How to Change the Screen Resolution on a PC

This wikiHow teaches you how to change the size of icons and text on your Windows computer's screen by increasing or decreasing your computer's resolution.

Things You Should Know

  • Open your Display Settings menu. This might be under "Properties" depending on your version of Windows.
  • Find the "Resolution" heading or slider. In most versions of Windows, it's in the main display menu, but in some versions it might be under "Advanced Display Settings."
  • Choose a resolution value or slide the slider to your desired resolution. Click "Apply" or "OK" to save.
Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Windows 10

  1. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 1
    1
    Right-click the desktop. This will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 2
    2
    Click Display settings. It's toward the bottom of the menu.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 3
    3
    Scroll down and click Advanced display settings. This link is at the bottom of the page.
  4. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 4
    4
    Click the bar beneath the "Resolution" heading. Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu with different resolution values (e.g., "800 x 600").
  5. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 5
    5
    Click a resolution value. The resolution best-suited to your computer's screen will say "(Recommended)" next to it.
    • The higher the resolution number is, the smaller your computer's text and icons will appear.
  6. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 6
    6
    Click Apply. It's below the "Resolution" bar. Clicking this button will apply your selected resolution to the screen.
  7. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 7
    7
    Click Keep changes. If you don't like your new resolution settings, you can click Revert or simply wait for a few seconds until the resolution automatically reverts to your computer's default setting.
    8. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Windows 7 and 8

  1. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 8
    1
    Right-click the desktop. This will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 9
    2
    Click Screen resolution. It's toward the bottom of the right-click menu.
  3. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 10
    3
    Click the resolution bar. It's below the "Resolution" heading. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu with different resolution values, such as "1920 x 1080."
    • On Windows 7, you may have a vertical slider here that allows you to click and drag a button up or down to increase or decrease the resolution.
  4. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 11
    4
    Click a resolution value. The resolution best-suited to your computer's screen will say "(Recommended)" next to it.
    • The higher the resolution number is, the smaller your computer's text and icons will appear.
  5. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 12
    5
    Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will prompt you to confirm your choice.
  6. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 13
    6
    Click Yes when prompted. Doing so will save your resolution settings.
    • If you don't like the new resolution settings, you can click Revert or simply wait a few seconds for your computer's resolution to revert to your computer's default.
    7. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Windows Vista

  1. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 14
    1
    Right-click the desktop. This will invoke a drop-down menu.
  2. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 15
    2
    Click Personalize. It's toward the bottom of the right-click menu.
    • On some versions of Vista, this option may say Properties instead.
  3. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 16
    3
    Click Display Settings. This link is at the bottom of the "Personalize" window.
  4. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 17
    4
    Click and drag the "Resolution" slider left or right. It's near the bottom of the "Display Settings" window. Dragging the slider to the left will decrease your screen resolution, while dragging it to the right will increase the resolution.
    • Raising your resolution will make things smaller, while lowering the resolution will make things larger. If you are having difficulty seeing things on your computer, try lowering your resolution. If you want the clearest picture possible, raise the resolution to the size recommended for your display.
  5. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 18
    5
    Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will prompt you to confirm your choice.
  6. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 19
    6
    Click Yes when prompted. Doing so will save your resolution settings.
    7. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Windows XP

  1. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 20
    1
    Right-click anywhere on the desktop. This will invoke a drop-down menu.
  2. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 21
    2
    Click Properties. It's at the bottom of the menu. This will open the "Display Properties" window.
    • If "Display Properties" doesn't open to the "Settings" tab, click it at the top of the window.
  3. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 22
    3
    Click and drag the "Resolution" slider left or right. It's near the bottom of the "Display Settings" window. Dragging the slider to the left will decrease your screen resolution, while dragging it to the right will increase the resolution.
    • Raising your resolution will make things smaller, while lowering the resolution will make things larger. If you are having difficulty seeing things on your computer, try lowering your resolution. If you want the clearest picture possible, raise the resolution to the size recommended for your display.
  4. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 23
    4
    Click Apply. It's at the bottom of the window. After doing so, your screen will change resolution, and a confirmation box will appear.
  5. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 24
    5
    Click Yes when prompted. Doing this will save your resolution settings.
    • If you don't like the new resolution settings, wait for a few seconds; the screen will revert to the old settings.
  6. Image titled Change the Screen Resolution on a PC Step 25
    6
    Click OK to close the "Display Properties" window. Your new resolution will be saved.
    7. Advertisement
Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Windows ME

  1. Image titled Make Desktop Icons Smaller Step 9
    1
    Using a mouse, right click on an empty part of the screen. There should be a pop-up menu that appears.
  2. Image titled Make Desktop Icons Smaller Step 10
    2
    Scroll over to View. Select how big you want your icons to be.
    3. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    How can I make the desktop icons bigger?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Using a mouse, right click on an empty part of the screen. There should be a pop-up menu that appears. Scroll over to View, and select how big you want your icons to be.
  • Question
    How do I change my screen so that the images are not sideways?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The simple answer is to hold the camera sideways. The camera has a default direction it considers up and down, the PC will read this from the image file. However, if you open the image with an image editor, most have the option to simply rotate the image. Do this and then save it. Look for the curved left or curved right arrows. It may be a pain to have to do this on each image, but it is certainly preferable to having everything sideways.
  • Question
    I use an LCD TV as a monitor. I have tried changing my screen resolution, but it seems impossible. What do I do?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Your monitor should have some settings built-in that allow you to change the Screen Resolution. Otherwise, just right-click your desktop and press Screen Resolution
Advertisement

Warnings

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Replace Window Screens
How to
Replace Window Screens
Set Up Dual Monitors
How to
Set Up Dual Monitors
Get an Animated Desktop Background2 Simple Ways to Get Animated Desktop Wallpapers
Check Your Screen Resolution
How to
Check Your Screen Resolution
Turn Your Computer Screen Upside DownRotating Your Screen on Windows, Chromebook, iOS, & More
Make Any Picture Your Computer's WallpaperHow to Make Any Picture Your Computer or Phone's Wallpaper
Fix a Rotated Screen
How to
Fix a Rotated Screen
Change Your Cursor
How to
Change Your Cursor
Rotate Your Computer Screen
How to
Rotate Your Computer Screen
Connect a Gaming Console to a Computer Monitor
How to
Connect a Gaming Console to a Computer Monitor
Repair a Scratched or Finger Printed Monitor Screen
How to
Repair a Scratched or Finger Printed Monitor Screen
Change Your Resolution in Windows 7
How to
Change Your Resolution in Windows 7
Advertisement

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 580,152 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 27
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 580,152
Categories: Displays
Advertisement