In this article we show you the steps to change icon size in Windows 11.
Customizing Windows 11 is possible if the different settings included in the operating system are well known. What about the size of the icons? Can be modified? Read on to find out what options you have for altering the dimensions of the various desktop shortcuts and file explorer folders. We show you how to change the size of the icons in Windows 11 step by step.
In the following sections we include all the possible methods to customize the size of the icons in Windows 11 . We are going to explain what you have to do to enlarge or shrink the different shortcuts and the elements that appear in the file explorer. Finally, we leave you some links so that you can adapt other elements of the system to your preferences. Let’s start!
Advertising
Advertising
Index of contents
- How to change the size of icons in Windows 11 on the desktop
- With the context menu
- With a keyboard shortcut
- With the mouse
- Change icon size in file explorer
- With the View menu
- With the mouse or trackpad
- Resize icons in Windows 11 with scaling
How to change the size of icons in Windows 11 on the desktop
There are several ways to change the size of icons in Windows 11 when they are placed on the desktop. We review each and every one of the methods that you have at your disposal.
With the context menu
The first way to change the size of desktop icons in Windows 1 1 is by using the context menu. It is enough to place the cursor in an empty area and make a right click with the mouse.
When the options menu appears, do this:
- Move your cursor to View.
- When the list of options is displayed, select the size of the icons.
You have three parameters to change the size of the icons:
- Small icons.
- Medium Icons.
- Big Icons.
The medium icons are the ones that, by default, are displayed on the Windows desktop. If you select the small icons option , their size will be reduced. On the contrary, by choosing large icons , the shortcuts are significantly enlarged, thus improving their display.
Remember that if you have selected the Align icons to grid option , changing the size of the icons enlarges or reduces the amount of space available on the desktop. Without going any further, by choosing the large icons , you will have fewer spaces to host shortcuts than if you choose the small icons .
Advertising
Advertising
With a keyboard shortcut
There is no doubt that keyboard shortcuts are very useful to launch actions quickly. Windows 11 includes a total of three key combinations to resize icons on the desktop. These are:
- Control + Shift + 2. Set the size of the icons to the maximum.
- Control + Shift + 3. Use the medium size for desktop shortcuts.
- Control + Shift + 4. Minimize the dimensions of the icons.
Note that these combinations work only when you have opened the desktop context menu and opened the View section .
With the mouse
Using the mouse to change the size of the icons is also a good solution. Simply press the Control key and scroll up with the mouse wheel to enlarge the icons. If the wheel turns down, the effect will be the opposite.
Change icon size in file explorer
The desktop isn’t the only place you can change icon sizes in Windows 11. Similarly, there’s a menu that does the same in File Explorer . As in the case of the desktop, there are different methods that you are interested in knowing to enlarge or reduce the dimensions of files and folders.
With the View menu
Click the View menu to change the size of the icons.
These are the options available to you:
- Icon view. When only icons appear in the browser, you have a total of four sizes available. These range from very large icons to small icons .
- List. Arrange the icons in a list. Obviously, it is a type of visualization where the icons look small.
- Details. Similar to the previous one, but offering more details about each of the files.
- Mosaics. A mixed view, with some details about the files and directories, but with medium icons.
- Content. View with small icons in the form of a list. It includes varied details about each of the elements.
Our advice is that you try each and every one of the file explorer views to see which one best suits your needs. When you select the size of the icons in a directory, the changes are only applied to that directory.
If you want the chosen view to be displayed globally, do this:
- Select the view you want to apply to all folders in a specific directory.
- Click the button with the three ellipses, then click Options.
- In the pop-up window, open the Viewtab and click the Apply to folders button .
- In the dialog that will appear, confirm the changes.
From now on, the chosen view will be extended to all directories.
With the mouse or trackpad
In file explorer you can use the same method as on the desktop to change the size of the icons. Combine the mouse wheel and the control key to achieve it. In this case, it is also possible to do it by pinching in or out with the trackpad.
Resize icons in Windows 11 with scaling
Due to physical limitations, you may not be able to see the icons correctly. Changing the system scale will allow you to enlarge all interface elements. You just have to visit the Settings > System > Display > Scale section . By clicking on the dropdown, select a value higher than the one you already have.
On our test machine, this is what the desktop looks like with large icons and 100% scaling:
If we change the scale to 175%, this is what it looks like:
Modifying this value allows you to raise the size of the icons in Windows 11 , but also of the rest of the interface. Please note that the space available for applications will be less
