Save Windows 8.1 Desktop icon size?

Question

I know this sounds confusing, but I want to be able to save the SIZE of my desktop icons in windows 8.1. I found out that holding CTRL and using the scroll wheel allows you to change them beyond the default Large, medium and small icon settings. So now my desktop size is 10x20 icons. But, if I accidently resize them they shoot everywhere all over the desktop. I am using DesktopOK to save the positions, but it is unable to save the icons size and doesn't work if the size changes. Is there any way I can save their size, like in the registry or something? Thanks.

EDIT: Is there somewhere in windows, like somewhere in the registry where it saves the size of icons? Does anyone know where that file/reg may be? It has to be somewhere, otherwise how would windows remember the icon size?

Answer 1

If you open regedit, you can navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics which has several Desktop settings stored. One of them is Shell Icon Size, for example "Shell Icon Size"="36".

You can store and reload this via the usual means, exporting the key WindowMetrics and restoring it by clicking it if needed.

Answer 2

Put this in Icon.reg file (replace number value with whatever size you want)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
"Shell Icon Size"="36"

Create a .bat (batch) file containing this: (replace path with actual path to the file)

regedit /s "C:\Path\To\Icon.reg"
exit

Put the batch file in "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" to autostart on startup/login.

And you're done. Not much technical stuff behind it... Windows seems to reset this value on reboot for whatever reason (probably because of people accidentally resizing them); and so you need to tell it every time you login to set the icon sizes to whatever you want it to be. This is done by editing the registry key which contains the value number for the size of the icons in pixels (I think 32 is the default size; actual icon sizes are 16x16, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48 and 256x256, but you can select values inbetween these sizes if you wish, I recommend not going higher than 256x256 ever though, because this means the icons will be upscaled, which if they use raster graphics (most do) means that they will start looking blurry and washed out; honestly it surprises me that they include all these icon sizes when they could just have 256x256 as a standard, then downscale it to whatever they wish without any loss of quality)