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Adjust the Size of Desktop Icons With a Spin of the Mouse Wheel

BY STANLEY ZAROWIN

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2010. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

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Q I sure would like to be able to customize the size of my Windows 7 Desktop icons. Do you know how I can do that?

A The icons in the Desktop’s toolbar can be adjusted to either large or small—but nothing in between (see screenshot below).

 

The default size for the taskbar icons is large. To shrink them, right-click in an empty space in the taskbar and then click on Properties. You’re then offered the choice of placing a check next to Use small icons.

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However, you can adjust the rest of the icons on the Desktop to any size you’d like. To do that, place your cursor anywhere in the Desktop. Then, while you hold down the Ctrl key, rotate your mouse’s wheel away from you, and all the icons on the Desktop will expand. Turn the wheel toward you, and all the images will shrink.

Bonus: The same technique will enlarge or shrink any open file on the screen—a handy shortcut, for example, for studying a complex spreadsheet or a section of a document without permanently enlarging the type. This also works in Office 2003.