How To Make Icons Smaller On Mac May 2026

Only affects Desktop icons, not Finder windows.

The tiny icons for Locations, Favorites, Tags, etc. (e.g., Downloads folder icon, trash can). Does not affect content inside folders. 5. In Toolbars (e.g., Safari, Mail, Finder toolbar) Method: Right-click the toolbar → Customize Toolbar → drag the spacer or set “Show: Icon Only” (no direct size slider). To make icons smaller, you can’t natively – but choosing “Text Only” removes icons entirely, or “Icon & Text” makes them slightly smaller in some apps. how to make icons smaller on mac

In icon view, the View Options panel has a size slider; in column or list view, the slider affects icon size in the preview column only. Only affects Desktop icons, not Finder windows

macOS lacks a global toolbar icon size setting. In some apps (like Finder), you can toggle “Use small size” in View Options if the toolbar has that checkbox (varies by macOS version). In modern macOS, this checkbox is gone – you’d need third-party tools or .plist hacks. 6. In Menubar (Menu bar icons, e.g., battery, Wi‑Fi) No native scaling. Third-party apps like Bartender or Hidden Bar can hide icons, but not shrink them. Some system icons (e.g., Siri) are fixed size (~22px). Workaround: Use a lower display resolution (System Settings → Displays → Scaled → choose a “Larger Text” option, which makes everything bigger – opposite of your goal). To make menubar icons smaller is impossible without system modification (which can break UI). 7. In Launchpad No native “make icons smaller” slider. You can reduce the number of columns/rows (indirectly making each icon smaller visually on screen): Does not affect content inside folders