Top tips: How to change your monitor screen resolution. A screen resolution that is not supported by the monitor is set: how to solve the problem in a Windows environment. Why the screen resolution is not set

What to do if you bought a new monitor and optimal resolution, which is determined by the screen matrix, is not in the list of suggested Windows?

A photographer I know needed to buy a new decent monitor for photo processing. His choice fell on the huge 27-inch DELL UltraSharp U2715H. This monitor was successfully purchased and the process of connecting it to the laptop began. The laptop was quite old - Lenovo G580 with installed Intel processor Core i5-3210M, integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 and discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce 610M. operating room Windows system 7 64bit – installed from the factory and has never been reinstalled.

The monitor was connected via hdmi cable. A new monitor was selected as the main display. Standard Definition DELL monitor U2715H specified by the factory – 2560x1440px. But when I selected it from the list of available resolutions, this did not appear. The highest resolution was 2048x1152 pixels.

Installing drivers on the monitor itself did nothing. Video card drivers were updated with an error. It was decided to reinstall the entire system, from scratch, a clean, non-factory one.

After installing clean Windows 7 64-bit, the latest drivers were installed on all laptop devices, except for the integrated and discrete video cards. The driver for the new monitor was also installed. Installation of the same latest drivers from Intel and NVidia ended with the error that no devices were found in the system. But Center Windows Updates offered the necessary drivers as updates.

Drivers have been installed Intel video cards HD Graphics 4000, version 10.18.10.4276


and NVIDIA GeForce 610M video cards, version 384.94

After that, new options appeared in the video card settings. Namely, when you press right click mouse on the desktop, an item appeared in the submenu Graphics options for Intel video card. The item was selected Graphics optionsUser Permissions


Launch has begun Intel HD Graphics Control Panels
A warning appears that further actions may lead to hardware problems.
Despite the fact that “Yes” was selected, I want to warn you that this can really be dangerous for your computer. Incorrect screen refresh rate setting, too high resolution monitor may lead to physical damage to the video card or other hardware parts of the computer. We understood the risk and, moreover, were mentally prepared to replace the laptop with a more powerful one.

After the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel has been launched, on the left side we select the monitor we need - in this case, the DELL U2715H. Then we indicate the resolution we need, refresh rate and screen color depth.


Save the specified parameters
With the initially specified ideal options for this monitor being 2560x1440px, 32bit and a frequency of 60Hz, we ended up with a completely blank screen. After a few seconds, the video card’s operating mode automatically returned to its original state.

The frequency was reduced to 30Hz - and oh, miracle! Our monitor began to work in the specified mode. Gradually raising the frequency, we obtained a maximum operating value of 49 Hz.


Now we need to make sure that this mode is maintained after a reboot. On the desktop in the submenu select Screen resolution. In the window that opens, click on the link Extra options
On the tab Adapter click on the button List of all modes
and we see at the very bottom all the user permissions we created. We point to the maximum working value - in our case it is 2560x1440px, 32-bit, 49 Hz.

Click OK


After this we can increase the maximum screen resolution, which is now marked as recommended
That's it, now we have a working monitor at its optimal settings.

The monitor works great for the second month, the colors are excellent, the laptop copes perfectly with Photoshop CC 2017 64-bit, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC. According to the photographer, there are no freezes.

Typically the maximum resolution modern monitors exceeds the 1920x1080 standard, if they have a large screen diagonal (25" or more). Monitors with a small or medium screen diagonal of an older generation can support the standards 1600x1024, 1140x900, 1366x768, 1280x1024. The limits of the capabilities of your monitor or laptop display in terms of its you need to know the resolution in order to avoid problems with setting a value that is not supported by it. The maximum possible screen resolution is indicated in the instructions for monitors and laptops. Usually, after installing the video driver, the required screen resolution is adjusted automatically in the system settings Windows screen listed as recommended.

But the video driver does not always automatically select the optimal screen resolution. In such cases, without manual intervention to set the desired resolution in the system settings or using the video driver manager - usually either Catalyst Control Center, or “Nvidia Control Panel” - there’s no way around it.

1. Right and Wrong Ways to Adjust Screen Resolution

Screen resolution by means operating system can be configured by calling on the desktop context menu and selecting “Screen Resolution” in the case of Windows 7 and 8.1.

In the case of Windows 10, in the context menu you need to select “Display options”, then “Advanced display options”.

Here, in the context menu on the desktop, as a rule, there is also a command to launch the video driver manager. In its window you need to look for the settings tab to set the screen resolution.

It is advisable to change the screen resolution only in the system settings or inside the video driver manager. And not with the help of various third-party programs that provide such an opportunity. While Windows screen settings and those in the video driver manager are protected from using a screen resolution that is not supported by the monitor (the new resolution is first tested for a few seconds with a preset option to return to original value),

third party programs and games can apply the new resolution immediately, without prior testing. And sometimes even without the user’s request. And if a resolution that is not supported by the monitor or laptop display is used - too high or, conversely, too low, the result will be dark screen with the inscription “Out of Range”, “Out Of Range”, “Input Not Supported"or with a different message, but the same essence. Experimenting with screen resolution in Windows settings or video driver manager, such a nuisance can be avoided: if an unsupported resolution is mistakenly set and the screen turns off, after a few seconds it will return to the previous screen resolution and turn on again.

Setting an unsupported resolution may also be a result of viruses entering your computer.
So how to solve the problem if a screen resolution that is not supported by the monitor was applied?

2. Participation of the second display

Solve the problem yourself in a simple way This is only possible if at least two monitors or a monitor and a TV are connected to the computer. The same applies to a monitor or TV that is periodically connected (accordingly, previously configured in the system) to the laptop. The problem is very easily solved even if the resolution of the main display is set to an unsupported one, not the secondary one. And even though the image on the second screen is not duplicated, but expanded. What should be done? On the empty desktop of the second screen, call up the context menu and select “Display Settings” for Windows 10 and “Screen Resolution” for system versions 7 and 8.1.

Most likely a window system settings The screen will open on the main monitor in pitch black. In this case, blindly press the +Shift+right/left arrow keys to move the window to another screen. And set the supported resolution for the main monitor.

If to system unit Only one monitor is connected, but there is another monitor or TV in the room that may support set resolution screen, you can try to solve the problem using the latter. All you need to do is connect another, temporary display instead of the current monitor. And with its help you can already set the desired screen resolution. It may very well be that modern TV will be able to cope with the resolution, which turned out to be too high for the main monitor. And, conversely, there is a possibility that CRT TVs connected using S-Video cable(for old video cards) or using a special adapter for a VGA cable (of course, if one is available), they will be able to display an image with a low resolution of 640x480 or 800x600.

If there is no other savior display or one also does not support the problematic screen resolution, in order to cope with the task, alas, you will have to resort to “dancing with a tambourine.” Especially in the case of Windows 8.1 and 10 installed on the computer.

3. Removing the video driver in Windows safe mode

To change back the screen resolution supported by the monitor, you need to boot Windows in safe mode, where the system runs at the base screen resolution, without starting the video driver. In safe mode, the video card driver will have to be removed. Then, having started in the normal operating mode of the system, the video driver will need to be installed again.

3.1. Safe Mode for Windows 7

In the case of Windows 7, this process will be easier due to the ease of logging into safe mode. Need to hard reset using button Hard Reset and when starting the computer, press the F8 key. Once on the menu additional options boot, you need to select the “Safe Mode” option.

3.2. Safe Mode for Windows 8.1 and 10 using their installation media

For Windows 8.1 and 10, the F8 key does not work, just as in most cases its analogue, the Shift+F8 combination, does not work due to the reduced system startup time. You can get into safe mode in these versions of the system, without seeing anything in front of you, using the installation media of any of these versions - even Windows 8.1, even Windows 10. Reboot the system using the Hard Reset button, go into the BIOS and set the boot priority from DVD -disk or flash drive. At the first stage Windows installations Press Shift+F10 to launch the command line. In its window we enter:

bcdedit /set (default) safeboot minimal

Press Enter. And we wait for notification of the successful completion of the operation.

Close the command line window. In the Windows installation start window, click “Next”.

Click “System Restore”.

Then select “Continue”.

After restart Windows computer will boot into safe mode.

3.3. Safe Mode for Windows 8.1 and 10 with Recovery Disk

If you previously created a Windows recovery disk, you can use it in the same way as an installation disk or flash drive. After booting from the recovery disk and selecting your keyboard layout,

you need to select “Troubleshooting” (this menu option can also be called “Diagnostics”),

then – “Advanced options”,

and then run command line.

In its window, enter the above command and press Enter.

3.4. Safe mode for Windows 8.1 and 10 blindly

If there is no installation media with Windows 8.1 or 10, no recovery disk, if there is no second computer with which any of them could be organized, or you are simply too lazy to tinker with all this, you can try to enter safe mode from a working but invisible system blindly. But in this case, you need to carefully enter values, know exactly what language the keyboard layout was in before experimenting with screen resolution, and also be in Windows environment, not inside a 3D application (not all games can be minimized by pressing +D). So, what actions need to be taken blindly?

Step 1: If the layout was not in English, switch to it using the +space keys.

Step 2: launch the command line as administrator by successively pressing the keys +Q, cmd, Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

Step 3: if the speakers are working, we will hear the usual system sound UAC; Press the left arrow, then Enter.

Step 4: enter the command line command mentioned above

To make your computer screen settings as comfortable as possible for your eyes, you need to know how to change your monitor screen resolution. personal computer or laptop.

Screen resolution is an indicator that determines the clarity of the display of all icons, pictures, that is, graphics in general. It is important to determine what will be best for the monitor.

The recommended one is always indicated in the device instructions. You can also view it on the Internet; to do this, you only need to determine the screen size (number of inches diagonally).

Changing an extension using built-in OS features

The higher the resolution, the better the clarity of the display. For example, a 22-inch display will have a standard resolution of 1680*1050, which is optimal and maximum for this screen.

All available sizes are available in the settings; it is advisable to choose the largest one offered.

Follow the instructions to change the image resolution of your display:

  • Go to the operating system desktop. Right-click on it and select screen options, as shown in the figure below;
  • In the window that opens, you can adjust the size of text, icons and other system elements in real time. You can also adjust the screen orientation. To go to the selection tab, enter the word “resolution” at the top in the search bar;
  • Select “change screen resolution”;

  • Click on the drop-down list as shown in the figure and select the standard recommended one. Save the new settings.

Important! It happens that the recommended resolution is higher than the display. That is, the size of the final image does not correspond to the screen size, so some elements of the desktop may disappear from the user's field of view. Adjusting your monitor will resolve this issue. In the selection options, choose not the recommended one, but the one that fully displays all the elements of the desktop. At the same time, all graphics must be clear.

Several common types of expansion and corresponding display sizes:

  • 1024*768 – perfect for screens of 15 or 17 inches. In a display with a resolution of 1024*768 pixels, the color depth is 16 bits;
  • 1280*1024 – intended for displays whose size is 19 inches;
  • Types of monitors measuring 24 inches most accurately convey the image at a resolution of 1920*1080. All displays with these parameters are FullHD.

Adjusting the screen refresh rate

The higher the display refresh rate, the correspondingly better quality Images. That is why, in addition to size, it is necessary to pay attention to this parameter.

To change the refresh rate follow the instructions:

  • Go to the control panel. In the search bar, enter “Screen” (without quotes);
  • In the proposed search result, select the item that is responsible for the screen refresh rate, as shown in the figure;

  • Set the most high frequency updates. This will eliminate possible periodic flickering of the monitor.

NVIDIA Software

How to find out the right resolution for your display? This can be done on the official website of the manufacturer or in the instructions that come with the device.

On the boxes of monitors and laptops from Samsung there is information on how to set the correct resolution and what to do if the real one does not match the declared one.

By using special program, which is preinstalled on all computers equipped with an Nvidia family video card, you can also adjust the resolution of the user's monitor.

Follow the instructions:

  • Open the main Nvidia graphics settings window by right-clicking on the desktop, as shown in the figure;

The Carroll program is software, which is designed to change absolutely all monitor parameters in one single window.

This utility is perfect for Samsung Syncmaster family monitors.

Also using this application You can find out the recommended resolution and the required update frequency.

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

On a 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 all Windows users 10.

On a note! Sometimes an attempt 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 a new article -

How to set the resolution to 1920x1080 if it is not in the screen settings

  1. Go to the “Start” menu, open “Control Panel”.

  2. Click on the “Hardware and Sound” section.

  3. Select “NVIDIA Control Panel”.

  4. In the window that opens, click on the item “Change resolution".

  5. Click on the “Create” button custom permission ".

  6. In the “Horizontal pixel” and “Vertical pixel” fields, enter the values ​​1920x1080, respectively, click “Test”, then confirm the action by clicking “Yes”.

  7. In the window you will see the created permission, click “OK”, then “Apply”.

You have set the required resolution to 1920x1080 on your computer.

On a 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