Top tips: How to change your monitor screen resolution. The screen resolution is set to a monitor that is not supported: how to solve the problem in a Windows environment. How to make the screen resolution higher
The issue of changing the display resolution and selecting its optimal value is quite acute for novice Windows users. Today we will touch on its solution, considering several different options for getting out of the situation.
What is permission
Typically, screen resolution refers to the size of the image formed on the display in pixels. It implies a value relative to the physical dimensions of the matrix: the number of pixels is divided by the physical size of the display in inches. That is, the number of pixels does not increase in proportion to the physical size of the display, which immediately dispels the myth: the larger the screen, the higher its resolution.
Changing the resolution may be necessary after reinstalling Windows or drivers for the video card, if its value was not set automatically. It is also necessary to expand the screen when launching games - routines do not always correctly determine the resolution settings in Windows in order to apply them to the game.
Solving the problem in Windows 7
You can change the resolution value (the number of pixels vertically and horizontally) on your computer using several methods.
Feature integrated into Windows
To expand the screen in Windows 7, we perform a list of simple actions that any beginner who wants to choose the optimal value for the number of pixels used to display the image on the display can handle.
- Call the context menu of the desktop area free of icons and select “Screen resolution”.
The second method to open the same window is through the Control Panel item called Display. Click on its icon and select “Adjust screen resolution”.
- In the line of the same name, select the desired value from the list of suggested ones.
- Click “Apply” to evaluate the selected settings.
Follow the advice of the monitor developers and select the optimal setting value they recommend. There is always a “Recommended” sign next to it. If there are two or three items in the list, check whether the drivers are installed on your video card. Without them, you won't be able to change the resolution to a higher resolution than 1024x768.
Video card driver
If you have a video adapter driver installed, you can change the extension using the software that comes with the driver. Moreover, these programs will differ for different video chip manufacturers, but the principle will remain the same, and the algorithm for changing the extension value will be almost identical.
nVidia
When using more popular and, as a result, more expensive with the same performance, video cards from nVidia, the control panel for device operating modes will help you change the resolution.
- Call the context menu of free desktop space.
- Select the item highlighted in the screenshot to launch the window for setting up various video card parameters.
- Expand the “Display” menu item, where we click on the link shown below.
- When using multiple monitors, select the target for which we want to change the settings and determine the resolution value.
As already mentioned, you should choose your own resolution, assigned to the first position.
- Apply the new settings and close the window.
If you have a video card developed on an ATI graphics chip from Radeon, we perform the following steps in Windows 7.
- Call up the desktop context menu and click on the first item in the drop-down menu, or open the application via its tray icon.
- Click on the “Display” button, then click on “Advanced settings”.
- Select the desired parameter or enter it manually (which is also allowed) and save the changes made.
Third Party Applications
In addition to the proposed options, which are considered classic, it is possible to change the resolution using special programs. These are utilities for setting up the monitor, overclocking and configuring the video card.
Let's look at how to do this in a video adapter overclocking application called PowerStrip and a program designed to set display performance characteristics.
- Launch the PowerStrip program in Windows.
- Drag the slider located in the “Resolution” frame.
- Click “Save” to apply the parameters.
Perhaps the icons on your desktop are too small or large, we will help you figure it out. how to change screen resolution and adjust the size to the user's wishes. Resolution matters in terms of grain, placement of active elements, quality of image display/animation, and other computer manipulations.
Today, the seven remains one of the most popular systems, so for it we will first consider the methodology:
- Installation is performed via RMB on the desktop.
- Then you should select the “Screen Resolution” option.
- Next comes resizing.
- When ready, click on Save.
For Windows 10
The most accessible way to change the resolution is to use the modernized settings interface, where there is a Screen section. To go to it you need:
- Right click on the table and activate the “Screen Options” item.
- Go to additional options.
- In this section, you can select the appropriate resolution and save its selection.
Read also: How to activate Windows 7? The answer is in this article
An alternative option is to use the Control Panel.
- Through Start, go to the Control Panel and activate the Screen item.
- In the menu on the left you should select “Resolution settings” and set the optimal parameter for each device.
- Click Apply to view the changes, click Save to make your final selection.
The change procedure is similar to previous versions of the system; just right-click on the desktop and activate the “Screen Resolution” option. Next, you should expand the Resolution menu, which presents a selection of different display methods available for your monitor. If multiple screens are synchronized, it is recommended to set the resolution for each separately.
If you don’t know the appropriate value, you can move the slider in different directions and watch the elements change. The system determines the optimal value for the computer based on technical parameters and marks the item with the message “Recommended.”
If you increase the resolution, the interface will have more space and all elements will be smaller. This action improves picture clarity and reduces the visibility of pixels. On the contrary, when the value is lowered, the icons increase in size; if they are difficult to see from afar, the resolution is reduced by 1-2 positions.
After setting the value, all that remains is to click Ok, in this case the action will be applied, the user will have the opportunity to view the result, only then click Save.
Read also: Optimizing Windows 10 - detailed description at this link
You can change the resolution through the home screen:
- You need to open the Charm panel in the lower right corner and go to Settings.
- Click on PC and Hardware.
- Select Screen.
- Adjustment is made to the desired size.
- Save your actions by clicking on the appropriate button.
For Windows XP
A simple way to achieve your goal:
- Right-click on the Start screen and activate the Properties option.
- In the new window, you should go to the Settings tab if another page is open.
- By moving the slider, the optimal indicators are determined and click OK to view the changes.
- Save is clicked only after the final selection.
How to change the screen resolution in the game
The easiest way for a novice user to change these settings is to go into the game and this setting is almost always available in the parameters section. It is enough to select the right choice from the listed options and enjoy excellent quality.
From time to time, a problem occurs that after changing the resolution, the program stops starting or always appears with a black screen, although there is sound and you can perform some actions. Also, in a number of other situations, it is necessary to change the resolution without logging into the game.
Read also: What to do if the tablet freezes? Look
How to change screen resolution without entering the game
Methods for achieving the goal exist, but the main difficulty is that each game is programmed differently, so there is no universal method.
There are 4 main methods for achieving the goal:
- You need to change the settings in the game files. For settings, a separate file is always created with the name Config, Settings or UserProfile and other descriptive names. They contain basic user settings. The files themselves are contained in the game directory, mainly at the top level of the hierarchy, but sometimes you additionally have to go to the BIN or others folder.
- To change a file, you need to open it using a text editor, usually a standard notepad is enough. This is done by right-clicking on the file and hovering the cursor over “Open with”.
- You should search the text by holding Ctrl+F and entering the word – Resolution.
- The found line indicates the extension separated by a space; it should be replaced; if the line is missing, it should be added.
- You need to specify a value lower than what is allowed on the monitor, usually for desktop PCs - 1920x1080 or 1280x1024. For laptops, 1366x768 or 1280x720 is often found.
- Some games have an additional launcher near the launch file that allows you to set settings even before launching the game; it is worth checking for the presence of such a file with the .exe extension.
- Using the file properties, you can set the value 640x480 - this will allow you to start the game if any failures occur, and set an adequate value inside it.
- To perform the procedure, you should find the file from the game and right-click, then select “Properties”.
- Then you need to go to the “Compatibility” tab.
- Set a selection next to “Use screen resolution 640x480”.
- The changes are applied and the game is attempted to start.
- You can change the required values through the registry, but due to the lack of standards for the location of the game, it is difficult to say where the parameter will be located. It is advisable to find information on the forum, you can also use the search and brute force method to determine the location. Usually the name of the parameter indicates the purpose of its use. After finding the file, double click and change the value.
An incorrectly set resolution will cause a lot of inconvenience during any actions, especially difficult to play normally. The methods in the article are designed to eliminate the problem at the system and individual application level.
If you still have questions on the topic “How to change screen resolution? Step-by-step instructions", then you can ask them in the comments
The question of changing the resolution in Windows 7 or 8, as well as doing it in the game, although it belongs to the category “for very beginners,” is asked quite often. In this instruction we will touch not only directly on the actions required to change the screen resolution, but also on some other things. See also: (+ video instructions), .
In particular, I will talk about why the required resolution may not be in the list of available ones, for example, with a Full HD 1920 by 1080 screen it is impossible to set the resolution higher than 800×600 or 1024×768, about why it is better to set the resolution on modern monitors, corresponding to the physical parameters of the matrix, and about what to do if everything on the screen is too large or too small.
For Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 operating systems, changing the screen resolution can be done in exactly the same way as described above. At the same time, I recommend following the same recommendations.
However, the new OS has introduced another way to change the screen resolution, which we will consider here.
- Move your mouse pointer to any of the right corners of the screen to make the panel appear. On it, select “Settings”, and then, at the bottom - “Change computer settings”.
- In the settings window, select “Computer and devices”, then “Display”.
- Set the desired screen resolution and other display options.
Changing screen resolution in Windows 8
Perhaps this will be more convenient for someone, although personally, to change the resolution in Windows 8, I use the same method as in Windows 7.
Using graphics card management utilities to change resolution
In addition to the options described above, you can also change the resolution using various graphics control panels from NVidia (GeForce video cards), ATI (or AMD, Radeon video cards) or Intel.
Many users, when working in Windows, have an icon in the notification area for accessing the functions of the video card, and in most cases, if you right-click on it, you can quickly change the display settings, including screen resolution, simply by selecting the desired one in menu.
Changing the screen resolution in the game
Most games that run full screen set their own resolution, which you can change. Depending on the game, these settings may be located in the “Graphics”, “Advanced graphics settings”, “System” and others. I note that in some very old games you cannot change the screen resolution. Another note: setting a higher resolution in the game may cause it to slow down, especially on less powerful computers.
That's all I can tell you about changing screen resolution in Windows. I hope the information is useful.
Screen resolution determines how much information is shown on the display. It is measured horizontally and vertically in pixels. At lower settings, such as 640x480, fewer elements will appear on the screen, but they will be larger. When the resolution is 1920x1080, the monitor displays more elements, but they are smaller in size. The resolution modes for each display are different and depend on the video card, monitor size and video driver.
How to make the resolution 1920x1080
Note! Windows 10 comes with integrated support for 4K and 8K displays.
By default, the system selects the best display settings for your computer based on its monitor.
If you wish, you can manually change the screen resolution to Full HD for each desktop.
How to change resolution to Full HD
Below we will tell you how to change the resolution to Full HD for each individual desktop, as well as for all Windows 10 users.
Note! Sometimes trying to change the picture display quality can result in the tiles of applications attached to the start menu being empty. If this happens to you, then restarting File Explorer should help.
In general, the entire operation of changing the screen resolution comes down to the following steps:
Step 1. To open the display settings, follow steps 1, 2 or 3:
Step 2. If your PC has multiple displays, select the one from the list (example: "2") whose resolution you want to change (see screenshot below).
Note! If all your displays are not visible, click on the "Detect" button. So Windows will try to find them.
Step 3. If you are not sure what number a certain display has, click on the “Detect” button (in the screenshot below). This will cause the system to briefly display the number of each display. However, this feature only appears when connecting multiple monitors.
Step 5. Choose a screen resolution of 1920x1080 or Full HD.
Step 6. Select display mode and screen resolution (custom).
Step 7 If you have multiple displays connected to your computer and you want to change the screen resolution for each of them, repeat the above step 4.
Step 8 When you're done, you can close Options if you want.
Read detailed instructions on changing the screen extension for Windows 7 in the new article -
How to set the resolution to 1920x1080 if it is not in the screen settings
- Go to the “Start” menu, open “Control Panel”.
- Click on the “Hardware and Sound” section.
- Select “NVIDIA Control Panel”.
- In the window that opens, click on the item “Change resolution".
- Click on the “Create” button custom permission ".
- In the “Horizontal pixel” and “Vertical pixel” fields, enter the values 1920x1080, respectively, click “Test”, then confirm the action by clicking “Yes”.
- In the window you will see the created permission, click “OK”, then “Apply”.
You have set the required resolution to 1920x1080 on your computer.
Note! The item for creating permission may have a different name. This depends on the video card installed on your computer.
Video - How to set screen resolution to 1920x1080
Typically, the operating system itself determines the resolution for a particular monitor model. However, the automatically selected parameters do not always suit the user. For example, on a 21-inch monitor I couldn’t get used to the small icons for a long time, so at first I independently changed the resolution to a slightly lower one, which suited me. Today I will tell and show how to do this correctly using the Windows 7 operating system as an example.
There are three ways to solve this issue, but not everyone can use one of them. I'm talking about changing parameters using a proprietary utility, which can be installed along with the drivers. However, many users simply refuse to install it, so this method is not relevant for them.
Method one
For example, let's take an Ati Radeon video card, along with which the proprietary Catalyst Control Center utility is installed, through which you can change various parameters. We launch the program (usually it is located in the tray), select the “Desktop Management” section, the “Desktop Properties” subsection. Here you will see the current desktop settings, including the screen resolution, which you can change to the one you need.
Second way
The next option is even simpler compared to the first. We go to the desktop, click on the right mouse button, after which a menu appears, in it select the “Screen resolution” item.
A window will open.
Here we “play” with the screen resolution - select and click OK.
Third way
Finally, the same thing can be done through the control panel.
Click the “Start” button and find the “Control Panel” item. Here we select the “Screen” section.
A window will open with the ability to enlarge icons on the desktop. On the left side of the screen there is an item “Setting screen resolution”, by clicking on which you can change the resolution.
As you can see, this process is very easy and simple even for a beginner. But what you shouldn’t do is change the refresh rate - it is optimal for the monitor and if you set it to a mode that it does not support, the device may fail. Fortunately, this rarely happens in practice and concerns mainly CRT monitors, which are currently almost out of circulation.