How to change your monitor resolution
Resolution is the number of pixels your monitor displays across its width and height — for example, 1920 by 1080 means 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels tall. Changing it takes two to three minutes and lives in your operating system's display settings, not in the monitor itself. Most people change resolution to make text larger (lower resolution), fit more on screen (higher resolution), or match what a game or process needs to run properly.
The steps differ slightly between Windows, Mac, and Linux, but the principle is the same: you open display settings, select a new resolution from a dropdown list, and confirm the change. If the new resolution looks wrong, you have a few seconds to revert before the system locks it in.
Key Takeaways
- Resolution changes happen in your operating system settings, not on the monitor itself — Windows uses Settings > Display, Mac uses System Settings > Displays, and Linux varies by desktop environment.
- Your monitor has a native resolution (the one it was built for) that usually looks sharpest, though you can run lower or higher resolutions if your graphics card supports them.
- After you pick a new resolution, the system gives you 15 seconds to confirm the change before reverting automatically, so you will not get stuck with an unreadable screen.
- Refresh rate (how many times per second the image updates) is a separate setting from resolution and matters most for gaming or video work.
Changing resolution in Windows 10 and 11
Open Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing "display settings", then click the first result. You will see a preview of your monitor and a dropdown labeled "Display resolution" — click it to see all available options. Windows lists them as width × height, like 1920 × 1080 or 1366 × 768. Select the one you want and click "Keep changes".
Windows will ask you to confirm within 15 seconds. If the text is too small or too large, or if the image looks blurry or stretched, click "Revert" and try a different resolution. If you do nothing, Windows automatically reverts after 15 seconds. Once you confirm, the change is saved and will stay the same when you restart your computer.
If you do not see the resolution you want in the list, your graphics card may not support it, or you may need to update your graphics drivers. Right-click on your desktop, look for "Graphics Settings" or "NVIDIA Control Panel" (depending on your graphics card brand), and check for driver updates there.
Changing resolution on Mac
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner, then go to System Settings > Displays. You will see a "Resolution" section with several preset options like "Scaled" or "Default for display". Click "Scaled" to see more choices — Mac shows them as descriptions like "1920 × 1200 (Looks like 1440 × 900)" rather than raw pixel counts. The number in parentheses is what the system will show to applications; the first number is the actual pixel count your monitor receives.
Select the resolution you want and close the settings window. The change takes effect when ready without a confirmation step, because Mac assumes the resolution is valid if your monitor is already connected. If the text becomes unreadable, go back to Displays and pick a different option.
On newer Macs with Apple Silicon chips (M1, M2, M3), resolution options are more limited than on Intel Macs, because the system manages scaling differently. You may see fewer choices, but the ones available are all tested to work well with your screen.
Changing resolution on Linux
Linux does not have a single settings location — it depends on your desktop environment. On GNOME (used by Ubuntu and Fedora), click the system menu in the top right corner, then Settings > Displays. You will see a "Resolution" dropdown with available options. Select one and the change takes effect when ready.
On KDE Plasma (used by Kubuntu and openSUSE), go to System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Splash Screen, then look for Display and Monitor settings. On other desktop environments like XFCE or LXDE, the path varies — right-click your desktop and look for "Display Settings" or check your applications menu under System or Settings.
If you cannot find display settings through the graphical menu, you can also edit your display configuration file directly using a text editor, but this is rarely necessary for straightforward resolution changes. If you are unsure which desktop environment you are using, open a terminal and type echo $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP to see the name.
Understanding native resolution and why it matters
Every monitor has a native resolution — the pixel count it was physically built to display. A 24-inch monitor might have a native resolution of 1920 × 1080, while a 27-inch monitor often has 2560 × 1440. Running your monitor at its native resolution makes text and images look sharpest because each pixel on your screen corresponds to exactly one pixel in the image.
If you run a lower resolution than native, the monitor has to stretch pixels to fill the screen, which can make things look slightly blurry. If you run a higher resolution than native, the monitor has to compress the image, which can make text tiny. You can find your monitor's native resolution by checking the manual, looking it up online by model number, or checking your graphics card settings — most systems default to native resolution when you first set up the monitor.
That said, running a lower resolution is sometimes the right choice if you have vision difficulties or want more space on your screen. The blurriness is usually minor, and the benefit of larger text outweighs it. Running higher than native is rarely useful and usually makes things harder to read.
Resolution versus refresh rate
Resolution and refresh rate are two separate settings that people often confuse. Resolution is how many pixels wide and tall; refresh rate is how many times per second the image updates, measured in hertz (Hz). A 60 Hz monitor refreshes 60 times per second, while a 144 Hz monitor refreshes 144 times per second.
For everyday work like email, web browsing, and documents, 60 Hz is fine and you will not notice a difference. For gaming or video editing, higher refresh rates (120 Hz, 144 Hz, or higher) can make motion look smoother. You change refresh rate in the same settings area as resolution — in Windows, it is usually a dropdown below the resolution setting; on Mac, it appears as "ProMotion" if your monitor supports it; on Linux, it depends on your desktop environment.
If you change resolution and the refresh rate option disappears or changes, that is normal — some resolutions are only supported at certain refresh rates, depending on your monitor's capabilities and the cable connecting it (HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C all have different limits).
What to do if your resolution looks wrong
If you change resolution and the image looks stretched, blurry, or the colors seem off, the most common cause is that you chose a resolution your monitor does not handle well. Go back to settings and try your monitor's native resolution, or try the next closest option. If the text is unreadable and you cannot get back to settings, restart your computer — most systems will revert to the last working resolution on startup.
If the image is stretched horizontally or vertically (wider or taller than it should be), your monitor may have an aspect ratio setting. Some monitors have a physical button or menu that lets you choose between 4:3, 16:9, or 16:10 aspect ratios. Check your monitor's manual or look for a menu button on the back or bottom of the screen.
If you see flickering or the screen goes black for a moment after changing resolution, your graphics card is communicating with the monitor to confirm the new setting. This is normal and should stop within a few seconds. If it does not stop, revert to the previous resolution and try a different one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set different resolutions for two monitors at the same time?
Yes. In Windows, go to Settings > Display and scroll down to see all connected monitors. Click on each one and set its resolution separately. On Mac, go to System Settings > Displays and click each monitor in the sidebar. Linux varies by desktop environment, but GNOME and KDE both let you set resolution per monitor in their display settings.
Why does my resolution option list look different after I updated Windows or Mac?
Updates sometimes change how your graphics drivers work, or they may install new drivers that support additional resolutions. If you see fewer options than before, try restarting your computer. If you see more options, the new ones are now supported by your graphics card and are safe to use.
What resolution should I use if I have trouble reading text on screen?
Try lowering your resolution by one or two steps — for example, from 1920 × 1080 to 1366 × 768. Text will be larger. If that is not enough, you can also increase the text scaling in your operating system separately from resolution. In Windows, go to Settings > Display > Scale and layout; on Mac, use System Settings > Displays > Text size; on Linux, check your desktop environment's accessibility settings.
Will changing resolution damage my monitor?
No. Your monitor can only display resolutions that its hardware supports, so the operating system will not let you choose one that would harm it. The worst that can happen is the image looks wrong, in which case you revert to a different resolution.
Do I need to change resolution if I connect a new external monitor?
Not necessarily. Most systems detect a new monitor and automatically set it to a sensible resolution, usually the native one. If the text or image looks wrong, then you can change it using the steps above for your operating system.