How to Change Your Active Signal Resolution on Window Computer?

Whether you are using your Windows computer’s built-in display or a connected monitor, it’s important to know how to change the active signal resolution.

On Windows desktops and laptops, you can change your active signal resolution in a number of ways. The active signal resolution on a Windows 10/11 display is not the same thing as the display resolution, and it’s important to know how to change it.

In this guide, I will show you how to change the active signal resolution from your Windows settings. If you have a graphics card from certain GPU vendors, you can also change it from your GPU control panel.

Active Signal Resolution vs. Desktop Resolution

The active signal resolution is the resolution signal that is actually sent to your monitor. The desktop resolution is the internal resolution that the operating system renders.

If the operating system renders one resolution, but the signal sent to the monitor is a different resolution, the desktop may be rendered or stretched to fit the screen. For example, if the operating system is rendering 1080p, but the signal being sent to the monitor is 4k, it will attempt to adjust the resolution to fit the active signal. This is also known as GPU upscaling.

Confirm What Windows Is Actually Outputting

You can see your desktop resolution (desktop mode) and active signal resolution (active signal mode) in your display settings.

To check your active signal resolution, go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display. There, you can see both your desktop and active signal resolutions. You can also check your refresh rate and bit depth.

If the active signal resolution is not matching the desktop resolution, read on to learn how to change it.

Method 1 — Set Modes via Windows “List All Modes”

With List All Modes, you can select from all compatible resolution, bit depth, and refresh rate combinations.

The first method is to go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, click on “Display Adapter Properties for [Display]” under the display, and then select “List All Modes.”

This will bring up a list of resolution, color depth, and refresh rate combination modes for your display. Select the resolution you want and then click on “Apply” to apply it.

Method 2 — NVIDIA Control Panel

If you have an NVIDIA GPU, you can change the resolution using the NVIDIA Control Panel. To do that, follow these steps:

Open the NVIDIA Control Panel by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting it.
From the navigation tree pane, navigate to Display > Change Resolution.
Select your display.
If there are many choices showing up, click on the Connector list arrow and choose the connector type.
In the Resolution box, find and select your desired resolution.
Click on Apply.

Method 3 — AMD Radeon Settings

With certain AMD Radeon GPUs (RX 9070), you can set a custom resolution using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition app. To do that, follow these steps:

Open the AMD Software app.
Search for “Custom” in the search bar and select “Custom Resolution.”
Select your display.
In Custom Resolution, accept any terms and conditions, if prompted.
Click on Create New in Custom Resolution.
Add your desired resolution details.
Click on Create.
If the custom settings are compatible with your display, the new resolution will be created. You can then select it from your Windows Display settings, as outlined earlier in this article.

Method 4 — Intel Graphics Command Center

If you have an Intel Graphics card, here is how to change the resolution:

Open the Intel Graphics Command Center and click on Display.
Navigate to General > Resolution and select your desired resolution.
Click on Yes to confirm your selection.

Fix Scaling, Overscan, & TV “Wrong Size” Look

You can also adjust the scaling settings in your display settings.

To fix scaling issues on your Windows desktop or connected monitor, try these steps:

Make sure the desktop resolution and active display resolution match.
Use List All Modes or your GPU’s settings to adjust the resolution.
In your Windows display settings, change the Scale & Layout settings.
If you have a connected TV monitor, open its settings and make sure Aspect Ratio is set to Just Scan, Full, 1:1, or Screen Fit.

The Cable/Port Matters (HDMI/DP)

Remember, the cable and port also matter. A cable that only supports an older HDMI standard, for example, may not support your desired resolution and refresh rate. Additionally, your monitor needs to have ports that support the required cables.

DisplayPort or HDMI 2.1 are typically best for high refresh rates and high resolutions. Older protocols, like DVI and VGA, don’t support modern resolutions. Many newer monitors, though, support USB-C or Thunderbolt cables.

Make sure your monitor supports modern protocols, such as the latest HDMI versions, and make sure you have the required cables for it.

Black Screen Recovery & Safe Testing

If your Windows laptop or monitor has a black screen, try the following tips:

Unplug all cables and restart your computer and monitor before replugging them.
Click on Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B to restart the graphics driver.
Uninstall and reinstall the graphics drivers.
Update Windows OS.
Uninstall recent updates to see if they are causing the issue.

If none of those tips work, you may need to enter Windows Safe Mode and try a tool like Automatic Repair to further troubleshoot or repair the issue. Read more about Windows Safe Mode here.

Conclusion

I hope this resolution guide and step-by-step instructions were helpful! It’s generally best practice to change the resolution using your Windows settings first, using List All Modes, if the recommended resolution in the settings is not working for you. However, if that doesn’t fix the issue, see if you can change the resolution using your graphics card software.