If you have recently upgraded the display monitor of your Ubuntu system to a 2K or 4K resolution, you may have noticed that icons, text, and other UI elements appear small, making it difficult to view and interact with them comfortably.
This is a common issue on high-resolution displays. These display monitors have too many pixels, which results in small UI elements. In this guide, we will explore the steps to fix the problem of small icons on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Fix Small Icons on a 4K Display on Ubuntu
Ubuntu operating system provides options to adjust the scaling settings to change the size of everything on the screen for better usability. To fix the issue, you can follow the methods mentioned below:
1. Changing Scale Value
To fix the small icon issues, you can scale the display to 200%, 300%, or 400%. This means that you are making every element twice, three times, or four times its actual native size.
However, to achieve the best balance between clarity and usability, scaling to 200% is often the ideal setting.
Here are the steps you can follow to change the scale value:
1. Click on the Ubuntu icon and open the Settings.
2. It will open the Settings window. Here, click on the Screen Displays option in the left pane.
3. Change the scale value to 200% and click the Apply button.
Note
If you have multiple displays connected, you need to select the display where you are facing the small icon issue.
4. You will be prompted to confirm the changes. If everything looks good, select Keep Changes.
Now, every element on the screen will be twice the size of the native display settings, which should resolve the issue.
2. Enable Fractional Scaling
However, for some users, the screen might look too big or some elements might not appear visually appealing. If you experience this issue, you can use the fractional scaling feature of Ubuntu, which allows you to set the scaling to 125%, 150%, or 175%.
Here’s how you can enable fractional scaling:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to the Screen Displays option and enable fractional scaling by turning on the toggle.
3. Once fractional scaling is enabled, you’ll get additional scale options in the Scale drop-down menu. Click on it and select the fractional scale value of your preference.
Note
If you want the best visual experience without losing sharpness and quality, then select 150%.
4. Then, click on the Apply button.
5. A confirmation window will prompt you. Here, click on the Keep Changes button.
Conclusion
Adjusting the scale value and enabling fractional scaling in Ubuntu can significantly enhance your experience on a 2K or 4K display by making UI elements easier to interact with. Furthermore, you can customize the dock panel, increase dock icon size, and more. For that, you can check out our guide on how to customize the dock panel on Ubuntu.
