One of the many tweaks you can apply to an Android device is changing its Dots Per Inch (DPI) size, and for recent versions of the Android operating system, you don’t even have to root your device to apply this tweak anymore. Previously, the only way to change DPI of your Android device was to root it and use a Xposed module or an application specially made for that function to change it, but from Android 7.0 Nougat, you can simply change DPI of your Android device in the Developer Options settings under the Smallest width option in the Drawing tab. However, on Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI 9, this option is missing. In this guide, I’ll show you how to change DPI on MIUI 9 without root on Xiaomi phones.
If you’re running Android 7.0 Nougat and above, you can change the DPI of your Android device in the phone settings. You have to first enable Developer Options by going to Settings > About Device and continuously tapping on Build number until you get the “You’re now a developer” confirmation. Then enter Developer Options from the main Settings menu, scroll down to the Drawing tab, tap on Smallest width and set the parameter.
MIUI 9 is the latest custom user interface that Xiaomi implements on its Android smartphones, and while it brings many useful features and offers an abundance of themes, this useful option to change DPI has been removed. On the bright side, nicholaschum, XDA Substratum Development Leader has found a way to carry out the tweak in MIUI 9, and you don’t even need to be rooted to do it.
Requirements and Things to note
- PC (Windows or Mac) with ADB set up.
- Mi account. The account has to be linked to your phone for this tweak to work.
- You have to go through adb every time you need to change DPI on your phone. Until the option is officially added back in an MIUI 9 update, I’m afraid this is the only way to do it.
- If you’re not living in a China-based region, you have to use a VPN to spoof your location to an HK or China server.
- When you change your DPI via adb, the settings will persist even after you reboot, so you don’t have to keep setting the parameter every time your reboot your smartphone.
- The Themes application will look tilted a bit after you apply this tweak. Unfortunately, you have to live with this if you really wish to change DPI on your phone. On the bright side, it doesn’t affect device performance in any way.
Let’s get to the real deal, shall we?
Change DPI on MIUI 9 without root – Process
- Turn off your Wi-Fi and turn on your mobile data.
- If you’re not in a China-based location, turn on your VPN now and connect to a HongKong or China server.
- Open your phone Settings > About Phone and tap MIUI Version seven times.
- From the main Settings menu, go to Additional Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging and click on USB Debugging (Security settings).
- Go through the three prompted Apply dialogs with a countdown, and ensure the toggle is enabled.
- If the toggle is not enabled, confirm that your Wi-Fi is off, your mobile data is on and your Mi account is linked, and try again.
- Run adb on your PC and run the following command
adb shell
wm density DPI
exit
NOTE: Replace DPI with your desired DPI number, like 380. - If you want to reset DPI settings to default, run the command:
adb shell
wm density reset
exit
