Personalization is one of the useful attributes of the Windows operating system. Craftsmen can completely transform the desktop: set animated wallpapers, custom icons and animations. This is the way to make the workplace truly comfortable and “your own”. Especially when you have to spend a lot of time at the desk.
The basic element of screen personalization is setting the size of icons. People whose visual acuity does not allow them to read each icon on the screen make them larger or smaller. How to reduce icons on the desktop in Windows 10 and 11 we will tell in this material.
Manual setting
For this setup method, we need a mouse and keyboard. First, go to the desktop if you are in other windows by pressing Win + D or in the lower right corner of the screen. After that, hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel. Scrolling up increases the size of the icons, and scrolling down reduces them.
This method allows you to fine-tune the icon size to your liking, giving you more flexibility than using the context menu or display settings. Plus, it works for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.
The method may not work if your Ctrl key does not work. Then we suggest trying another one. Also, the method will only work if all windows on the desktop are minimized. To check this, right-click on any free area.
Codes
Even for such a thing as the size of icons, their own codes were invented. To quickly change the size of the program icon on your desktop, you need to hold down the following key combinations:
- Ctrl+Shift+1 for very large icons;
- Ctrl+Shift+2 for just large icons;
- Ctrl+Shift+3 will give you medium sized icons;
- Ctrl+Shift+4 for very small icons.
The advantage of this method is speed, but the disadvantage is the lack of more flexible interface customization.
This method of changing the size of desktop icons is to use the context menu.
- First, right-click on any empty space on your desktop. A context menu will appear with various options.
- Hover over the View item in this menu. This action will open a menu where you will see three icon size options: Large icons, Regular icons, and Small icons. To make the icons smaller, select Small icons.
- Selecting this option will immediately change the size of the icons on your desktop to a smaller size.
Screen Options
This method involves using the display settings to change the icon size. To do this:
- First, open Settings. You can do this by pressing Win + I or by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Display.
- In the Settings window, go to the System section and select the Display tab.
- Under the Scale and Layout section, look for the Change the size of text, apps, and other items option.
- Open the drop-down menu and select the desired scale percentage. To make icons smaller, it is recommended to select a smaller percentage, such as 100% or 75%.
This change will affect not only the icons on the desktop, but also other interface elements, making them smaller. Keep this in mind when setting the parameters below the recommended size of 125%.
If you want to enlarge the text of the icons after the icons, use Personalize the screen. In the Display column, you can enlarge both the font and other desktop elements.
Screen resolution
This method also won’t just change your desktop icons. The resolution will affect everything you run on the screen. Keep this in mind if you want to use screen resolution changes as a method to shrink icons.
When working with the Windows 11 operating system, there are no big difficulties in changing the screen resolution.
- Following the algorithms described above, open the “Options” menu and go to the “Display” section;
- In the “Screen Resolution” column, select a resolution with a higher number than you have. Since the resolution is responsible for the number of dots that are displayed on your monitor.
This change in screen configuration may cause icons to appear blurry.To make the system smooth out blurry icons, it might be useful to check the box next to “Allow Windows to fix blurriness in apps” in the advanced settings.
Adviсe
After you resize your icons, you can further organize them on your desktop:
- Right click on the desktop;
- Select “Arrange icons”;
- Select a sorting method, such as by name, size, item type, and so on.
This will help you keep your desktop tidy. You can also select “Auto arrange icons” from the “View” menu to have the icons automatically arranged in an orderly manner. To ensure that the icons stay on the virtual grid and do not move around randomly, select “Align icons to grid”.