You can make your monitor screen smaller in three ways: adjust the display scaling in your operating system, change the resolution, or physically move your monitor farther away

The fastest fix is usually display scaling, which enlarges the interface without changing what your monitor actually displays. Windows calls this "scale and layout"; macOS calls it "resolution" or "scaled"; Linux varies by desktop environment. Scaling keeps text and icons sharp because your monitor still runs at its native resolution — the operating system just draws everything bigger on top of it.

If scaling alone does not shrink things enough, you can lower your monitor resolution — the number of pixels your screen displays. This makes everything smaller because fewer pixels fill the same physical space. The trade-off is that text and images may look slightly blurry, especially on smaller monitors, because you are asking the monitor to display fewer dots than it was designed for.

The third option, moving your monitor back, does not change what is on screen but makes it appear smaller from where you sit. This works if the problem is eyestrain or difficulty reading, but it does not help if you need more screen space for multiple windows.

Key Takeaways

  • Display scaling in Windows, macOS, or Linux enlarges text and icons without blurring, and is the first thing to try.
  • Lowering your monitor resolution makes everything smaller but may cause slight blurriness on some displays.
  • You can combine scaling and resolution changes — lower the resolution first, then scale up if text becomes too small.
  • Moving your monitor farther away makes the screen appear smaller without changing any settings, but does not give you more usable space.

How to adjust display scaling on Windows

Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I. Go to System, then Display. Under "Scale and layout," you will see a dropdown showing a percentage — usually 100%, 125%, 150%, or 175%. Click the dropdown and select a smaller percentage. Windows will ask you to sign out and back in for the change to take full effect, though most programs will resize immediately.

If the preset percentages do not give you what you want, scroll down to "Advanced scaling" and toggle it on. This lets you set custom percentages in 1% increments. Some older programs may look blurry at custom scaling levels, but modern software handles it well.

How to adjust display scaling on macOS

Click the Apple menu and go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions). Select Displays. You will see resolution options listed as "Scaled" or "Default." Click Scaled and choose a lower resolution from the list — the options at the bottom of the list make everything smaller. macOS applies the change immediately.

If you want finer control, hold the Option key while clicking the Scaled button. This shows you pixel-level resolution options instead of the simplified list. Choosing a lower resolution here makes everything smaller but may cause some blurriness on Retina displays.

How to lower your monitor resolution on Windows

Right-click on your desktop and select "Display settings." Scroll down to "Display resolution" and click the dropdown. Select a lower resolution — the list shows options like 1920×1080, 1680×1050, or 1440×900. Windows will preview the change for a few seconds before asking you to confirm. If you do not see the resolution you want, click "Advanced display settings" at the bottom and look for more options there.

Lower resolutions make everything smaller but use less graphics processing power, which can help on older computers or integrated graphics. The downside is that text and images may look softer or less crisp, especially on monitors smaller than 27 inches.

How to lower your monitor resolution on macOS

Go to System Settings or System Preferences and select Displays. Click the Scaled button and choose a resolution from the list. The options at the bottom make everything smaller. If you want more choices, hold Option and click Scaled to see all available resolutions, including ones lower than the default list shows.

On newer Macs with Apple Silicon chips, resolution options are more limited because the system handles scaling differently. If you only see a few options, display scaling (covered above) is usually the better choice than trying to force a lower resolution.

Combining scaling and resolution for the best result

You do not have to choose between scaling and resolution — you can use both. A common approach is to lower your resolution first (which makes everything smaller), then increase scaling if the text becomes too small to read comfortably. This gives you more screen space than scaling alone while keeping text sharper than resolution alone.

For example, on a 27-inch monitor, you might lower the resolution from 2560×1440 to 1920×1080, then set scaling to 125%. This gives you more windows on screen than 2560×1440 at 100% scaling, but text stays crisp because you are not scaling up a low resolution.

When to move your monitor instead of changing settings

If your eyes strain from reading small text, moving your monitor back 6 to 12 inches can help without any software changes. This works because text appears smaller the farther away it is, but your monitor does not have to work harder. It is a free solution if eyestrain is the real problem.

Moving the monitor does not give you more usable screen space — you still have the same number of windows fitting on screen. It only helps if the issue is that text is physically hard to read from where you sit. If you need to fit more content on screen, scaling or resolution changes are the answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will lowering my resolution make games look worse?

Yes, usually. Games are designed to run at your monitor's native resolution. Lowering it makes the image softer and may introduce visual artifacts. If a game runs slowly, lowering resolution can help performance, but scaling is a better first step because it does not affect how the game renders.

Can I set different scaling for different monitors?

On Windows, yes — each monitor can have its own scaling percentage in Display Settings. On macOS, each display has its own resolution setting. Linux varies by desktop environment, but most modern ones support per-monitor scaling.

Why does text look blurry after I lowered the resolution?

Your monitor is designed to display a specific number of pixels (its native resolution). When you force it to display fewer pixels, it has to guess how to fill the space, which causes blurriness. This is more noticeable on smaller monitors and at larger text sizes. Try using display scaling instead, which keeps the native resolution and just draws bigger.

What resolution should I use if I want everything smaller but still readable?

Start with your monitor's native resolution and use display scaling at 75% or 80%. If that is not small enough, try lowering the resolution to the next step down (usually 1920×1080 if you are at 2560×1440) and then scale back up to 100% or 125%. Test both approaches to see which looks sharper on your specific monitor.

Does making my screen smaller use less power?

Display scaling does not reduce power use — your monitor still displays the same number of pixels. Lowering the resolution slightly reduces power use because the graphics card works less hard, but the difference is usually small on modern monitors.