Windows 7: Any way to change type size but NOT icon size?

I want to increase the type font display size globally, for all applications & windows features, but I want to preserve the smaller desktop icon size. Is there any way to adjust them independently?

I know about the advanced display settings for window color & appearance, and that has some good settings, but it is not sufficient, because it does not change most instances of text as it displays in applications.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Here's my whole list of font size change settings, one of which might provide the answer for you. You've probably tried some of them, but see if there's something here that might change the font size on those icons, without changing the size of the icons themselves:

1. This is the one of the main setting tools for setting various locations of Windows font sizes. Right-click on the Desktop and go to Personalize, Window Color and Appearance. Click on Advanced, and in the drop-down menu, select the item that controls the location where you wish to change the font size. (Note: the last one, Window, does not have an option to control font size.)

2. DPI - Right click on Desktop, Personalize, On Personalization Page, go to left column to: Adjust Font size – DPI, DPI Scaling: Click on Large scale (120 DPI), and click Apply.

3. Screen Resolution: Right-click on the Desktop, choose Screen Resolution, click on the down-arrow at the end of the Resolution box, and pick the desired resolution. Check OK.

4. Display: Right-click on the Desktop, select Personalize, then Display. From the 3 settings: Small, Medium, Large, if screen defaults to Medium (125% size for font and images) and that’s too large, use Small for 100% size (aka “normal”)

5. At the lower right hand corner of every IE web page, there’s a Zoom control that lets you increase the size of every web page, and it stays at that Zoom setting for every page until/unless you change it.

6. Open Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, General, Accessibility, Select Ignore font sizes specified on web pages. Click OK, then Apply, then OK.

7. Open Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced, uncheck all three:
Reset text size to Medium for new windows and tabs, and
Reset text size to Medium while Zooming, and
Reset Zoom level to 100% for new windows and tabs

8. Open Internet Explorer, click the Page button, click Text Size, and then select the size you want i.e. Large (Largest may be too large).

9. Ease of Access Center – Go to either: Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, Ease of Access Center, Make Your Computer Easier to Use, Explore All Settings, and click on: Make this computer easier to see (Optimize Visual Display). OR go to Control Panel, and Explore all settings. Under the following heading, Make things on the screen larger, select: Change the size of text + icons. This takes you to the dpi settings screen.

10. If you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, use command/ctrl + your scroll on a web page to increase the font size.

11. MS Office apps have a Zoom slider at the lower right hand corner of every page, that lets you increase the size of every Office app page, and it stays at that Zoom setting until/unless you change it.

12. MS Word templates: In the Ribbon or QuickAccess Bar select Styles, Normal, and when the little arrow appears, select Modify. Under Formatting you can change the default font size (12) to whatever size you wish. At the bottom of the screen select Only in this documents OR New documents based on this template. Click OK. You can change this font size setting for any/all other MS Word templates as well.

13. In IE and FireFox (for current use – not permanent): press Ctrl and the + key to increase screen size. To reduce screen size press Ctrl and the – key. (To restore screen size to 100% press Ctrl and 0.)

14. FireFox (permanent setting): go to Tools, Options, Content, and on that screen set the new default text size that you wish. Then, click Advanced and there are additional default text size settings. Plus, in the box that says "Minimum text size" select None, and down below, UNcheck the box that says "allow pages to choose their own fonts instead of my selections above."

15. Magnifier – To Magnify Entire Page: Start, Search pane, and type: magnifier. When it comes up click the plus (+) sign. The entire page will magnify. OR go to: Control Panel, All Control Panel Items, Ease of Access Center, Make Your Computer Easier to Use, Start Magnifier.

16. Magnifier – To Magnify a Certain Portion of the Screen - go to Start, Search pane, and type: magnifier. Click the program at the top. The Magnifier can be set to Docked Mode which places a re-sizable window at the top of the screen that follows the cursor. (To read more about Magnifier go to Start, click "Help & Support" on the right hand side, type in "magnifier.") Magnifier is actually located at: Start, All Programs, Accessories, Ease of Access, Magnifier.

16. FireFox Add-On: NoSquint (NoSquint: Firefox Extension)


(If you go to Internet Explorer, Internet Options, Appearance, Fonts, How to ignore present fonts - The notes refer you to numbers 5, 6, 8, 10, and 13 above).

Hi imperfect1,
Thanks for your BIG answer here.
I knew there was a simple one and here it is.
Icon displays too large after screen type size increased

Merry Xmas!
Himagain

Thanks Sue I just added this and it works great.
Jerry

Always a pleasure, Jerry!

Hi again,
NoSquint is great. AND both these good advice EXCEPT - I'm converting to :
SRWare Iron - The Browser of the Future due to my need for speed in getting out there and getting rid of FFox's enormous memory demands.