How to reduce the screen on Xiaomi: from smartphone to TV

Have you ever encountered a situation where the interface elements on the Xiaomi screen seem too large and the text does not fit in the application windows? Or maybe after the system update, the image on the Mi TV or Redmi Smart TV goes beyond the screen? The problem of “screen shrinkage” on Xiaomi devices is solved in several ways – from basic zoom settings to hidden engineering modes.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods to reduce the display area of the screen on different devices of the brand: smartphones (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11 et al., tablets (Xiaomi Pad 6) and TVs (Mi) TV A2, Redmi Smart Fire TV). We will pay special attention to the nuances for MIUI 14 or older versions, and consider hardware limitations that may prevent resolution changes.

Before you start settings, make sure that the problem is not related to physical damage to the matrix or improper operation of the graphics driver. If after a device falls or moisture hits, artifacts appeared on the screen - zooming out here will not help, you will need a diagnosis in the service center.

1.Scaling the screen through MIUI settings

The easiest way to reduce interface elements is to change pixel density (DPI) or font size, a feature available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 9 and newer, but depending on the firmware version, the path to settings may vary.

On devices with MIUI 12-14, the algorithm is as follows:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select Text Size and Display (on some models – Screen Size).
3. Move the item size slider to the left to reduce (Small or Default value).
4. To fine-tune, click Additional → Screen Density and select a value from 400 DPI to 560 DPI (the smaller the number, the smaller the elements).

On older versions of MIUI 9-11, the path might look like this: Settings → Additional settings → Special features → Display size. There are only three pre-set values available here: Small, Standard and Large.

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If some applications (e.g. banking) are not displayed correctly after changing the DPI, return the standard value. Some programs block work at non-standard pixel density.

For Xiaomi tablets (for example, Pad 5/6) in the screen settings, an additional aspect ratio option is available, which allows you to force the resolution of 16:9 instead of 4:3, which visually “compresses” the picture vertically.

2. Change of screen resolution in developer mode

If standard settings don’t work enough, you can manually set the screen resolution through developer mode, a method that works on most Xiaomi smartphones, but requires caution – incorrect settings can lead to display failures.

Algorithm of action:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to the main settings menu, a new section for developers will appear.
3. Open for developers → Screen resolution (or Minimum width on some firmware).
4. Select a value below the current one (for example, 720p instead of 1080p).

On the Xiaomi Pad 6 and other tablets in developer mode, the Minimum Width (dp) option is available. Its reduction (for example, from 600 to 500) will lead to “compression” of the interface horizontally.

Developer mode activated

Backup of important data is made

Battery charge > 50%

The value of the permit is recorded (for rollback)

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⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO F3, Redmi K40) Forced permission changes can cause artifacts in games or problems with the display of video in applications (for example, YouTube or TikTok.

Scaling up on Xiaomi TVs (Mi TV, Redmi TV)

On Xiaomi smart TVs, the problem of “outside” image is solved through the screen format settings, which is true if, after connecting to a console or computer, the picture is cut at the edges or does not fit on the matrix.

Instructions for Mi TV A2, Redmi Smart TV X and other models:

1. On the remote, press Menu → Settings (cog).
2. Go to Image and Sound → Screen format.
3. Choose one of the options: 📺 Auto – TV will choose the scale (recommended for most cases). 🔍 4:3 – The image will be vertically extended (useful for older films). 🖥️ Just Scan (or 1:1) – pixel-to-pixel, no cropping (optimum for PC and gaming). 📏 Zoom - scaled up (can cut edges).

If the TV is connected to the Xiaomi Mi Box or Google TV, zoom is done in the menu of the source device. For example, on the Mi Box S, you need to go to Settings → Screen and Sound → Screen Resolution and choose 720p or 1080p depending on the TV's capabilities.

4.Using third-party applications for fine-tuning

If the built-in MIUI tools do not allow you to achieve the desired result, you can use third-party utilities. For example, the App Settings application (requires root rights) allows you to change the DPI for each application separately.

Algorithm of work with App Settings:

1. Install the app from Google Play (not available in all regions).
2. Provide root access (not to the extent that you do not have root access)-root-Devices functionality is limited).
3. Select the app you want to scale for (e.g. Chrome or Instagram).
4. Press Change DPI and set the value from 320 to 480.

On devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series processor (such as Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4 GT), a forced resolution change via ADB can cause the graphics driver to crash, in which case only a factory reset will help.

6. Reset screen settings to factory

If after experiments with scale the screen began to be displayed incorrectly (there were stripes, flickering or gestures do not work), you can return the standard settings in two ways:

Method 1: Through the settings menu

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset screen settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and restart the device.

Method 2: ADB (for experienced users)

If the interface has become completely inoperable, connect the smartphone to the PC and execute the command:

adb shell wm density reset


adb shell wm size reset

After that, the device will return to the standard DPI and resolution parameters.

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Before resetting your screen settings via ADB, make sure that the device is debugging over USB (Settings → Developer → USB Debugging).

FAQ: Frequent questions about screen reduction on Xiaomi