3 Ways To Change Screen Resolution In Windows 10/11

Screen resolution is an important metric to consider when buying a PC. This is because the screen resolution is responsible for displaying the text, images, and videos on the screen with clarity. Usually, the higher the resolution, the clear the text and images on the screen.

In this article, we will discuss different ways to change screen resolution in Windows 11/10. But before that, let’s see how we can check the current resolution.

Quick Method: The quickest way to adjust your screen’s resolution is from the Settings app. Go to Settings >> System >> Display, expand the drop-down menu under “Display resolution,” and then select the desired resolution from the drop-down menu.

What is Screen Resolution?

Technically speaking, screen resolution is the number of pixels spread across the screen horizontally and vertically. It is denoted by two numbers. The first number represents the total number of pixels horizontally. and the second number represents the total number of pixels vertically.

For example, if I say that my screen resolution is 1920 x 1080, this means that my monitor is showing 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically. By the way, the 1920 x 1080 resolution is also known as 1080p.

How to Check the Current Screen Resolution in Windows

The easiest way to check your screen resolution is to open the following website:

http://whatismyscreenresolution.net/

This will display your current screen resolution. This can work on many devices including a PC, laptop, mobile phone, and tablet. The only problem I found in this approach was when I increased the scale and layout size of the text in Windows to more than 100%.

To make sure you know the exact screen resolution of your system, you should follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the following:

   Settings app >> System >> Display

2. Here you can see the current screen resolution under “Display resolution.”

   

Now let’s discuss how to change the screen resolution using different ways.

Change Screen Resolution using Windows Settings

This is the default and perhaps the easiest way that Windows provides to change the screen resolution. Just follow the steps below:

1. Go to the following:

   Settings app >> System >> Display

2. Click on the drop-down menu under “Display resolution” to expand it.

   

   The resolution dropbox will show all the compatible resolutions. Windows also show the recommended screen resolution according to your monitor compatibility and refresh rate. These are preset sizes and can’t be changed or customized

3. Select the screen resolution which suits your needs.

   

4. After selecting your desired resolution, hit the “Keep changes” button.

   

   Windows will give you 15 seconds to check the new resolution. If it creates any issues, you can revert within the 15-second timeframe by clicking the Revert button. Otherwise, press the Keep Changes button. After that, the new resolution takes effect permanently

Change Screen Resolution using Command Prompt

The Windows OS does not give any option to change screen resolution using the Command Prompt. But there is a utility called “QRes” that can be used for this purpose. It also supports screen resolutions that are incompatible with your monitor.

Since it is totally up to you how you configure it, you should use this utility with care. It is only meant for advanced users. Follow these steps to use QRes and adjust the screen resolution:

1. Download QRes from this link:

     Download QRes.zip (4.5 KiB, 16,445 hits)

2. Extract QRes.exe from the zip file and place it in “C:\Windows\System32” for easier and direct access from the command line.

   

   When asked for an extraction directory, select “C:\Windows\System32.”

3. Now launch an elevated Command Prompt.

4. Now use the following cmdlets according to the screen resolution that you want to set:

   • qres.exe /x:1920

     Changes resolution to 1920 x 1080.

   • qres.exe /x 1280 /y 1024

     Changes resolution to 1280 x 1024.

   

   You may modify the resolution values according to your preferences.

Everything depends upon your monitor and graphics card quality. If the resolution is supported, it will be applied and the changes will be instantaneous.

Change Screen Resolution using HotKey Resolution Changer

Hotkey Resolution Changer (HRC) is a simple software that sits in your system tray. You can open HRC and immediately change the screen resolution. This is very useful for those who frequently need to change their resolutions.

Follow these steps to download and use HRC to change your screen’s resolution:

1. Download Hotkey Resolution Changer by clicking on the link below:

     Download Hotkey Resolution Changer (471.6 KiB, 10,243 hits)

2. Extract the contents of the zipped file.

   

3. Run the HRC application.

   When you open Hotkey Resolution Changer, it will give you a warning dialog that if the display gets stuck you should use the following forced revert shortcut key:

   CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + R

4. Click Ok.

   

5. Now click the HRC icon from the Quick Access menu to open it.

   

6. Select the number of hotkeys you want to configure.

   

   Pressing each hotkey combination will change the resolution to a preselected one.

7. Now choose a resolution to check associated with each hotkey, then set a hotkey for it.

   

   Configure all the resolutions and their associated hotkeys.

8. When done, press the respective hotkey to set the preselected screen resolution.

You can create multiple shortcut key combinations to instantly change the screen resolution using the keyboard shortcut.

Conclusion

I hope this has been informative for you and that you have learned different ways to change the screen resolution of your computer. Each method given in this post can be applied according to specific requirements.

Which method is your favorite? Have we missed any quick way to change the screen resolution in Windows? We’d love to have your thoughts in the comments below.