DPI Scaling Size - Change for Displays in Windows 8.1

How to Change DPI Scaling Size for Displays in Windows 8.1​

   Information

In Windows 8.1, you can now set DPI (Dots per Inch) scaling to make text and other items, such as icons, fonts, and windows, to display larger or smaller for all displays or per-display.

Windows 8.1 DPI scaling improvements are primarily focused on:

• Optimizing the usability and readability of high-DPI displays
• Providing a uniform experience multi-display systems
• Empowering developers to optimize app-specific scaling based on display DPI

If you are running a screen resolution of 1366x768 on a tablet, chances are that UI will look good at 100% DPI settings. But what about when you connect that tablet to an external high resolution display? In Windows 8 you can choose either 100% to optimize the UI on the tablet display or up to 150% to optimize the UI on the external display. You have to compromise.

Windows 8.1 takes care of this issue by supporting per-display DPI scaling to address. By default, Windows 8.1 will choose the optimum DPI scaling value for each display based on the value chosen for overall scaling in the control panel.

For more information, see:

• Windows 8.1 DPI Scaling Enhancements
• DPI-related APIs and registry settings

This tutorial will show you how to change the DPI scaling to make text and other items, such as icons, fonts, and windows, to display larger or smaller for all displays or per-display for only your account in Windows 8.1.

   Note

Setting the DPI size to a smaller number or percentage will decrease all items size on the display(s), while setting the DPI size to a larger number or percentage will increase all items size on the display(s).

In Windows 8.1, the DPI setting only affects screens on the desktop.

To change the DPI of the Modern UI (Metro) screens, see: How to Turn "Make everything on your screen bigger" On or Off in Windows 8

OPTION ONE

Change DPI Scaling of All Displays or Per-Display in "Display" CP

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1. Do step 2 or 3 below for how you would like to open the Display window.​

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2. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Display icon, and go to step 4 below.​

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3. Right click or press and hold on an empty area of your desktop, and click/tap on Personalize. Click/tap on the Display link on the bottom left side of Personalization, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)​

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4. Do step 5, 6, or 7 below for what you would like to do.​

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5. To Change DPI Scaling Size Per-Display​

NOTE: This will have Windows 8.1 automatically choose the optimum DPI scaling value for each display based on the value (ex: Smaller -> Larger) chosen for overall scaling.​

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A) Uncheck the Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays box. (see screenshot below)​

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B) Move the slider to a supported smaller (96 DPI or 100%), medium (120 DPI or 125%), or larger (144 DPI or 150%) for the size you want, click/tap on Apply, and go to step 8 below.​

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Vertical lines in Screen Resolution	Supported DPI scale factors
<900	100%
>= 900 and <1080	100%, 125%
>=1080 and <1440	100%, 125%, 150%
>=1440	100%, 125%, 150%, 200%

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6. To Select a DPI Scaling Size for All Displays​

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A) Check the Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays box. (see screenshot below)​

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B) Select (dot) a listed DPI size you want, click/tap on Apply, and go to step 8 below.​

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7. To Set a Custom DPI Scaling Size for All Displays​

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A) Check the Let me choose one scaling level for all my displays box, and click/tap on the Custom sizing options link. (see screenshot below)​

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B) Click/tap on the drop down menu to select a DPI scaling size percentage you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)​

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C) Click/tap on Apply, and go to step 8 below. (see screenshot below)​

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8. If prompted, click/tap on Sign out now to apply. (see screenshot below)​

NOTE: Be sure to save anything you are working on first.​

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9. If you didn't need to sign out (ex: using step 5), then you can close the Display window if you like.​

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OPTION TWO

To Change DPI Scaling of All Displays in Registry Editor

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1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter.​

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2. If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.​

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3. In regedit, navigate to the location below: (see screenshot below)​

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop​

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4. In the right pane of Desktop, double click/tap on Win8DpiScaling to modify it. (see screenshot above)​

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5. Type 1, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)​

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6. In the right pane of Desktop, double click/tap on LogPixels to modify it. (see screenshot below step 3)​

NOTE: If you do not have the LogPixels DWORD value, then right click on an empty space in the right pane of Desktop, click on New and DWORD (32-bit) Value, type LogPixels, and press Enter.​

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7. Select (dot) Decimal, type in the registry data value from the table below for the DPI scaling size you want, and click/tap on OK.​

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DPI percentage	Registry Data Value
Smaller 100%	96
Medium 125%	120
Larger 150%	144
Extra Large 200%	192
Custom 250%	240
Custom 300%	288
Custom 400%	384
Custom 500%	480

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8. Close Registry Editor.​

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9. Sign out and in, or restart the PC to apply changes.​

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OPTION THREE

To Restore 96 DPI Scaling for All Displays using a REG File

   Note

This option can be handy if you accidentally set the DPI to large and everything is extended way past the display screen, making them distorted and unreadable.

You could also boot into Safe Mode and change the DPI scaling back to a smaller number/percentage using OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO above.

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1. Click/tap on the download button below to download the file below.​

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Restore_Default_96_DPI.reg​

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2. Save the .reg file to your desktop.​

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3. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.​

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4. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.​

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5. Sign out and in, or restart the PC to apply changes.​

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6. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Create a "Display" DPI Shortcut in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add or Remove "Display" from Desktop Context Menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change the Display DPI Size in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change DPI for Modern UI in Windows 8
• How to Change Screen Resolution of Displays in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Turn "Make everything on your screen bigger" On or Off in Windows 8
• How to Change the Text Size of Items in Windows 8 Advanced Appearance Settings
• How to Change the Screen Refresh Rate in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change Your Main Display in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[AlexSchmidt]

Hello, Brink, tnx

Seem's like I've partially the solved the issue - by "per-display" increasing the size... probably)
It's crazy U know... Per-display in my mind - to set it for each display, not by windows magic..
Thanks for explanation anyway

So now I have All-Displays turned off and 2nd scale size (125% I think).
The scale is good for the eye on both displays, but.... Now it's blurry on almost all applications and windows (even system!) on the 23" monitor(((

Compare screenshots from 15" Laptop and 22" Monitor


All solutions are reduced to disable high dpi scale for blurry applications

1. Chrome e.g. became not blurry, but the scale is increased ((
2. I cannot disable it for the system, for context menu as example

What should I try now?

 

[AlexSchmidt]

Hi, Brin, tnx

Seems I've set it normal scale both for 15" laptop and 22" monitor, but now it's so blurry on 22" monitor(((
Just compare my screenshots below from Laptop and Monitor (sorry for Russian)



All tips that I've found are reduced to disable scale on high resolutions in compatibility tab for blurry application, but...

1. It became not blur, but scale increases (checked on Chrome, FireFox)
2. Blurred almost all, including system windows, e.g. context menu or that dispay settings window

PS On my mind, "per-display" should be possibility to set something "per-display" U know
But it Windows magic again)

 

[Brink]

It's hard to not get the blur on something when adjusting the DPI.

 

[highstream]

I just clean reinstalled Win 8.1 Pro. Since Win 7 through 8.1, I've had screen dpi set to 115% (100% is too small and 125% too large). But with the reinstall, I'm not seeing a way to do it. I think it was in the small customization drop down, where it might say 100% or 125%, I used to be able to change that manually. Used to, as in as recently as January, if not later. Am I missing something or has it changed? Thanks,

 

[Brink]

I just clean reinstalled Win 8.1 Pro. Since Win 7 through 8.1, I've had screen dpi set to 115% (100% is too small and 125% too large). But with the reinstall, I'm not seeing a way to do it. I think it was in the small customization drop down, where it might say 100% or 125%, I used to be able to change that manually. Used to, as in as recently as January, if not later. Am I missing something or has it changed? Thanks,

Hello highstream,

If you like, you could try entering around 115 in step 7 of OPTION TWO to see if that may work.

 

[highstream]

Brink, Think you meant Option 2. 110 seems to be close, although I had to go back to 96 to adjust the screen size of a couple of programs that were off the bottom of the screen at 110. I suspect Windows automatically adjusts window size at standard its percentages, but not with manually entered ones. Thanks!

 

[Brink]

Yep, sorry. It was for Option 2.

 

[expeditionist]

Hi guys

Could I jump in on this thread pls...

I've just acquired a 4k monitor and now I have 4 screens, 1 x 1280x1024, 1x1920x1200, 1x1920x1080, 1x3840x2160 so the inability to set a different dpi for each monitor in Windows 8.1 Pro is driving me nuts. I'm not keen on changing the native resolutions for lots of reasons.

I'd settle for 120dpi on the 3 lower resolution monitors and just up the dpi on the 4k to 144dpi or 192dpi, but I can't even do that!

What were Microsoft thinking in only allowing one global dpi? It's kind of important to create a good user experience accross multiple monitors, or did they think that it wasn't important!?

Anyway, does Windows 10 still suffer from this problem please?

And if anybody comes accross a custom program or solution please could they post the answer here however late it may come.

Many thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello expeditionist,

I'm afraid that it's the same in Windows 10 for DPI as well.

 

[expeditionist]

Boo hoo hoo!

I've been scouring the web a bit more since my last post. People have been complaining about this issue for ages, since Windows 7.

With all the hype surrounding the Windows 10 launch it beggars belief that Microsoft still haven't introduced a decent user experience for multi-monitor/resolution setups.