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.

Which icon sizes should my Windows application’s icon include?

I have a Windows application which will run in Windows XP and newer (i.e. Vista/7). According to the Vista UI Guidelines, the standard sizes are 16×16, 32×32, 48×48, 256×256 (XP standard sizes do not include the 256×256 icon). In addition to those sizes, I also have 96×96 and 128×128 (and could create more).

Which of these icon sizes should I include? Will the shell actually use the «non-standard» sizes, or will I simply bloat my application?

8 Answers 8

I took some time to check it in detail. I created an icon whose images have sizes of 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 64, 96, 128 and 256. Then I checked which image is shown. All these were done with normal 96dpi. If using a larger DPI, the larger sizes may be used (only checked this a bit in Windows 7). The results:

Windows XP:

• Explorer views:
  • Details / List: 16
  • Icons: 32
  • Tiles / Thumbnails: 48
• Right-click->Properties / choosing a new icon: 32
• Quickstart area: 16
• Desktop: 32

Windows 7:

• Explorer views:
  • Details / List / Small symbols: 16
  • All other options: 256 (resized, if necessary)
• Right-click->Properties / choosing a new icon: 32
• Pinned to taskbar: 32
  • Right-click-menu: 16
• Desktop:
  • Small symbols: 32
  • Medium symbols: 48
  • Large symbols: 256 (resized, if necessary)
  • Zooming using Ctrl+Mouse wheel: 16, 32, 48, 256

Windows Runtime: (from here)

• Main tile: 150×150, 310×150 (wide version)
• Small logo: 30×30
• Badge (for lockscreen): 24×24, monochromatic
• Splashscreen: 620×300
• Store: 50×50

So the result: Windows XP uses 16, 32, 48-size icons, while Windows 7 (and presumably also Vista) also uses 256-size icons. All other intermediate icon sizes are ignored (they may be used in some area which I didn’t check).

I also checked in Windows 7 what happens if icon sizes are missing:

The missing sizes are generated (obviously). With sizes of 16, 32, and 48, if one is missing, downscaling is preferred. So if we have icons with size 16 and 48, the 32 icon is created from the 48 icon. The 256 icon is only used for these if no other sizes are available! So if the icons are size 16 and 256, the other sizes are upscaled from the 16 icon!

Additionally, if the 256 icon is not there, the (possibly generated) 48 icon is used, but not resized anymore. So we have a (possibly large) empty area with the 48 icon in the middle.

Note that the default desktop icon size in XP was 32×32, while in Windows 7 it is 48×48. As a consequence, for Windows 7 it is relatively important to have a 48 icon. Otherwise, it is upscaled from a smaller icon, which may look quite ugly.

Just a note about Windows XP compatibility: If you reuse the icon as window icon, then note that this can crash your application if you use a compressed 256 icon. The solution is to either not compress the icon or create a second version without the (compressed) 256 icon. See here for more info.

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

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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)

About Icons

The system uses icons throughout the user interface to represent objects such as files, folders, shortcuts, applications, and documents. The icon functions enable applications to create, load, display, arrange, animate, and destroy icons. For information on specifying icons for file types, see ExtractIcon.

This overview provides information on the following topics:

Icon Hot Spot

One of the pixels in an icon is designated as the hot spot, which is the point the system tracks and recognizes as the position of the icon. An icon’s hot spot is typically the pixel located at the center of the icon. If you use the CreateIconIndirect function to create an icon, you can specify any pixel to be the hot spot.

Icon Types

The operating system provides a set of standard icons that are available for any application to use at any time. The software development kit (SDK) header files contain identifiers for the standard icons—the identifiers begin with the IDI_ prefix.

Each standard icon has a corresponding default image associated with it. The user can replace the default image associated with any standard cursor at any time.

Custom icons are designed for use in a particular application and can be any design. Following are several custom icons.

Icon Sizes

The system uses four icon sizes:

• System small
• System large
• Shell small
• Shell large

The system small icon is displayed in the window caption.

To change the size of the system small icon

1. From Control Panel, click Display, then click the Appearance tab.
2. Select Caption Buttons from the Item list, then set the Size field.

To retrieve the size of the system small icon

• Call the GetSystemMetrics function with SM_CXSMICON and SM_CYSMICON.

The system large icon is mainly used by applications, but it is also displayed in the Alt+Tab dialog. The CreateIconFromResource, DrawIcon, ExtractAssociatedIcon, ExtractIcon, ExtractIconEx, and LoadIcon functions all use system large icons. The size of the system large icon is defined by the video driver, therefore it cannot be changed.

To retrieve the size of the system large icon

• Call GetSystemMetrics with SM_CXICON and SM_CYICON.

The shell small icon is used in the Windows Explorer and the common dialogs. Currently, this defaults to the system small size.

To retrieve the size of the shell small icon

1. Use the SHGetFileInfo function with SHGFI_SHELLICONSIZE | SHGFI_SMALLICON to retrieve a handle to the system image list.
2. Then call the ImageList_GetIconSize function to get the icon size.

The shell large icon is used on the desktop.

To change the size of the large icon

1. From Control Panel , click Display, then click the Appearance tab,
2. Select Icon from the Item list, then set the Size field (this size is stored in the registry, under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel, Desktop\WindowMetrics\Shell Icon Size).
3. Click the Plus! tab and then select the Use Large Icons check box.

To retrieve the size of the shell large icon

1. Use the SHGetFileInfo function with SHGFI_SHELLICONSIZE to retrieve a handle to the system image list.
2. Then call the ImageList_GetIconSize function to get the icon size.

The Start menu uses either shell small icons or shell large icons, depending on whether the Use Large Icons check box is selected.

Your application should supply groups of icon images in the following sizes:

• 48×48, 256 color
• 32×32, 16 color
• 16×16 pixels, 16 color

When filling in the WNDCLASSEX structure to be used in registering your window class, set the hIcon member to the 32×32 icon and the hIconSm member to the 16×16 icon. For more information about class icons, see Class Icons.

Icon Creation

Standard icons are predefined, so it is not necessary to create them. To use a standard icon, an application can obtain its handle by using the LoadImage function. An icon handle is a unique value of the HICON type that identifies a standard or custom icon.

To create a custom icon for an application, you would typically use a graphics application and include the ICON Resource in the application’s resource-definition file. At run-time, you can call LoadIcon or LoadImage to retrieve a handle to the icon. An icon resource can contain a group of images for several different display devices. LoadIcon and LoadImage automatically select the most appropriate icon from the group for the current display device.

An application can also create a custom icon at run-time by using the CreateIconIndirect function, which creates an icon based on the contents of an ICONINFO structure. The GetIconInfo function fills the structure with the hot-spot coordinates and information about the bitmask bitmap and color bitmap for the icon.

Applications should implement custom icons as resources and should use LoadIcon or LoadImage, rather than create the icon at run-time. Using icon resources avoids device dependence, simplifies localization, and enables applications to share icon shapes.

The CreateIconFromResourceEx function enables an application to browse through the system’s resources and create icons and cursors based on resource data. CreateIconFromResourceEx creates an icon based on binary resource data from other executable files or DLLs. An application must precede this function with calls to the LookupIconIdFromDirectoryEx function and several of the resource functions. LookupIconIdFromDirectoryEx returns the identifier of the most appropriate icon data for the current display device.

Icon Display

You can retrieve the image for an icon by using the GetIconInfo function, and can draw it by using the DrawIconEx function. To draw the default image for a icon, specify the DI_COMPAT flag in the call to DrawIconEx. If you do not specify the DI_COMPAT flag, DrawIconEx draws the icon using the image that the user specified.

When the system displays an icon, it must extract the appropriate icon image from the .exe or .dll file. The system uses the following steps to select the icon image:

1. Select the RT_GROUP_ICON resource. If more than one such resource exists, the system uses the first resource listed in the resource scrip.
2. Select the appropriate RT_ICON image from the RT_GROUP_ICON resource. If more than one image exists, the system uses the following criteria to choose an image:
   • • The image closest in size to the requested size is chosen.
     • If two or more images of that size are present, the one that matches the color depth of the display is chosen.
     • If no images exactly match the color depth of the display, the image with the greatest color depth that does not exceed the color depth of the display is chosen. If all exceed the color depth, the one with the lowest color depth is chosen.

The system treats all color depths of 8 or more bpp as equal. Therefore, there is no advantage of including a 16×16 256-color image and a 16×16 16-color image in the same resource—the system will simply choose the first one it encounters. When the display is in 8-bpp mode, the system will choose a 16-color icon over a 256-color icon, and will display all icons using the system default palette.

To display an animated icon, use a static control as shown in the following code fragment.

Icon Destruction

When an application no longer needs an icon it created by using the CreateIconIndirect function, it should destroy the icon. The DestroyIcon function destroys the icon handle and frees any memory used by the icon. Applications should use this function only for icons created with CreateIconIndirect; it is not necessary to destroy other icons.

Icon Duplication

The CopyIcon function copies an icon handle. This enables an application or DLL to get its own handle to an icon owned by another module. Then, if the other module is freed, the application that copied the icon will still be able to use the icon.

The CopyImage function creates a new icon based on the specified source icon. The new icon can be larger or smaller than the source icon.

For information about adding, removing, or replacing icon resources in executable (.exe) files, see Resources.

The DuplicateIcon function makes an actual copy of the icon.