How to add HiDPI resolution?

[lumenium]

Hello. First of all, thank you. Thanks to BetterDisplay, I've adjusted the resolution and it's working fine. But I have one question. The resolution of my monitor is 2560x1440. Currently, 1280 and 720 are the highest HiDPI settings. Is there any way to increase the resolution while maintaining HiDPI? I tried adding resolution. However, it only adds normal resolution, not HiDPI. Any help would be appreciated!

[waydabber]

Hi @lumenium

Simply select Edit and manage the system configuration of this display under your display's name and then choose Manually add custom resolutions, select a resolution you'd like to be added (for example if you have a 2560x1440 display and want 1920x1080 HiDPI to work, enter '1920' and '1080' and click the (+) icon (you should add a resolution that has the same aspect ratio as your display). Then click on Apply Display System Configuration and reboot.

The manually added resolution should be available in HiDPI glory after reboot. If this works then the Pro only Allow smooth resolution scale should work as well. You can add as many resolutions to a display as you want.

---

Or is this what you tried and did not work? If yes, then I'd need some details - mac model, macOS version, display type, how is the display connected. You should also make a screenshot of what you see under the Displays tab in your app (something similar to what I included above so I can see how the resolution is set up). You should also click on the name of the display under the Displays tab to reveal some technical info and make a screenshot of that as this is useful for me to understand the situation better:

Thanks!

[lumenium]

All issues have been resolved with this update. Thank you!

[sirjvp]

Thankyou this is exactly what I need! <3

[D4Ci0]

@waydabber I have a similar question:

Device: MacBook Air M1 2020
Display: Samsung C49RG9x (5120x1440 / 120 Hz):

I have checked the "Edit and manage the system configuration of this display" box and tried with as well as without "Smooth resolution"

Problem: I want to generate a 125% scaling, similar to what Windows is able to do. So my goal is to achieve a High-DPI-resolution of 4096x1152 @100hz (125% of the native resolution).

My problem is that the nearest high-dpi-resolution offered by BetterDisplay as well as macOS natively is 3072x864 @120hz, which is way to much upscaled.

Is there any fix to this?

Tried the "custom resolution" option with 4096x1152 (which is also offered by macOS in the preferences as low-res option), but it doesn't give me the option in BetterDisplay to scale up to that resolution in high-dpi mode.

[waydabber]

Hi @D4Ci0 - unfortunately on the base M1 machines there is a limit of 6K (6144pixels) horizontal resolution for the native resolutions (this translates to 3072px hidpi). This is not the case for the M1 Pro/Max/Ultra. This limit is a really annoying limitation for 5K ultrawide users. :( I mentioned this in the troubleshooting section on the opening page. I don't think this is a hardware limitation (one might say that at high refresh rate it could be, but the resolution is limited even at 60hz) as dummies do work happily at resolutions far beyond this (at 60hz) - so this might change in the future, but there is no way around it right now except by using a dummy.

[D4Ci0]

Thank you very much for that information - already thought they would have limited something (actually had a similar problem with my T460).

Are there any news regarding the new Air M2 regarding the max. horizontal resolution? Is it still limited to 6144 pixels? Couldnt find anything

[waydabber]

Yes, sorry, I meant horizontal resolution. :) No news regarding M2 yet, we'll see once some users get their hands on it! :)

[D4Ci0]

Is it possible, that there is another limitation when the internal MacBook Air M1-screen is turned of / closed?

While being closed and connected to the display, I can't adjust the HiDP-resolution of the dummy. It doesn't react to any changed resolution and stays at the native resolution all the time. Is. this a known bug / limitation?

[waydabber]

Hmm. It might be a bug, I don't think there is a system limitation like that. If you restart the app, does changing the resolution works? Are you sure you are looking at the dummy? Isn't it the case that with the display configuration that is applied when the lid closed, the dummy is not mirrored anymore or is mirrored the other way around?

[Alex-sConjecture]

just wanted to follow up regarding m2 pro chips, namely above named limitation for m1 chips - does it apply for m2 pro - any knowledge.
I own samsung g9 neo (native resolution of 5120x1440) and wanted to run it hiDPI at a scale factors 1.25 (6400x1800) and 1.5 (7620x2160). Currently on mac mini M2 (regular via dp1.4) no matter what i do on better display - I cant go over 3072x864HiDPI which is huge scaling factor of 1.66. Makes everything too large
So if I get mac mini m2 pro - will i be able to get scale factors 1.25 (6400x1800) and 1.5 (7620x2160) using usb-c -> DP1.4? Thanks in advance!

[overset]

Thanks for confirming and for all the great work on BetterDisplay!

[n4ksel]

Hey @waydabber ! First of all, thanks a lot for your great work and support :)
I have one question similar to what has been discussed above : I’m currently running an MBP14” M1 and a 5120x1440 ultrawide monitor.
I can reach this resolution using usb c to DP, but it prevents me from using the usb hub of the monitor for the webcam for example, and usb c to usb c limits me to the lower native resolution of the MBP, even using BetterDisplay.

Then the question is : if I upgrade to M2 Pro MBP, will I be able to reach 5120x1440 resolution by using usb c to usb c ?

Thank you in advance,
Cheers !

[waydabber]

@n4ksel - hmm. With your M1 MBP 14" you should be able to reach 5120x1440 via USB-C to USB-C (if your display has an USB-C port). USB-C uses DisplayPort Alt mode, so if now you are using an USB-C to DP cable, it carries the same display signal as an USB-C cable would, but an USB-C cable can do charging and carry data as well (depending on display and bandwidth usage, usually limited to USB 2.0 speeds when combined with high resolution video).

[n4ksel]

@waydabber my monitor does have an USB-C port, but so far it's impossible for me to reach 5120x1440 through it, neither using native MacOS settings nor BetterDisplay settings.
I mean, this resolution is not directly displayed in the "Set resolution" list of the monitor (can't tell you where I'm maxed out as I am not at home today), so am I missing smthg out of the settings ?

Thanks for taking the time to answer anyway :)

[waydabber]

Hmm. That might be a display issue then, it might not offer this resolution over USB-C for some reason (?). Anyway, both the M1 and M2 MBP 14" has DisplayPort 1.4 over USB-C so if the display does not work with M1, it might not work with M2 either.

[hiatsu0]

Can't seem to figure out anymore how to enable HiDPI on my Lenovo L27q-30 2560x1440 display. This used to work just fine with BetterDummy and I think with some old versions of BetterDisplay, but now that I tried to use the external display with my M1 Air, there is only the measly 1280x720 HiDPI setting available, and manually adding 2560x1440 (and reboot) will not add that to the list.

Am I understanding something wrong, should I for instance add a custom resolution of 5120x2880 to have HiDPI with this display again?

Here's the relevant settings/info:

(And as a sidenote, just touching a DDC Control color slider messed up this display's maximum brightness. I had to pull all the sliders to max from the default 50 to get most of brightness back, and also the contrast slider seems to drive mostly brightness. EDIT: Changing R/G/B Gain to 100% in DDC Sliders Quick Config seemed to restore things pretty well)

[waydabber]

You should enable native smooth scaling to add available HiDPI resolutions. You can add them manually as well if you don't have Pro. The native equivalent HiDPI resolution will work only on Ventura 13.2, if you run an older OS, you should add something that is close (substract 1 pixel from the height) which should work.

Regarding DDC ranges, you can configure it under DDC Sliders Quick Config to some typical settings and in detail you can do it under Settings/Dispalys, look for the expandable DDC sections!

[hiatsu0]

Thanks for the tip! Upgrading from 13.1 to 13.2 seemed to do the trick, 2560x1440 HiDPI is now visible!

[alegend2k]

I have a new mac mini m2 pro on an lg 49wl95c-w and i cannot choose 5120x1440 in hdpi (Mac os 13.2.1
Did I unterstand ist correctly that normally dthis should work? im using a usb - c cable from lg

[waydabber]

Hi there, you can go up to 3840x1080 HiDPI with M2 Pro. If you want higher resolutions, you need to create a dummy and mirror it to the screen. To get it working with the dummy, you also need to activate Enable resolutions over 8K (4K HiDPI) under Settings/Advanced.

[alegend2k]

Hi there, you can go up to 3840x1080 HiDPI with M2 Pro. If you want higher resolutions, you need to create a dummy and mirror it to the screen. To get it working with the dummy, you also need to activate Enable resolutions over 8K (4K HiDPI) under Settings/Advanced.

With this mirror setting I can activate 5120x1440 with high dpi? Any downsides for this solution?

[waydabber]

Yes. There are some downsides to dummy mirroring (some Macs experience issues when going to sleep mode and some produce a flickering effect from time-to-tome). The benefit of 5120x1440 HiDPI might not be that much as that is the native resolution for this display and this won't bring much (if any) extra clarity, only create a supersampling effect (it will help with screenshot clarity, accessibility zoom etc though).

[alegend2k]

Yes. There are some downsides to dummy mirroring (some Macs experience issues when going to sleep mode and some produce a flickering effect from time-to-tome). The benefit of 5120x1440 HiDPI might not be that much as that is the native resolution for this display and this won't bring much (if any) extra clarity, only create a supersampling effect (it will help with screenshot clarity, accessibility zoom etc though).

Im mostly after crisper fonts - what resolution would you suggest for the dummy to get slightly bigger objects / fonts?

[waydabber]

With HiDPI anything below the native resolution's HiDPI equivalent will produce added clarity (more details). It's a trade-off between GUI size and clarity. Since the resolution slider is basically coninuous both for dummies and native smooth scaling, you can experiment freely.

[hellokellywong]

Hello. I'm having difficulties configuring my BenQ PD2700U to display 1920x1080 HiDPI properly.

I'm using it as an external monitor and it worked natively before upgrading to Ventura this morning. I've stumbled upon BetterDisplay as a solution that other people seem to be finding success with.

I'm having troubles making it work, though. I'm able to select 1920x1080 Native HiDPI, 60hz, 10bpc. But the monitor doesn't display text etc crisply. It looks the same as when I choose the same resolution LoDPI.

Any ideas what I can do to improve this? In the settings I've tried enabling "edit the system configuration of this display", "set up native smooth resolution scaling" "add a near-native HiDPI variant" and "customize smooth scaling resolution range (1920x1080 to 3840x2160)" but none of these seem to make a difference.

Also, under "add custom scaled resolutions" set to 1920x1080, it says that option is "currently active as low res, HiDPI"

Help???

[yury-gorbatyuk]

Hi there!
I have two DELL P2421DC displays, Macbook Air M2, Sonoma 14.3.1.
I can't find in the settings the option "Edit the default system configuration of this display model" and the section "System configuration and Smouth scaling"

[waydabber]

Hi there - I think these displays do not use a native connection but probably a hub of some kind that is using DisplayLink or a similar technology. These are treated as virtual displays by the system, the available resolutions and display configuration is decided by the DisplayLink driver. System configuration editing is available for displays with native (USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI) connections.
Hope this helps!

[yury-gorbatyuk]

yes, that's right! I use DisplayLink to connect both displays for Macbook Air. Is there no other option to keep both displays and use BetterDisplay?

[waydabber]

You can still use BetterDisplay but sadly in a limited manner. DisplayLink does not support DDC (so no hardware brightness control) and flexible resolutions (alternatively you can create virtual screens and stream them to the displaylink screen for flexible resolutions but that is a workaround).

I'd consider connecting one of the displays natively to have some benefit (but that will create an asymmetrical setup). The only other route for a multi-external-display macbook setup is to get an MBP (with Pro level chip inside, not the entry level one). If you use your MBA mostly as a desktop, an alternative might be to get a cheap mini.

[yury-gorbatyuk]

Thank you so much for your kind response! Really appreciate it!

[akirawinz]

I'm currently using a Dell AW3423DW monitor and am unable to locate the "Edit the default system configuration of this display model" option and the corresponding section. As it stands, is the resolution shown here the only one I can use?

I've attempted connecting via both DisplayPort and HDMI.

Could you please assist me in determining whether it's possible to create a custom resolution for this monitor?

@waydabber
I'm try to cinnect with display port and hdmi

would you mind to help me check is this monitor can make custom resolution or not please

[akirawinz]

Here is all my information @waydabber

[akirawinz]

[waydabber]

And below the "Hardware Control" section?

[akirawinz]

oh I found it thank you ,

[waydabber]

All right, mystery solved then! :)

[DombaMini]

Hey guys!

I've recently bought an LG 32UN880 but I'm having some "problems" with HiDPI. Currently only setting that one.

I was wondering if there is anything that is HiDpi between 3840x2160 and 2560x1440. Anything at the native resolution is a bit too small regarding font size and scaling while editing space is perfect on that resolution. Meanwhile, on 2560x1440 I would like just a little bit more space when I am in Premiere Pro but then the font size is perfect on that one. I am using M1 Mac Mini if that helps the case.

Thank you in advance!

[waydabber]

On the M1 Mini you can go up to 3072px width but only if you are using USB-C/DisplayPort. With the HDMI port you are limited to 2560x1440 max as this Mac model does not support larger than 5K video memory (2560x1440 HiDPI) for that port.

[DombaMini]

Worked like a charm with USB-C/USB-C. Thank you very much!

[swilson969]

Same on M3Pro as far as I can tell (usbc full range - 5K2K etc). But I never got higher than (2560x1440 HiDPI) on HDMI port. Confusing since the chip/monitor/cable are all 8K rated. I gave up, but it bugs me that HDMI 2.1 should be able to push 5K2K.

[swilson969]

I've benefited from the thread, so wanted to add the following for those who might be in the same "decision loop."

BetterDisplays will get my purchase NOT because it's the only way to get to the scaling settings easy, but because it's an efficient way to change scaling on the fly. Using Windows, this remains a standard setting, whereas on MacOS it's not an obvious feature (but rather a hidden exception).

My use case is that my MacBook M3Pro needs to frequently switch between docking stations that output 1) via thunderbolt to DisplayPort to a 5K2K (MSI Prestige 341U), 2) a high refresh 4K2K, and 3) an LG C3 OLED TV (using 4K2K HDMI, not through docking station). Given those permutations, best settings are 125% scaling on the 5K2K (3200x1050), then 100% using 4K, and HDMI at native 4K. In short, it's nice to have the BetterDisplay "slider."

Worse yet, I need the SAME one cable setup(s) to work with an MSI (Windows) laptop with an Nvidia 4070.

What works for the most challenging setup (MacBook to 5K2K):
Power MacBook/Windows laptop via high quality Thunderbolt 3/4 cable using docking station (Kensington 130W tested/works). From docking station to MSI Prestige 5K2K connect via high quality <=2 meter usb-DP1.4 cable. Laptop gets juice from docking station and it takes but 1 cable to connect. You can make the 5K2K the main monitor and close the laptop lid. You'll ask, "do longer usb-DP cables out of the docking station work?" Yes many do for now, but if error correcting software gets more fault intolerant through a future software update, longer cables could be the source of failure in the future.

My experience is start with a stablizing your MacBook setup to the 5K2K (at HiDPI) and all else is simple as the Windows PC will cause you all kinds of hassles if the GPU switching software doesn't behave - but it's Windows vs Nvidia vs MSI so troubleshooting is expected (hint, Optimus is not your friend).

Lastly, I DARE anyone to come up with a suggestion for a true KVM that allows two - yes two - laptops to navigate this situation (substituting for the powered docking station). Every time I try, the best is a flaky connection (probably slight mismatches in clock speeds) and persistent sleep mode induction (eg. the laptops not active behave like the external monitor is sleeping or something like that).

Thanks again to everyone who contributed.