How to Change Display Settings on a Monitor (Windows, Mac & More)

Changing your monitor's display isn't one action — it's a collection of adjustments that live in different places depending on your operating system, monitor type, and what you're actually trying to fix. Whether you're dealing with a blurry image, wrong resolution, an awkward refresh rate, or a second screen that won't cooperate, the controls you need are spread across your OS settings, your monitor's hardware buttons, and sometimes dedicated software.

Here's how each layer works.

What "Changing the Display" Actually Means

The phrase covers several distinct things:

• Resolution — the number of pixels displayed (e.g., 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 3840×2160)
• Refresh rate — how many times per second the screen updates, measured in Hz (60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, etc.)
• Brightness and contrast — usually adjustable via the monitor's physical buttons or OSD (On-Screen Display)
• Color profile and calibration — affects how accurate colors appear
• Scaling/DPI — how large text and UI elements appear on screen
• Orientation — landscape vs. portrait rotation
• Multiple display arrangement — how two or more screens are positioned relative to each other

Each of these is adjusted differently.

Changing Display Settings on Windows

Resolution and Refresh Rate

Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Display Settings. From there:

• Scroll to Display Resolution to choose from available options. Windows highlights the Recommended option, which is typically the monitor's native resolution.
• Click Advanced Display Settings to access refresh rate options. Under Display adapter properties, go to the Monitor tab to select a higher Hz value if your monitor supports it.

⚙️ Selecting a resolution below native will look noticeably softer. Going above what the connection or monitor supports simply won't appear as an option.

Scaling

In the same Display Settings panel, the Scale option (listed as a percentage, such as 100%, 125%, 150%) controls how large interface elements appear. This matters most on high-DPI displays where 100% scaling makes everything tiny.

Orientation

Also in Display Settings — the Display Orientation dropdown lets you rotate the output to Portrait, Landscape (Flipped), or Portrait (Flipped). Useful for vertically mounted monitors.

Multiple Monitors

With more than one screen connected, the Rearrange your displays section at the top of Display Settings shows a diagram. Drag the display boxes to match your physical layout. You can also designate one as the primary display and choose whether to extend or duplicate screens.

Changing Display Settings on macOS

Go to System Settings → Displays (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences → Displays on older versions.

• Resolution: Choose Default for display (native) or Scaled to pick from other options. Scaled options are presented visually from "Larger Text" to "More Space."
• Refresh Rate: A dropdown appears when your monitor supports multiple rates — 60Hz, 120Hz (ProMotion), or higher on supported hardware.
• Color Profile: Click the Color tab to assign or calibrate a display profile. macOS ships with profiles for common display types (sRGB, P3, etc.).

For multiple monitors on Mac, the Arrangement tab in Displays shows a drag-and-drop layout tool, and you can move the white bar (menu bar indicator) to designate your primary display.

Adjusting the Monitor Itself (OSD Controls)

Your OS controls the signal sent to the monitor. The monitor's own hardware controls manage how it processes that signal.

Most monitors have physical buttons on the bottom edge or back panel that open an OSD menu. Common OSD adjustments include:

Some higher-end monitors include companion software (like Dell Display Manager or LG OnScreen Control) that replicates OSD controls on your desktop.

Variables That Affect Which Settings Are Available

Not every option appears on every setup. What you can actually change depends on:

• Monitor hardware: A 60Hz monitor won't offer 144Hz regardless of OS settings
• Cable and port: HDMI 1.4 caps out at 4K/30Hz; DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 support higher bandwidth
• GPU capability: Your graphics card must support the resolution and refresh rate combination
• OS version: Settings menus differ significantly between Windows 10 and 11, and between macOS versions
• Driver status: Outdated GPU or monitor drivers can hide available modes or cause instability

🖥️ If an expected resolution or refresh rate isn't showing up, the cable or connection type is often the first thing worth checking.

How Different Setups Lead to Different Results

A user on Windows 11 with a 27-inch 1440p 165Hz gaming monitor connected via DisplayPort will have a very different options panel than someone using a 1080p office display over HDMI on macOS. A single-monitor home office setup has simpler controls than a three-screen workstation where display arrangement, per-monitor scaling, and color accuracy all need individual attention.

The right combination of resolution, refresh rate, scaling, and color settings varies based on the work being done — video editing, gaming, general productivity, and accessibility needs each pull those sliders in different directions. What looks ideal to one person on their hardware may look wrong on someone else's.

Understanding which layer controls what — OS settings for resolution and layout, OSD for brightness and color temperature, and cable/GPU for what's even possible — is the foundation. Where those settings land for your specific monitor, use case, and connected hardware is the part that depends entirely on what you're working with.