SharePoint Document Issues

How to Resize File and Folder Icons in a SharePoint Library

Natalie Taylor Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to adjust the size of file and folder icons in a SharePoint Online document library but cannot find a specific icon-size setting.

How to Resize File and Folder Icons in a SharePoint Library

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Viewing documents in a SharePoint library where icons appear irregularly sized or differ from previous layouts.
Observed behavior: File and folder icons in the document library appear larger or smaller than before, and there is no dedicated button or menu option to explicitly change the icon size.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary edit permissions to modify list views in the SharePoint document library if you intend to save the new layout for all users.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust the Column Width in List View

Resize the icons by dragging the column divider, which dynamically adjusts the space available for the file-type icons and file names.

SharePoint dynamically scales file and folder icons based on the width of the 'Name' column. By expanding or shrinking this column, the icons will resize accordingly.

Navigate to the document library

Open your SharePoint Online site and navigate to the specific document library where the icons need adjusting.

Locate the column divider

Move your mouse pointer over the column header area, specifically over the divider line between the file-type icon and the 'Name' column.

Drag to resize

Click and drag the divider to the left to make the icons smaller, or to the right to make them larger. This works exactly like resizing a column in Excel.

Save the view (Optional)

If you want this size to remain permanent, click on the View options menu (usually labeled 'All Documents') in the top right and select 'Save view as' to overwrite the current view.

Instant Adjustment: The icons will scale in real-time as you drag the column divider, allowing you to easily find the perfect visual size.

Solution 2

Switch Between List and Tiles View

If you prefer prominent, large icons for folders and files, switching the library view to 'Tiles' provides a grid-based layout.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my SharePoint folder icons suddenly get larger?

This usually occurs if the library view was accidentally switched from 'List' to 'Tiles' mode, or if the 'Name' column width was expanded by another user who then saved the public view layout.

Can I set a default pixel size for icons in SharePoint?

SharePoint Online does not offer a setting to specify exact pixel dimensions for icons. Instead, icon size is managed dynamically through column width adjustments in the List view or by toggling the Tiles view.

Does resizing the column affect other users?

If you merely adjust the column width, it only changes the view for your current session. However, if you click 'Save view as' after resizing and overwrite a public view, the new column width and icon size will apply to all users sharing that view.

Is there a way to add custom icons to my SharePoint folders?

SharePoint Online does not natively support uploading custom folder icons through standard settings. You can, however, use JSON column formatting to conditionally display different icons based on a file or folder's metadata.

Document & File Issues