚠️ Note: When installing third-party themes from unofficial sources, always check the permissions they request.Some themes may have access to your personal data or contain promotional modules.

If the standard settings do not give the desired effect, you can use the “Second Space” function or create a new profile with a different topic to test different design options without risk to the main system.

Use of screen scaling mode

A more effective method than simply changing the theme is to change the pixel density or screen zoom mode.This feature is built into Android and is available on all modern Xiaomi smartphones.It allows you to change the amount of content displayed per inch, which visually increases all elements, including app icons, widgets and menus.

To access these settings, go to the Settings menu and select the Screen section. In the options list, look for Text Size and Display (or Screen Scaling). Here you will see a slider that changes the scale of the interface in real time. Shifting to the right makes all the elements larger, while reducing the screen workspace.

This is considered the most stable method, because it changes the system parameter DPI (dots per inch) at the software level, unlike that, scaling the screen is guaranteed to increase the icons in all launchers and system menus, which is especially useful for older people or users with visual impairments.

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Before you zoom in, take a screenshot of your current settings, and if the interface becomes uncomfortable, you can quickly reset the values back to the stored image.

It's worth noting that over-scale can cause some applications to display incorrectly, that the interface layout can go, and that buttons can become too big to be easily pressed with one finger, so it's important to find a balance between readability and functionality.

After the settings change, the system may suggest a reboot. It is recommended to agree that all Android services correctly recalculate the new display settings, which will ensure stable operation of the touchscreen and prevent possible interface lags.

Setting the size of the desktop grid

Another effective way to make icons visually larger is to reduce the number of cells in the desktop grid, so when there are fewer apps on the screen, the system automatically gives more space to each icon, a simple but effective method that doesn't require deep intervention in the system's settings.

To change the grid, do a long tap on the empty space of the desktop or use a pinch gesture with two fingers. In the bottom menu, select Settings (the gear icon). Find the Grid or Layout option. Here you will be asked to choose a configuration, for example, 4x6, 5x5 or 6x4.

If you choose a grid with fewer columns and rows (like 4x5 instead of 5x6), you force the MIUI launcher to increase the size of each cell. App icons will take up more space and the distance between them will become more comfortable for accurate finger hits. This method is especially relevant for devices with a screen diagonal of less than 6 inches.

Keep in mind that reducing the number of cells reduces the total number of applications that can be placed on a single screen, you will have to use swipes or the Tools folder more often to get to all programs, but it is often worth it to improve ergonomics and readability.

Also available in grid settings is the option “Enlarged Icons” (unless it is hidden in your firmware version), activating this switch forcibly changes the style of display of shortcuts to a larger one, ignoring the standard sizes set by the theme developer.

Advanced Methods: Developer Menu and ADB

For users who lack standard tools, there are deeper customization methods that allow you to change the minimum screen width (Smallest Width) in the DPI, which gives you more accurate control over the size of the elements than a normal zoom slider.

First, activate the developer menu. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on MIUI Version (or OS Version). After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the main settings menu, open Additional → For developers.

In the list of engineering options, find Smallest Width. The default value is usually around 360-390 DPI. Reducing this number (for example, to 320) will make the interface elements larger. Be careful not to set too low values (less than 200), as the interface may become unreadable or the system will cease to react.

To make things even more subtle, you can use a computer and an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) utility, and by connecting your smartphone over USB with debugging enabled, you can type a command to change the density of the screen with high accuracy. The command is: adb shell wm density 320, which allows you to set a size that is not available through the standard menu.

⚠️ Note: Change of parameters through ADB or the developer menu can cause the system to run in an unstable way.

Using these techniques gives you maximum flexibility, but requires technical literacy, and if you are not sure about your actions, it is better to limit yourself to standard zoom settings, which are completely safe.

Comparison of methods of increasing icons

To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have systematized information about the methods considered, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the user's goals and device model.

Below is a table that will help you quickly navigate the possibilities of configuring the interface on Xiaomi smartphones.

As you can see from the table, for most users, the best option is a combination of changing the theme and adjusting the screen zoom, which do not require special knowledge and do not pose risks to the stability of the operating system.

Methods using ADB and manual DPI modification should only be considered in extreme cases when standard tools do not produce the desired result. Remember that the software warranty can be canceled if incorrect interference with system files.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

In this section, we will answer the most popular questions users have when trying to resize icons. If you didn’t find the answer to your question above, it may be here.

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The combination of pixel density reduction (DPI) and choosing the right theme gives the best visual result without losing image quality.

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Always test new settings for a few hours to make sure they don’t interfere with your smartphone’s day-to-day work.