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screen resolution...

The setting that determines the amount of information that appears on your screen, measured in pixels. Low resolution, such as 640 x 480, makes items on the screen appear large, although the screen area is small. High resolution (optimal resolution for viewing websites), such as 1024 x 768, makes the overall screen area large, although individual items appear small.

 

To change your screen resolution

  1. Open Display in Control Panel.
  2. On the Settings tab, under Screen resolution, drag the slider, and then click Apply.
  3. When prompted to apply the settings, click OK. Your screen will turn black for a moment.
  4. Once your screen resolution changes, you have 15 seconds to confirm the change. Click Yes to confirm the change; click No or do nothing to revert to your previous setting.

 Notes

  • To open Display, click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display.
  • A higher screen resolution reduces the size of items on your screen and increases the relative space on your desktop.
  • You can switch your screen resolution temporarily to 640 X 480 if you have games or other programs that are set to run at that resolution, or to 1024 X 768 for website viewing. To switch, right-click the game or program (on the desktop or on the Start menu), and then click Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, and then select the Run in 640x480 screen resolution check box, or drag the screen resolution slide towards "more" until you see 1024 X 768 below slide. Your display reverts to its default resolution when you close the program.
  • Your monitor and video adapter determine how much you can change your screen resolution. You may not be able to increase the resolution above a certain level.
  • Changes to screen resolution affect all users that log on to the computer.
  • Only the recommended screen resolutions are listed. For additional settings, click the Advanced button on the Settings tab, click the Adapter tab, and then click List all Modes. Select the resolution, color level, and refresh rate you want.

 

To change your screen resolution when using multiple monitors

This procedure applies when two or more monitors are connected to one computer.

  1. Open Display in Control Panel.
  2. On the Settings tab, click the monitor icon that represents the monitor whose screen resolution you want to change.
  3. In Screen resolution, drag the slider to set the resolution you want to use for the selected monitor, and then click OK or Apply to view changes.

 Notes

  • To open Display, click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display.
  • If you click a secondary monitor and the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box is not selected, you cannot change the settings of that monitor.
  • A higher screen resolution reduces the size of items on your screen and increases the size of your desktop.
  • Each monitor has its own screen resolution settings.
  • Your monitor and video adapter determine how much you can change your screen resolution. You may not be able to increase the resolution above a certain level.
  • Changes to screen resolution affect all users that log on to the computer.