On a laptop or desktop screen we often have to change the size of what we see on our own. It helps relieve tired eyes, differs fileandfolder density, displays better graphics and improves code readability. A simple guide to resize desktop icons, fonts and other common display items in Windows is the following The following.
Resizing Desktop Icons in Windows
To personalize the size of your desktop icons, follow one of these different methods for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11
From the command bar, desktop icons are most commonly resized (and often replaced) on Windows 11, and this is known as the “Windows 11” icon. It replaced the old Ribbon interface of Windows 10 with its newer version, .
Open any File Explorer window with ? Click the View button on the command bar for a . There are Small icons, Medium icons***, Large icons and **Extra large icons******* here. If you are going to **List,***Details** and Tiles* as well as *Content*****”, or you may go for ** List.
For example, if you right-click anywhere in the white space to restore file explorer icons, you can also resize them. Next, select View icon menu size.
As shown above, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to reduce or increase file icon or folder size.
| | Action |
| — | — |
| Ctrl + Shift + 1 | Extra large icons |
| Ctrl + Shift + 2 | Large icons |
| Ctrl + Shift + 3 | Medium icons |
| Ctrl + Shift + 4 | Small icons |
| Ctrl + Shift + 5 | List |
| Ctrl + Shift + 6 | Details |
| Ctrl + Shift + 7 | Tiles |
| Ctrl + Shift + 8 | Content |
Windows 10
Similarly to Windows 11, users of Windows 10 can right-click in the white space and select View **Icon menu size***, as well as selecting file/folder icons.
A second approach is to click the Ribbon menu on top, tap View and select one of the sizes of icons in a button. The size of the Windows file explorer icons and text are calibrated according to your screen dimensions as a default setting. They retain the same proportions when you resize them.
How are icons resized? Many users prefer granular controls in the way they’re used to **Did you know. You need to connect your laptop with an external mouse for this, or . Require the Ctrl key and slowly rotate mouse wheel. Similarly, this form of resizing works with both windows 11 and Windows 10. ** ** .
Resizing Fonts in Windows
Again, there are multiple ways to resize font size in Windows.
Windows 11
In Windows 11, open Settings → Accessibility → Text size.
Do you want a slider below Text size to your desired levels of ? It can be seen by the effect in Text size preview****, pictured. Whenever you’re done, click **Apply. This may be a Please wait screen that displays while your monitor adjusts to the new text size, which is displayed by you.
Or, you can zoom in to a part of your screen with Windows 11’s screen magnifier feature. It is then available from Settings -> Accessibility and => Magnifier.
In an app window, if you can’t read the text properly, then the Magnifier allows you to do that on your own. You may summon it anywhere using the shortcut Wind + -+ key to ‘Masktr’. When you’re reading, you can dismiss the Magnifier with Win + – – key.
Another is there a third, across-the-board text size change. See Settings ******* System*** – Display ( Scale & layout) » Go to this? Alternatively you can change the default text size (125 percent to 100, 150 or 175 percent) here.
Windows 10
In Windows 10, to resize the default font size, you can use Start menu and type Ease of Access display settings. You can use Settings Ease of access (***Display) or you can apply ** SettingS.
Default A display text slider is set at 100 percent as a default value, and you can see it. Afterward, drag the slider and check the text size in the sample box to get your values comfortable.
The Make Everything Bigger option also gives you another 25 percent increase in font and app size. This is just under the display slider, and it is located below .
Also read : check out this list of old Windows apps that are still around in Windows 11.
Resize Taskbar Items in Windows
A taskbar space is empty. To reduce the size of tasks in Windows 11 or 10, right-click anywhere, to minimize a Taskbar item (or 10)? After this, select Taskbar settings.
Go to Show smaller taskbar buttons, which defaults*** when task bar is full. Clearly it can be changed to **Always.
As shown here, the taskbar items are smaller in size compared to their default settings.
Some older Windows 10 versions have a similar solution to increase the taskbar size in some older windows 10. If you right-click anywhere in the empty taskbar space, and uncheck Lock the task bar, right – click.
As a consequence, in the next step you will be able to drag the taskbar upwards and store more files and window items.
Windows 11 and 10 users may use a small registry editor tweak to reduce the size of taskbars for their respective user. Afterward, open Run and type regedit. Go to Go for.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Here, create or edit a DWORD (32‑bit) value named: TaskbarSi. (also, check if it’s available on the right panel.)
A 0-1/2 (***Small, 1-Medium* (default), and 2- **Large taskbar size) can be converted to 0. 1, or 2.
Increasing the Start Menu Display Area
To resize the Start menu display in Windows 11, go to Settings → Personalization → Start, and select More pins.
Click the Start menu in Windows 10 and hover your mouse near its edge, a shortcut to . This means you can now see arrow keys that are dragged to the bottom and will help make these icons smaller.
We saw simple methods to change the display icons, font sizes, taskbar and start menu items in both Windows 10 and 11 in this guide. And of course, you might want to know how to customize the taskbar in Windows with so many apps.
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