You can find out how to change the DPI density on your Android smartphone with the guide ahead. DPI translates to the display density of your device. This means, DPI settings declare at how much of a resolution is Android scaling everything that is being viewed on the display. As recent smartphones come with higher resolutions and display technologies, there is a need for enthusiasts to change the DPI manually in order to get the best experience on a certain app. Mostly, in normal use case scenarios, the DPI is set to a fixed value and the Operating System automatically adjusts itself to give the optimal viewing experience. However, if you are looking to manually change the DPI density on your smartphone or tablet, read ahead.
As mentioned right before, the DPI value is mostly set by the Operating System and if your OEM doesn’t allow users changing the value, less likely, in that scenario, you would have to root. Nonetheless, we have multiple procedures you can try out hence covering a large device base. Keep reading to view the procedures through which you can change the DPI density on your Android device.
The main reason why you would want to change the DPI density would be to get more space on the same screen. How do you get more space? By increasing the display density, text can be displayed in a much smaller font size and same goes for icons hence increasing the overall amount of content that can be placed on the screen.
We have categorized all the methods into two major categories. The first one is for users not running root whilst the other is for users who have already implemented root. Follow the method which you find easiest and applies to you.
Procedures for Non-Rooted Devices
Method 1: Use Settings App (Android Nougat or Recent)
For this process, make sure you have an Android revision that is either Nougat or higher than Nougat like Android Oreo.
Step 1 – Open the Settings app.
Step 2 – Go to Display section and then Display Settings
Step 3 – There would be a slider or something similar given to change the DPI setting. Set it to where you want it.
Method 2: Use Developer Options (Android Nougat or Recent)
Step 1 – First step for this method is to enable Developer Options. Do this by going to Settings app and then About section and then tapping on Build Number a couple of times. Having issues enabling these special options? Read: How to Enable Developer Options on Android.
Step 2 – Once enabled, go to Developer Options section and scroll down to Drawing options. Here, you would find a setting called Minimum Width.
Step 3 – Note down the default value if you want to return back to it. Higher number will make UI elements small and vice versa.
Method 3: Use Samsung’s Built-in Functionality
Recent Samsung devices come with a pre-built DPI change option. It isn’t mentioned directly as DPI setting but it renders the same result.
Step 1 – Go to Settings app. From there go to Display settings and Display Size or Font Size.
Step 2 – You can individually control the overall Display Size and Font Size by adjusting sliders given on screen.
Method 4: Use OnePlus’ Built-in Functionality
OnePlus is an enthusiast brand hence it also allows you to change the DPI settings easily through the settings menu.
Step 1 – Go to Settings app. From there go to Display settings and Screen Zoom.
Step 2 – There would be two separate sliders. First would control the overall Screen Zoom and the other will control the Font Size. Adjust these sliders as you like.
Change Android DPI Density on Rooted Devices
Method 1: Use Easy DPI Changer App
Step 1 – Get the Easy DPI Changer app directly from the Play Store: Download Easy DPI Changer [Root]
Step 2 – After installation, open the app and grant it root permissions by giving it access to SuperUser.
Step 3 – Enter the values you want to set for your DPI by filling out the first text box in the app.
NOTE: Higher the value, smaller the element size.
Step 4 – Reboot your device.
Method 2: Edit the build.prop file
Step 1 – Get the Easy DPI Changer app directly from the Play Store: Download BuildProp (Beta) [Root]
Step 2 – After installation, open the app once to give it root permissions.
Step 3 – Browse the Build Info to find ro.sf.lcd_density
Step 4 – Change the value to what you want.
NOTE: Higher the value, smaller the element size.
Step 5 – Reboot your device for changes to take effect.
That’s it! One of these processes should have worked for you and you should now be running a custom DPI size on your device.
If you ran into any problems or issues, reach us in the comments section ahead.
