How to Change the Screen Resolution on a Mac

Finding the Perfect Balance Between Space and Size

Modern MacBooks and iMacs are equipped with stunning, high-resolution Retina displays. These screens pack millions of pixels into a very small area, resulting in text that is incredibly sharp and images that look remarkably lifelike.

However, running a screen at its maximum native resolution often makes text, icons, and menus appear frustratingly small, especially on a 13-inch laptop. Conversely, if you connect your Mac to a massive external monitor, everything might appear strangely oversized, wasting valuable screen real estate where you could otherwise fit multiple open windows side-by-side.

macOS allows you to easily change the screen resolution to find the perfect visual balance for your specific eyesight and workflow. Unlike older operating systems that forced you to guess confusing numerical resolutions (like 1920×1080), Apple simplifies the process by letting you scale the interface visually.

How to Change the Built-In Mac Display Resolution

If you want to make the text and icons on your MacBook or iMac screen larger and easier to read, you can adjust the display scaling in the System Settings.

1. Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your Mac’s screen.
2. Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
3. In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Displays.
4. If you are using a recent version of macOS, you will see a row of four or five small rectangular preview boxes under the “Resolution” header.
5. Click on the different preview boxes to instantly change the scale of your screen:
   • Larger Text: This option significantly increases the size of all fonts, menus, and icons. It is excellent for reducing eye strain, but it means fewer windows will fit on your screen at once.
   • Default: This is the balanced setting Apple recommends for your specific hardware.
   • More Space: This option makes everything smaller, effectively giving you a massive digital canvas. It is perfect for video editors, programmers, or anyone who needs to see three or four application windows simultaneously.

The screen will briefly flash black as you click between the options, and the new size will apply immediately without requiring a restart.

How to Change the Resolution of an External Monitor

When you plug a third-party external monitor (like a Dell, LG, or Samsung screen) into your Mac, macOS will usually try to automatically guess the best resolution. However, it frequently guesses incorrectly, resulting in a blurry, stretched, or incorrectly sized image.

To fix an external monitor, you need to access the advanced numerical resolution list.

1. Connect your external monitor to the Mac and ensure it is turned on.
2. Go to System Settings > Displays.
3. At the very top of the Displays window, click the icon representing your External Display (it will usually be labelled with the brand name, like “LG HDR 4K”).
4. You will likely see the same visual scaling boxes mentioned above. However, to get the absolute best picture quality, you need to force the monitor to run at its exact native resolution.
5. Click the Advanced… button at the bottom of the window.
6. Turn on the toggle switch that says Show resolutions as list, then click Done.
7. The visual boxes will disappear, replaced by a detailed list of numbers (e.g., 2560 x 1440, 1920 x 1080).
8. Select the exact resolution that matches your physical monitor’s specifications. (If you are not sure what it is, look for the option that has (Default) written next to it).

Troubleshooting: The “Option” Key Trick

Sometimes, macOS stubbornly refuses to show you the specific numerical resolution you know your external monitor is capable of displaying. It hides the advanced options to prevent users from accidentally selecting an unsupported resolution and ending up with a completely black screen.

If you cannot find the resolution you need in the list, you can force macOS to reveal every single hidden option.

1. In the Displays menu, find the list of numerical resolutions.
2. Hold down the Option (Alt) key on your Mac keyboard.
3. While holding the key, click on any of the resolutions in the list (or click the “Scaled” radio button on older Macs).
4. A much longer, secret list of resolutions will suddenly appear, allowing you to select the exact dimensions you require.