How To Change App Drawer Icon In Nova Launcher

Most Android smartphones these days come with fixed icon sizes. But what if you'd like to have larger icons or perhaps smaller ones, so as to fit more of them on the home screen? Fortunately, select smartphone models do allow users to do this natively – you just have to search through their settings.

For the rest of us, there's the option to install third-party launchers, which provide a straightforward solution if you are looking to change the size of your icons. This article goes over both methods, showing you how to easily accomplish this goal.

1. Try Third-Party Launchers

Most third-party launchers will get the job done to change the icon size to your preferences. A few popular choices include the Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher, Smart Launcher 5 and the newer Niagara Launcher.

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher is probably the most well-known Android launcher out there – and with good reason. The app brings a fast and customizable experience allowing users to give their phone a makeover to their preferences without slowing down the device's overall performance.

1. Open the Nova Setting on your device.

2. Tap on "Home screen" at the top of the display.

3. Select the "Icon Layout" option.

4. Move your finger on the "Icon size" slider in order to adjust the size of your app icons.

5. Tap back and check out the results. If you're still not happy with how it all looks, go back and play with the setting again.

The icon size you choose here will be applied to the home screen as well as the app drawer. Moreover, you can customize how the apps are arranged for both by going to "Home Screen -> Desktop Grid" and "App Drawer -> Drawer App Grid" and selecting how many rows and columns of icons you want to see in each.

Apex Launcher

Apex Launcher is another great alternative for those looking to customize their Android, as it offers a good balance of features, including changing app size and performance.

1. Open the Apex Menu on your device.

2. Select "Home Screen" from the list of options that appears.

3. Tap on "Layout & Style."

4. Scroll down until you find the "Icon size" slider and use it to determine the size of your icons. You'll see the results of your changes in real time above.

5. Once you're satisfied with the arrangement, tap back and check the results.

You can also fiddle with the app layout and select how many rows and columns of icons you want on your home screen. The more columns you add, the smaller the icons will get, so this is also a way to resize your app icons.

In addition, if you wish to resize the app icons in your app drawer, go to "Settings -> App Drawer -> Drawer Layout & Icons." Here you can resize the icons and adjust the layout as well.

Smart Launcher 5

Smart Launcher 5 is a launcher app that has been around for a while and is packed with great features – like automatically sorting your apps into several categories. Of course, the app also lets you change your app icon size.

1. On your device with Smart Launcher 5, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

2. You'll see the different app categories which the launcher uses to group your apps.

3. Tap on the three-dot menu in the top right of the display.

4. The "App page" window will appear on your screen.

5. Swipe up again to get to the Smart Launcher 5's Settings.

6. Find and select "Global appearance."

7. Click on "Icon appearance."

8. Select the global icon size according to your preferences. What you choose will be applied to the app icons that are grouped in the different app folders – but not the ones on the home screen.

If you're looking to change the size of the icons on your home screen, you'll need to follow a slightly different route. Go to "Settings -> Home page -> Layout."

From here you can pick custom icon layouts or simply just get down to business by selecting Resize. This will allow you to increase or decrease the size of your home screen app icons.

Niagara Launcher

Niagara Launcher is part of the newer crop of launcher apps. It boasts a quick and minimalist interface that is great for low-end devices. The app lets users set up a fresh home screen layout that features up to eight of your most-frequently used apps. The rest of the apps are accessible from the A-Z alphabet in the right side of the display. Niagara's Launcher feature pack includes the option to change the app icon size.

1. Long tap on one of your home screen icons.

2. Select "Niagara Settings."

3. Tap on Look.

4. Slide your finger on the "App icon size" bar to select how you want them to look.

5. Go back and check the result.

As you can see, launchers have your back when it comes to helping you customize the size of your app icons. But depending on which type of smartphone you have, you may not need to download a launcher app to get the job done.

2. Dig into Your Phone's Settings

Some phones offer the option of changing your app icons' size natively. For example, Pixel users can do this easily by following these steps.

1. Long press on an empty space on your Pixel's home screen.

2. Select "Styles & Wallpaper."

3. Go to Grid.

4. Here you can select different grid sizes. The default is set to 5×5. But if you're looking to increase the size of your icons, you can select the 3×3 option instead or 2×2. Unfortunately, at this point in time, Google offers only four choices. Perhaps in the future the company will add more.

Note that this feature only affects how icons look on your home screen.

Alternatively, if you're using a Samsung phone with One UI onboard, you can also change the size of your app icons.

1. Long press on an empty space on the home screen on your Samsung device.

2. Tap on the "Home Screen Settings" icon.

3. You should be able to see "Home Screen Grid" and "Apps Screen Grid" options.

4. These give you the option to change the ratio of apps on your phone's home and app screens, which will have the effect of changing their size.

Now that you know how to change your apps' icon size, maybe you'd be interested in taking things a bit further and learn how you can create custom app icons on your Android. And since we're on the topic of launchers, you're invited to discover 11 of the best home screen launchers for Android.

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Alexandra Arici

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.