How to Change Icon Size and Text Size in Windows 10

Windows has introduced a new addition to its family of software, Windows 10. It is a new addition to the family. As much as consumers are appreciating Windows 10, they find it hard to get used to it. Simple things like changing the background or changing the icon size can be a challenging task. This is definitely not because Windows 10 is hard to use and can always be operated by tech savvy people but because it is a new software system and different from its processors.

Many people want to know how they can change the icon size in Windows 10. Many even think that Windows 10 does not offer such features and it is not possible to change the icon from its default setting. However this is not the case. It is very much possible to change your icon size or even magnify it. It is even possible to change the text size for icons. So to answer this question today, we will bring you a step by step tutorial and guide today. Follow the steps below to re-size or magnify your icon size:

How to Re-Size Desktop Icons in Windows 10

1. Right-click on the blank area of the desktop.
2. Move your mouse pointer to View.
3. Click on your desired option from the list (Large icons / Medium icons / Small icons).

How to Re-size Icons and Text Size in Windows 10

You can easily resize your icon size by following the steps below:

1. Click on Start button → Settings → Ease of access.
2. Click on Display from the left side pane.
3. Now look at the right side pane, you’ll see a slide bar “Make text size bigger“. Move the slider to change the sizes of the texts, apps, Taskbar Icon and other things. If you move the slider to the right, the size will increase and if you move it to the left, the size will start decreasing.
4. You will see an option called Apply below. Click on it to save your settings.

How to Magnify in Windows 10

Another method to change the size of icons is by magnifying. It is possible to magnify a portion of your screen or your icon size. To do this, you can use the magnifier icon on your laptop or use the shortcut to quickly magnify whatever you want, just by pressing Windows Key and + (Plus Sign). You can also bring up magnifier in Windows 10 by clicking on Start button -> Settings -> Ease of Access -> Magnifier then move the slider to make it work.

You can use the plus sign (+) to magnify and zoom in and the minus sign (-) to zoom out again. You can use the Windows key and ESC key to exit the magnifier window.

Though Windows allows the users to change the icons according to their own preferences, it is always more advisable to let the settings stay at default unless very crucial. This is because Windows has designed the features in its software system according to the particular needs of people.

How to Change Icon Size in Windows 10: Two Easy Ways

October 14, 2019

by Mara Calvello

Share

Share

One of the great things about using a PC is that it’s, as the name suggests, personal.

Meaning, it’s easy to customize it to fit your exact needs, especially when using Windows 10.

When customizing, it’s common to want to change the size of your icons, and that can be done in two easy ways. Keep reading to find out how!

How to change the icon size using Windows 10

Whether your icons are too big and they’re taking up too much space, or they’re too small and hard to read, adjusting their size is simple.

How do I resize desktop icons in Windows 10?

1. Right-click on your desktop and click View.
2. Choose Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons.

Read on for further instructions and helpful screenshots!

Change the size of Taskbar icons

1. Right-click on any empty space on your desktop and click View from the drop-down menu.

2. Select either Large icons, Medium icons, or Smaller icons. You’ll see an automatic change in the size of your Taskbar icons.

Related: Having trouble using Bluetooth? Find out how to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10, and tricks for when it just won’t connect.

Change the size of File Explorer icons

1. Right-click on any empty space on the desktop and click Display settings from the drop-down menu.

2. Under Scale and layout, click the drop-down menu to change the size of text, apps, and other items. You can select from 100%, 125%, 150%, or 175%.

Click Apply at the bottom of the window to change the size of File Explorer icons, as well as text and apps.

Customization is cool

Make your personal computer personal to you and your needs! Changing the size of your icons can make all of the difference when it comes to the accessibility of your PC.

If you frequently use Windows 10, leave a review for your peers and tell them what you think!

Mara is a Content Marketing Manager at G2. In her spare time, she’s either at the gym, reading a book from her overcrowded bookshelf, enjoying the great outdoors with her rescue dog Zeke, or right in the middle of a Netflix binge. Obsessions include the Chicago Cubs, Harry Potter, and all of the Italian food imaginable. (she/her/hers)

How to Change the Icon Size in Windows 10

By Melanie Pinola 29 April 2019

Wish the desktop icons in Windows 10 were bigger so you could stop squinting at them or they’d be easier to tap on a touch screen laptop? Or do you wish they were smaller so the shortcuts didn’t take up as much space on your laptop’s screen? Not to worry, we have a list of short steps on how to change the icon size in Windows 10.

How to Change the Size of Desktop Icons in Windows 10

1. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop.

2. Select View from the contextual menu.

3. Select either Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons. The default is medium icons.

On my laptop with a native 1600 by 900 pixels display, the large option looks huge, the small size is too small, and the medium size looks just right (as Goldilocks would say). Your mileage might vary depending on your screen’s display resolution. Changing the size of the icons on the desktop doesn’t affect the size of the icons elsewhere in Windows 10, but there are ways you can change those too.

How to Change the Size of the Taskbar Icons

If you want to change the size of the icons in your taskbar, there’s a different setting for that, which will also change the size of text, apps, and other items across Windows 10.

1. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop.

2. Select Display settings from the contextual menu.

3. Move the slider under «Change the size of text, apps, and other items» to 100%, 125%, 150%, or 175%.

4. Hit Apply at the bottom of the settings window. Windows might ask you to log out and log back in for a more consistent experience.

This will not only make the icons in the taskbar a bit larger, but it will also make text bigger in apps like Microsoft Edge and Calendar, as well as in Windows 10 notification windows.

How to Change the Size of Icons in File Explorer

If you’d like larger or smaller icons or thumbnails in particular folders, you can change those on the fly in File Explorer.

Just head to your folder location and use your mouse’s scroll wheel to zoom in or out, effectively switching the view between Windows 10’s large icons, medium icons, small icons, list, details, tiles, and content views.

Although File Explorer will remember your last setting when you open this folder again, this is a folder-specific setting, so you’ll have to adjust each folder you’d want different icon and text sizes for.

How to resize a window using keyboard only in Windows 10 and other versions

It is not often that you need to resize a window using the keyboard only in the Windows operating system. Windows is designed to be used with a mouse besides the keyboard, and now touch. Every Windows user at least has a touchpad or mouse these days. However, if the keyboard is what you prefer to use, then here is how you can resize a window using the keyboard!

1. Switch to the desired window using Alt + Tab .Tip: see how to tweak Alt+Tab to enlarge thumbnails and disable live aero peek preview. Also see two secrets of Alt + Tab dialog in Windows 10 you might not be aware of.
2. Press Alt + Space shortcut keys together on the keyboard to open the window menu.
3. Now, press S . The mouse cursor will turn into a cross with arrows:
4. Use the left, right, up and down arrow keys to resize your window.
   
   When you have set the desired window size, press Enter .

Modern operating systems like Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 allow you to perform few extra actions with windows. They allow you to control the size and positioning of open windows better by dragging them to the edge of the screen. If you drag a window using its title bar to the top edge of the screen, it will be maximized. With the mouse pointer touching the left or right edges of the screen when dragging a window, it will be snapped to the left or right side of the screen respectively. This feature is called Snap.

If you grab the title bar of a window with the mouse and drag and shake it, all other background windows will be minimized. This is called Aero Shake. Both actions have their own hotkeys:
Win + Home : Same as Aero Shake (minimizes all windows except the foreground window)
Win + Left arrow key: Snaps an app window to the left.
Win + Right arrow key: Snaps an app window to the right.
Win + Up arrow key: Maximizes a window.
Win + Shift + Up arrow key: Maximizes/resizes a window vertically.
Win + Down arrow key: Minimizes a window if it’s not maximized, otherwise it restores the window to its original non-maximized sized.

Aero Snap in Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7 can also be customized. While the operating system does not allow you to control individual options, you can use my freeware Winaero Tweaker to enable or disable snapping, drag to maximize and vertical resizing options:

Bonus tip: You can also resize a window to a specific size or move it to specific position using the free app, Sizer. Also, using the free AquaSnap’s AquaStretch feature you can resize windows by double clicking their edges. That’s it.

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

Share this post

About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

8 thoughts on “ How to resize a window using keyboard only in Windows 10 and other versions ”

“It is not often that you need to resize a window using the keyboard only in the Windows operating system. Windows is designed to be used with a mouse besides the keyboard, and now touch. Every Windows user at least has a touchpad or mouse these days. However, if the keyboard is what you prefer to use, then here is how you can resize a window using the keyboard!”

Yes, and we’ve been doing it for years. Been using computers every day at home and work.. as an IT tech working on other people’s computers all day. The reason this is becoming “popular” as of late, is because M$ has seen fit to reduce the window border to 1 pixel ( yes ONE PIXEL) in Windows 10. I’m annoyed beyond words that once again, M$ takes 3 steps forward, and 2 steps back. I’ll put this in the same annoying category as the “BLINDING” white file explorer that they refuse to address, even though there have been many complaints. These small, and sometimes painful (eye burn) annoyances are so they can use the same scheme on their phone OS that nobody uses. Just let us break free and customize, give us WinXP grade control. XP let you do anything.

To the author. thanks for reminding me about the long-forgotten and personally never used keyboard shortcut. Cheers.

you are welcome

Just like LG, I used this to fix a 1 pixel window size issue. This article is amazing!

Didn’t work on my new Windows 10 installation.

Well it doesn’t work any longer. I just tried it in Windows 10 Home v V 1709 Build 16299.1029. Alt+F4 still works, and Alt+Space does access the file menu, press S does NOT bring up the resizing pointers.

I have tried all the methods and tricks i have window in for setting cnc machine. that is for big i can not hit ok in that , i have tried to minimize, none of the trick worked i have updated drivers, tried short cut keys , all tricks on line but no luck. i need help to this problem, if some one has clu . i have windows 10 labtop. thanks