How to Make Desktop Icons Smaller
Three Methods:Windows 7 and Windows VistaWindows XPMac OS X
Desktop icons provide shortcuts to programs or as a repository for files that you use regularly. You can re-size your computer's desktop icons to appear smaller, giving you space to add more icons. The steps below detail how to make desktop icons smaller in Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac OS X.
EditSteps
EditMethod 1 of 3: Windows 7 and Windows Vista
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1Right-click any empty space on the desktop. A menu will appear. Mouse over View, and select Small Icons (or Classic Icons in Windows Vista) from the pop-out submenu.- This will make your icons a smaller size than the default "Medium Icons" option.
- Alternately, you can select any icon on your desktop, press the Control key (CTRL), and use your mouse's scrolling wheel to resize your icons. This method isn't quite as accurate as selecting the predetermined sizes in the View submenu, but offers greater flexibility in sizing.
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EditMethod 2 of 3: Windows XP
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1Right-click any empty space on the desktop. A contextual menu will appear. Select Properties. -
2Select the Appearance tab in the Display Properties dialog, then click the Advanced button. -
3In the Advanced Appearance dialog, select "Icon" from the Item drop-down menu. Select new size in the Size field to the right of the drop-down menu.
EditMethod 3 of 3: Mac OS X
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1Right-click any empty space on the desktop. A contextual menu will appear. Select Show View Options" from the menu.
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2Adjust the icon size with the slider. Sizes can be adjusted between 16 pixels square and 128 pixels square, in increments of 4.Ad
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EditTips
- You can manually arrange your desktop icons by clicking on them and dragging them to the desired area in both Windows and Mac. You can have your computer automatically sort them by different parameters, such as name, type and date created, by right-clicking an open area, selecting "Arrange" (or "Arrange Icons") and choosing how you want to sort them.
- If you have a Windows 7 laptop with a multi-touch enabled touchpad, you can use pinch-to-zoom gestures on your desktop to make the icons bigger or smaller.
EditWarnings
- Having too many icons on your desktop can slow down your computer's overall performance. It's also a nightmare to try and find something there.
EditRelated wikiHows
EditSources and Citations
- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Show-hide-or-resize-desktop-icons – research source
- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Show-hide-or-resize-desktop-icons – research source
- http://www.tuaw.com/2007/04/16/mac-101-changing-the-size-of-your-icons/ – research source
- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/The-desktop-overview – research source
Article Info
Featured Article
Categories: Featured Articles | System Maintenance and Repair
In other languages:
Deutsch: Wie man Desktopsymbole verkleinert, Español: Cómo hacer más pequeños los iconos del escritorio, Français: Comment réduire la taille des icônes du bureau, Italiano: Come Rimpicciolire le Icone del Desktop, Português: Como Diminuir os Ícones da Área de Trabalho, Nederlands: pictogrammen op je bureaublad verkleinen, Русский: уменьшить значки рабочего стола, 中文: 缩小桌面图标
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