Noticed your desktop icons are a bit too big and cluttering up the place? No worries, mate. That’s a common gripe, especially on Windows 11 where the default size can be a bit bulky. Resizing ’em to smaller icons can make your screen look neater and give you more room to breathe. Here’s a simple way that usually does the trick — and a few extra tips if you need ’em.
Step-by-Step How-to for Making Desktop Icons Smaller in Windows 11
The quickest fix is just a right-click, but if you want a bit more control or the quick fix doesn’t do the job, there are other options.
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop
Find an empty bit of your desktop and right-click on it. When that menu pops up, look for options related to view, refresh, display settings — your goal is to get to the “View” menu.
Step 2: Click “View” from the menu
When the context menu appears, hover over “View”. It’s usually near the top. You’ll see three options: Large icons, Medium icons, and Small icons. Unfortunately, Windows keeps things pretty basic in this menu; you can’t get more granular than that through right-click alone.
Step 3: Pick “Small icons”
Click on “Small icons”. Just like that, your desktop icons resize instantly. They’ll get noticeably smaller — probably about as small as you can get without messing with display scaling or resolution. You’ll see the change straight away, no need to log out or restart.
If that didn’t cut it or icons still look a bit too chunky, don’t worry — here are a few more options because, of course, Windows doesn’t make it all that straightforward.
Quick Tips to Make Icons Smaller on Windows 11
- Adjust your screen resolution in Settings > System > Display. Sometimes, icons look huge because the resolution is set low or scaling’s out of whack.
- Use the Ctrl + Mouse Scroll shortcut. Hold down Ctrl and scroll your mouse wheel up or down — this dynamically scales your icons just like zooming in on a webpage.
- Try different icon sizes until one looks right — maybe medium is easier on the eyes.
- If the icons are super tiny and hard to read, you can tweak your DPI or your scaling in display settings — but be warned, this can mess with app sizes too.
- Keep in mind, smaller icons might be less obvious at a glance, especially if your font sizes are also tiny. Not always ideal if you rely heavily on desktop shortcuts.
FAQ
Can I make the icons even smaller than the “Small icons” option?
Not really — that’s about as small as you can go through the right-click menu. If you want *way* smaller icons, you’d need to mess with your display scaling (via Settings > System > Display > Scale & layout), but that affects everything, not just icons.
Will resizing icons mess with my files or apps?
Nah, it’s just visual. Resizing your icons won’t change where your files are or how your apps work — it just tweaks how they look on your desktop.
Can I set different sizes for individual icons?
Unfortunately not. The size applies to all icons at once. If you want some icons bigger or smaller, your best bet is to create different desktops or dip into custom icon overlays — but that’s a bit more fiddly.
Does changing icon size affect other display settings?
Not unless you adjust your overall display scaling. Resizing icons alone only changes their size on the desktop; other parts of Windows stay as they are.
How do I reset icons back to the default size?
Right-click the desktop, hover over “View”, then select “Medium icons”. That’s usually the default size and pretty easy on the eyes if small icons are a bit too tiny.
Summary
- Right-click on desktop → select View
- Choose Small icons
- If needed, tweak your display resolution or try Ctrl + Mouse Scroll
Honestly, resizing your icons is a quick and easy way to tidy up your desktop without messing with the whole setup. Sometimes it might take a reboot or log out to get the changes to stick, but generally, it’s dead simple. Give it a go — that little change can make a fair bit of difference.