PlayInfoBox

Home /Utilities /How to Set Different Scaling for Each Monitor in Windows

How to Set Different Scaling for Each Monitor in Windows

Follow these steps in order to set a different scale for each monitor in Windows.

  1. Open Settings > System > Display

    Press Win+I to open Settings, then go to System > Display.

  2. Select the monitor you want to change

    Click the monitor you want to adjust in the diagram at the top of the Display screen. Multiple connected monitors are numbered so you can tell them apart.

  3. Pick a scale percentage under Scale & layout

    Open the Scale dropdown under the selected monitor and choose 100%, 125%, 150%, or another value. It's best to set a different scale for each monitor if their resolutions and sizes differ.

  4. Set a scale for each remaining monitor

    Select each other monitor in the diagram and repeat the same steps. Each monitor's scale is saved independently and stays that way going forward.

  5. Windows resize automatically when moved between monitors

    Dragging a window between monitors with different scales makes Windows automatically redraw the window and its text to match the new monitor's scale.

  6. What to check if text looks blurry

    Some older programs don't recognize scale changes and can look blurry as a result. In that case, go to the program's shortcut Properties > Compatibility and enable "Override high DPI scaling behavior" to sharpen it.

Useful when pairing a laptop with an external monitor

Connecting a high-resolution laptop screen alongside a standard-resolution external monitor at the same scale often makes text look too small on one and too large on the other. Setting each monitor's scale independently keeps text and icons at a similar physical size on both.

General information -- results vary by hardware and drivers

Exactly how scaling behaves can vary depending on your graphics driver and specific monitor models, so if something looks off after changing these settings, check for a driver update as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the new scale apply immediately after I change it?

Most apps update immediately, but a few need you to sign out and back in, or restart the computer, before the change displays correctly.

Do I need to reconfigure scaling every time I reconnect a monitor?

No -- once you've set a scale for a monitor, Windows remembers that monitor and automatically reapplies the same scale the next time you connect it.