How to Check Your Screen Resolution on PC, Mac, & Chromebook

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A step-by-step guide to find your computer screen's resolution in seconds

Co-authored by Josef Storzi and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: August 28, 2023 Fact Checked

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Using Windows

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Using a Mac

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Using a Chromebook

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Screen resolution is a measurement based on the number of pixels on a display. The higher the pixels, the clearer the text and images on the screen. The resolution you can use on your computer depends on the capabilities of both your monitor and your video card. When you find your screen resolution, you'll see it displayed as Width x Height in pixels (e.g., 1920 x 1080) or using terms like 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160) or Full HD/1080p (1920 x 1080). This wikiHow guide teaches you how to find the resolution on your Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Things You Should Know

Windows: Right-click the desktop and select "Display Settings." Find the screen resolution below or next to "Display resolution."
Mac: Open "System Settings" and click "Display." Hover your mouse cursor over the icon highlighted in blue.
Chromebook: Click the clock, click the gear icon, and then go to "Device" > "Display." Find the resolution under "Display Size."

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Windows

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This can be anywhere that doesn't have an icon. A menu will expand.
This opens the Display settings panel.

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Find the resolution under or next to "Display resolution." The current resolution appears in this menu. If you see "(Recommended)" next to the resolution, you're using the highest possible resolution for your hardware.^{[1]
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- If you have more than one monitor, you will see both listed at the top of the right panel. Select the monitor you want to check.
- The options you see are those supported by both your monitor and video card. For example, if you have a 4K monitor but don't see the option to change your resolution to 4K (3840 x 2160), it's usually because it's not supported by your video card (or vice-versa).
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Select a different resolution from the menu (optional). If you are using a resolution other than the recommended one, select the Recommended option for best results. Switching to a resolution that isn't the recommended one may result in a blurry, stretched, or squished image.^{[2]
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- After selecting a new resolution, it will change immediately. You'll also see a pop-up message asking if you want to Keep changes or Revert to the previous setting. If the new resolution looks wrong, click Revert.
- If the screen goes dark after changing your settings, that resolution won't work with your display. After a few moments, Windows will revert to the previous resolution automatically to fix the problem.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using a Mac

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This opens your Mac's settings.
It's on the menu bar to the left. You may need to screen down.
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Hover over the icon highlighted in blue. There are five icons at the top of the page that display Mac buttons and text at different sizes, each representing a different display configuration. The blue highlighted icon is your current display configuration. When you hover the mouse cursor over it, you'll see your screen resolution in pixels in "Width x Height" format (i.e., 3840 x 2160).
- If you have more than one display connected, you can click which monitor you want to check in the image at the top of the page.
- To change your screen resolution, click one of the icons at the top of the page. The ones that have larger text represent smaller resolutions.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Chromebook

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It's at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
It's in the upper-right corner of the pop-up menu. This opens your Chromebook settings.
You'll see this tab in the left panel.
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Find the resolution under "Display Size." There is some text under the bold text that reads "Display Size." You can find your resolution in "Width x Height" format next to "Looks Like" (i.e., Looks like 1900 x 1080).
- To change your display resolution, click and drag the slider bar next to "Display Size." Dragging it toward "Small" will increase your resolution and make the icons and text appear smaller. Dragging it toward large will decrease your resolution and make your icons and text appear larger.

Community Q&A

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How do I do this in Windows 10?

Community Answer

Very simple. Go to 'settings,' then click 'system,' then click 'display,' then 'advanced display settings.' The recommended resolution is your native resolution, and the one that you should be using.

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What do you mean by resolution of the monitor?

Community Answer

The resolution of a moniter is simply the height and width of your moniter. The most common unit of measurement used is pixels. For instance, a "1920 x 1080" moniter will have 1,920 pixels across and 1,080 pixels vertically.

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Tips

A pixel is a small point of light in your monitor that changes color depending on what's displayed. All the pixels in your monitor work together to display the image you see.

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Most high-resolution displays introduce something called display scaling, which allows UI elements to not be tiny while still using the display's full resolution. This allows manufacturers to introduce high-resolution panels on small devices.

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A higher resolution means more pixels on the screen. If you decrease the resolution, everything on your screen will appear larger.

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