Personalization Change Size of Desktop Icons in Windows 11


Desktop_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to change the size (view layout) of desktop icons for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The desktop (Win+D) is your home screen and working space in Windows that contains the taskbar and any icons (ex: shortcuts, files, folders, etc...) you add to and arrange on the desktop.

Reference:

Customize the Desktop Icons in Windows | Microsoft Support

Learn how to customize the default desktop icons in Windows, adjust their size to suit your preferences, and show or hide all icons as needed.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com



Contents

  • Option One: Change Size of Desktop Icons using Scroll Wheel
  • Option Two: Change Size of Desktop Icons using Context Menu
  • Option Three: Change Size of Desktop Icons using Keyboard Shortcut
  • Option Four: Change Size of Desktop Icons using BAT file




Option One

Change Size of Desktop Icons using Scroll Wheel


1 Click/tap on your desktop (Win+D).

2 Press and hold the Ctrl key while rolling the scroll wheel up (larger) or down (smaller) to cycle the icon view to the size you want, and release the Ctrl key when done.

There are 28 sizes available to scroll through ranging from extra small to extra large.





Option Two

Change Size of Desktop Icons using Context Menu


1 Right click or press and hold on your desktop.

2 Click/tap on View, and click/tap on click/tap on Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons for the size you want. (see screenshot below)

Desktop_icons_size_context_menu.png





Option Three

Change Size of Desktop Icons using Keyboard Shortcut


1 Click/tap on your desktop (Win+D).

2 Press the keyboard shortcut in the table below for the desktop icons view size you want.

Icon Size​
Keyboard Shortcut​
Extra large iconsCtrl+ Shift + 1
Large iconsCtrl+ Shift + 2
Medium iconsCtrl+ Shift + 3
Small iconsCtrl+ Shift + 4




Option Four

Change Size of Desktop Icons using BAT file


1 Do step 2 (Extra large icons), step 3 (Large icons), step 4 (Medium icons), or step 5 (Small icons) below for what you want.

2 Use Extra Large Icons on Desktop

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 6 below.​

Extra_large_desktop_icons.bat​


(Contents of BAT file for reference)
Code: 
@echo off

REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V IconSize /T REG_DWORD /D 256 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V Mode /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V LogicalViewMode /T REG_DWORD /D 3 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

3 Use Large Icons on Desktop

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 6 below.​

Large_desktop_icons.bat​


(Contents of BAT file for reference)
Code: 
@echo off

REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V IconSize /T REG_DWORD /D 96 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V Mode /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V LogicalViewMode /T REG_DWORD /D 3 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

4 Use Medium Icons on Desktop

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 6 below.​

Medium_desktop_icons.bat​


(Contents of BAT file for reference)
Code: 
@echo off

REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V IconSize /T REG_DWORD /D 48 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V Mode /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V LogicalViewMode /T REG_DWORD /D 3 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

5 Use Small Icons on Desktop

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below, and go to step 6 below.​

Small_desktop_icons.bat​


(Contents of BAT file for reference)
Code: 
@echo off

REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V IconSize /T REG_DWORD /D 32 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V Mode /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F
REG ADD "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop" /V LogicalViewMode /T REG_DWORD /D 3 /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

6 Save the .bat file to your desktop.

7 Unblock the .bat file.

8 Run the .bat file.

9 You will now notice your screen flicker as the explorer process is restarted to apply the registry changes.

10 You can now delete the downloaded .bat file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


Related Tutorials

 

Attachments

Last edited:
Click to expand...
I just tried this and it still works at win11. (y)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProIntel 113700H16GBNVIDIA RTX 3050 ti
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion 17 cd2205nw
CPU
Intel 113700H
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA RTX 3050 ti
Screen Resolution
1980x1020
Hard Drives
Micron 512GB
Mouse
Logitech
Internet Speed
100Mbs
Browser
Vivaldi , Edge
Antivirus
Windows defender
For Icons ON the desktop (not the task bar) just use CTRL + scroll wheel on mouse to make the icons bigger / smaller.

That short cut has been around since W7 days.

(Note this doesn't change icon sizes on the task bar of course).

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-releas...2 X Intel i7
OS
Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-release 46
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
2 X Intel i7
Screen Resolution
4KUHD X 2
HA, happened to find this one today, trying to tweak 11
Never knew of the keyboard shortcut!
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    All Versions of Windowsi7 970016 GBGeForce GT 440
    OS
    All Versions of Windows
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 800 G5
    CPU
    i7 9700
    Motherboard
    HP OEM
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GT 440

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    Windows 10
    Operating System
    Windows 10
    Computer type
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    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
Quality tutorial....as usual Shawn!
 

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    Windows 11 Homei7-19750H 2.6 GHz16GbNvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6Gb
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell G7 17
    CPU
    i7-19750H 2.6 GHz
    Memory
    16Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6Gb

  • At a glance

    Windows11
    Operating System
    Windows11
I just hold the Ct'rl key and scroll the mouse wheel.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.9550.Intel Core i5 14500, 14th Generation64GB DDR4GeForce RTX 4060
    OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.9550.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500, 14th Generation
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear & Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440 & 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD secondary backup
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.9550.Intel Core i5 1440032GB DDR5Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.9550.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
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    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD secondary backup
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Nimo N171 17" Laptop, (Intel i3-1215U, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    Acemagic Vista Mini PC V1 (Intel N150, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    HP ENVY h8-1540t, (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, Win11 Pro)
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