How to Change the Screen Resolution on a Mac

MacBooks are renowned for their exceptionally sharp Retina displays, but the very high pixel density that makes text and images look crisp can sometimes make interface elements appear frustratingly small — particularly if you have vision difficulties, are presenting on a large external monitor, or simply prefer larger text while working. macOS allows you to easily scale the display resolution, making everything proportionally larger or smaller to suit your workflow.

Understanding Resolution Scaling on a Mac

When you change the “resolution” on a Mac, you are not technically changing the native pixel count of the screen (which remains fixed). Instead, you are adjusting a scaling factor — essentially telling macOS how many virtual pixels to use per physical pixel. This means:

• “Larger Text” / Lower scaled resolution: Everything on screen becomes bigger. Text, icons, windows, and menus are easier to see, but you can fit fewer application windows on the screen simultaneously.
• “More Space” / Higher scaled resolution: Everything becomes smaller, giving you more screen real estate and the ability to open more windows side by side, but text becomes smaller and harder to read at a distance.

How to Change Display Resolution on macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and Later

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Displays.
4. If you have multiple monitors connected to your Mac, click the image of the specific monitor you wish to adjust at the top of the settings panel.
5. Under the “Resolution” section, you will see a row of visual options ranging from “Larger Text” on the left to “More Space” on the right. Each option shows a preview of the relative size of interface elements.
6. Click the box that best fits your needs. Your screen will momentarily go dark as macOS applies the new scaling, then return within a second or two with the updated size.

How to Change Display Resolution on macOS Monterey and Earlier

1. Click the Apple menu () and select System Preferences.
2. Click the Displays icon.
3. Ensure you are on the Display tab at the top of the window.
4. Next to “Resolution,” change the setting from “Default for display” to Scaled by clicking the radio button.
5. A set of resolution options will appear, either as visual size icons or listed resolution values. Select the one that works best for you.

How to See Exact Resolution Numbers

If you need to set a precise resolution value (such as 1920×1080 or 2560×1440) rather than choosing from Apple’s visual presets, you can unlock a hidden menu of all supported resolutions:

• On macOS Ventura and later: Hold the Option (⌥) key while clicking on any of the resolution preset boxes. This reveals a dropdown showing every exact pixel resolution your display supports.
• On macOS Monterey and earlier: Hold the Option (⌥) key while clicking the “Scaled” radio button. This displays all exact native resolutions available for your monitor.