The ease of working in the Windows graphical environment depends not only on the location of the controls, but also on their size. This also applies to desktop icons. Usually the system itself chooses what it thinks is the optimal icon size, but its choice is not always satisfactory to users. Some people have vision problems, some have the shortcuts themselves become smaller or larger, others simply like large controls. Enlarging desktop elements, by the way, makes practical sense on devices with touch screen, where a finger is used instead of a mouse cursor.

In the short tutorial below, we will walk you through how to change the size of desktop icons in Windows 7/10. For this you won't need third party programs, since you can get the desired result using the means yourself operating system.

Via context menu

The simplest, fastest and most universal way to choose a comfortable size for desktop icons is to use its context menu. Let us apply this method equally to the seventh, eighth and tenth Windows versions. Right-click on the desktop and select the desired icon size in the “View” submenu. There are three templates in total – large, medium and small icons.

Using hot keys

Now let's see how to reduce or enlarge icons on the desktop using the keyboard, that is, hot keys. Hold Ctrl and scroll the manipulator roller up or down, depending on whether you want to make the icons larger or smaller. Like the previous one, this method is universal; in addition, it allows you to change the size of the labels over a wider range.

In Windows 7 Personalization Settings

Changing the icon size using this technique will not affect the text size in any way. To increase or decrease it, you will have to either (in Windows 10) or manually set the pixels in the personalization settings. Windows 7 provides the most opportunities in this regard, because in the settings appearance“seven” you can change not only the size of the text, but also the labels themselves.

How to make icons larger on desktop Windows desktop 7 this way? Very simple. Having called up the personalization settings through the desktop context menu, go to the additional design options and select the element to change, in this case the icon or font, at the bottom of the window that opens. Then, in the drop-down list on the right, select the appropriate size for it in pixels and save the settings.

Screen scaling

"Eight" offers slightly fewer settings. To change the size of desktop icons, you will have to change the scale of all elements in the settings of the Display control panel applet, and then only up. On the other hand, you can set the text size of the icons - an additional measure when resizing icons in the manner described at the beginning of the article.

Windows 10 doesn’t have this either, with the exception of the first universal method, the tenth version of the system only offers upward scaling. By setting the scale to, say, 150 percent, you will increase the size of all interface elements, not just shortcuts on the desktop. To make Windows 10 desktop icons smaller, use the first method.

But you can easily reduce the icons on the taskbar, which is also part of the desktop. To do this, you need to open its properties and set the “Use small taskbar buttons” selector to the “On” position. This function is also supported in Windows 8.1; to implement it, you just need to go to the taskbar properties and check the “Use small buttons...” checkbox.

Afterword

As you can see, making desktop icons smaller or larger in Windows 7/10 is not difficult. One thing to remember, however, is that the quality of scalable icons depends entirely on the icon's enlargement - if it is small, the enlarged icon will look fuzzy. With the taskbar, things are a little more complicated. Using the system's tools, you can only reduce the icons attached to it, but to increase them beyond the sizes provided by the system, you will probably need third-party tweaker utilities.

Many people who use Windows operating systems often ask me how they can change the size of desktop shortcuts on a particular system. Both users of the rather outdated Windows XP and users of the most common Windows 7 and relatively new Windows 8.

People are used to the standard size of shortcuts in Windows XP. After the usual icons, shortcuts in Windows 7 and 8 seem large. I can offer several solutions to this problem. Which one will be more convenient and which one to use is up to you.

How to resize xp shortcuts windows xp

Windows XP offers the user three sizes of shortcuts: large, regular and small. By default the system is regular size shortcuts. In order to make icons larger or smaller, you must right-click anywhere on your desktop. In the highlighted context menu select the “Properties” line and the window of the same name will open.

In the “Advanced Design” window, find the “Element” drop-down list. In this list, select “Icon” and to the right of it set the required size.

The default value is 32 - this is the standard size of Windows XP shortcuts. You can set any value of your own, or choose from the list offered by the system: 16, 32, 48 or 64. The size of shortcuts in Windows XP can only be selected from those preset by the system itself.

How to change the size of shortcuts in Windows 7

For Windows users 7 there are 2 simpler ways to change the size of icons in Windows 7, which I will describe below.

The first method starts the same way as in Windows XP. You right-click on your computer's desktop and open the familiar menu. Creators of the operating room Windows systems 7 simplified this procedure a little.

In the menu that opens, hover your mouse over the “View” tab. You will see another menu in which you can choose from three standard icon sizes: large, regular and small. Also in this menu you can remove all your shortcuts from the desktop or, conversely, return them back by unchecking the box next to “Display desktop icons”.

The second way to change the size of shortcuts in Windows 7, which I myself most often use, is the easiest and fastest. While on your desktop, hold down one of the CTRL keys on your keyboard and roll your mouse wheel up or down. The desktop icons will begin to grow or shrink.

How to change the size of Windows 8 shortcuts

Windows 8, in addition to its “tiled” design, has a regular Windows desktop, like “seven”. Therefore, both methods I described above are also suitable for users to change the size of Windows 8 icons. You also right-click the menu on the desktop and select one of three standard shortcut sizes.

Or use the CTRL key held down and the mouse wheel. As you scroll the wheel up, the shortcuts will become larger. When scrolling down, on the contrary, it decreases. I consider this method the most effective of all the ones I have presented. Firstly, it allows you to accurately select the appropriate label size. Secondly, it will only take you 10 seconds and won’t force you to go to the menu and choose a size every time.

Windows 7, as one of the modern operating systems, was designed by its developers for widescreen screens. However, not everyone has such monitors, and some are still huddled on small screens. In addition, many people want the traditional size of icons, as was the case on Windows XP. There is also a second group of people to whom even large shortcuts on Windows 7 seem small. Therefore, in this article, I will tell you how to make the icons on the Windows 7 desktop larger and smaller.

How to adjust icon size on Windows 7

To enlarge the icons on the Windows 7 desktop, right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select "View". From the pop-up menu, select Large Icons. And the icons will increase in size.

Resize Windows 7 icons

Enlarge Windows 7 icons

You probably already guessed how to make icons smaller in Windows 7. In the same pop-up menu, you need to select the “Small icons” item.

Making Windows 7 icons smaller

And to return everything to default, select “Regular icons”. It's that simple.

If the specified method does not have enough accuracy, then you can reduce or enlarge the icons on the Windows 7 desktop using the mouse wheel. Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and turn the wheel until the icons reach the required size. This way you can configure everything as precisely as possible.

Thanks to such simple methods with which you can reduce or enlarge icons on the Windows 7 desktop, you can do this several times every day. This will be useful if several people with different levels of vision work at the same computer.

IN Lately For some reason, very often I am asked a question in my telegram channel: how to reduce the icons on the desktop in Windows 10? I decided to write an article on this issue, which, in fact, you are reading.

I encountered this for the first time several years ago. I was a novice user, and one day I turned on my laptop and found that all the icons were enlarged. I was in a slight stupor. Now, knowing how to reduce the icons on the desktop, remembering the past, only a slight smile pops up.

In general, many people resort to this function; some, due to vision problems, make not only the icons, but also the cursor and windows large. And someone, so that it fits on the main screen more files, makes them small. Like me for example ;)

How to make desktop icons smaller in Windows 10

• Method 1. I'll start from the very beginning simple way, which works in all versions of the operating system, starting with XP. While it's open Windows desktop, move the mouse cursor over an empty space, hold down the left or right CTRL key + scroll the mouse wheel up or down. Icon views will change size depending on the degree of scrolling.
  

• Technique 2. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop, in the context menu that opens, move the cursor to “View”, and then, using a dot, activate the “Small icons” option.

• Option 3. To do this, go to “Options” -> “Display”. Then, by moving the slider in different directions, select the icon display size you need.

How to make icons smaller in Windows 7

For Windows 7 users, as I wrote at the beginning, the first method (CTRL+wheel) is also suitable. But there are other methods, of course they are rarely used, but as a useful information I'll tell you about them.

Setting the correct monitor resolution

Large or small icons on the screen may be due to the fact that the screen extension is poorly configured (possibly lost). If this is the case, then the window view, and along with it other elements, are reflected incorrectly.

Recovery occurs as follows:

• Click RMB on free space on the desktop;
• In the menu, click on “Screen Resolution”;
• I would recommend using the “Recommended” function, thereby the system itself will select the optimal settings for itself, based on the extension (characteristics) of the monitor.

Classic Windows 7 theme

You can make large icons on your screen smaller by using the classic theme. Yes, many people activate it to

Just yesterday I was visiting a friend and was very surprised when I saw huge application and folder icons on her 21-inch screen (Windows 7 OS). I asked her: “Is it convenient to work with such a desktop?” And do you know what the girl answered me? It's inconvenient, but she doesn't know how to change the size of the icons! If you also don’t know how to do this, then this article is definitely written for you.

I’ll say right away: for a solution this issue you can use one of three well-known methods, and which one is more suitable for you can be found out by trial and error. I'll start with the easiest method for me.

First method

Method one and the simplest: go to work and minimize all windows. Next, take the mouse in your hands, hold down the CTRL key and slowly move the mouse wheel to one side until we achieve the desired result. By moving the wheel away from you, the size of the icons will increase, and towards you - decrease. Try it and you will be pleasantly surprised. Just don't make sudden movements, otherwise the icons will become so huge that they won't fit on the screen.

Second method

The second method is not much more complicated than the first, but with its help you can only set the icons to a fixed size. To do this, minimize all windows on the desktop, right-click, hover over the “View” subsection and select the icon size (large, regular or small).

Third method

Finally, the third method. Open the desktop again and minimize the windows. Right-click on the mouse and go to the “Personalization” subsection. A window will open for you to configure images on your computer. In the lower left part of the window there is a “Screen” link that you need to click on.

This brings us to the “Screen Reader Ease” section. Here you can increase the size of elements on the screen by percentage, ranging from 100% to 150%. That is, with this function you can change the size not only of the icons themselves, but also of any other elements.

As you can see, this procedure It’s extremely simple and won’t take you much time (no more than two to three minutes). As for ease of use, I would recommend using the first, simplest method.