To change your display aspect ratio in Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display, select your screen, and choose a supported resolution with the proportions you want under Display resolution. Confirm the change when Windows asks whether to keep these display settings, then adjust your graphics software’s scaling controls if you want to preserve those proportions instead of stretching the image. These steps use Windows 11 menus.
The short version
- Choose the proportions: 1920 × 1080 is 16:9, 1920 × 1200 is 16:10, and 1024 × 768 is 4:3.
- Control the fit: Your graphics software or monitor determines whether the selected resolution is stretched, centered, or shown with borders.
- Select the right screen: With multiple displays, select the target screen before changing its resolution.
- Keep changes local: Use a video player’s aspect ratio control when you only want to change video playback.
| Control | What it changes | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Display resolution | Desktop pixel dimensions | Choose your desktop’s proportions |
| Windows Display orientation | Horizontal and vertical orientation | Use a screen in portrait orientation |
| Windows projection mode | How connected screens share the desktop | Duplicated screens constrain your choices |
| NVIDIA app Resolution | Desktop pixel dimensions | Select a mode for an NVIDIA-controlled display |
| NVIDIA app Scaling | How the image fits the display | Preserve source proportions |
| AMD GPU Scaling | Proportional, stretched, or centered output | Control the fit on supported Radeon systems |
| AMD HDMI Scaling | Desktop fit on an HDMI display | Correct cropped edges or an unwanted border |
| Intel Graphics Software scaling | Proportional, stretched, or centered output | Adjust a supported Intel-controlled display |
| Intel Graphics Command Center Scale | Fit below the native resolution | Preserve, stretch, or center the image |
| Intel Custom scaling | Displayed image size | Fit the picture on a supported external display |
| BenQ PD2770U Display Mode | How the monitor fits the input | Preserve proportions, fill the panel, or use unscaled pixels |
| Samsung Picture Size Settings | TV picture size and positioning | Adjust a compatible TV’s PC input |
| VLC Aspect Ratio | Video playback proportions | Correct the shape of a video |
| VLC Crop | Visible video frame | Remove picture edges during playback |
| NVIDIA custom resolution | An additional supported display mode | Create a mode on a compatible NVIDIA configuration |
| AMD custom resolution | An additional supported display mode | Create a mode on a compatible Radeon configuration |
Choose a resolution with the proportions you want
Open Start > Settings > System > Display. Select the display you want to adjust, then open Display resolution and choose a supported resolution. When Windows asks whether to keep these display settings, confirm the change; if you take no action, the resolution automatically reverts.
The resolution’s horizontal and vertical dimensions determine its proportions. Choose 1920 × 1080 for 16:9, 1920 × 1200 for 16:10, or 1024 × 768 for 4:3 when that resolution is offered. Available choices depend on your display, connection, and graphics driver.
Your GPU or monitor controls how the selected resolution fits the screen. If the result is stretched, use your graphics software’s scaling controls to preserve its aspect ratio. To restore display settings in Windows 11 after an unwanted resolution change, return to Display resolution and select the supported resolution you want.
For portrait use, you can rotate your screen in Windows by selecting the screen on the same page and choosing the required Display orientation. Physically rotate an external monitor to match only with a suitable stand or mount. Orientation exchanges the horizontal and vertical dimensions rather than changing the panel’s shape.
Set up multiple displays before adjusting resolution
When duplicated displays constrain your configuration, press Windows + P and select Extend for separate desktops or Second screen only to use the external screen alone. Then open Settings > System > Display, select the target screen, and adjust Display resolution.
This also applies when your external display is a TV or projector. The projection menu changes how the screens are used; you still choose the resolution for the selected display afterward.
Preserve proportions with the NVIDIA app
For a display controlled by an NVIDIA GPU, open the NVIDIA app and select System > Displays. Select your monitor, expand Scaling, and choose Aspect Ratio under Mode. The Scaling Device setting determines whether the GPU or display performs the scaling.
These scaling controls require NVIDIA app 11.0.3 or later and a supported display configuration. To choose a resolution in the same application, expand Display Properties and select a supported value under Resolution.
You can get the current application from the official NVIDIA app download page. NVIDIA directs current GeForce users to the NVIDIA app following the retirement of the classic Control Panel interface for Game Ready and Studio drivers.
Choose a scaling mode in AMD Software
On a supported Radeon system, first configure the display to its native resolution and refresh rate. Open AMD Software, search for Display, and select Display Settings. Select your target display, set GPU Scaling to Enabled, and choose the required Scaling Mode.
Select Preserve aspect ratio to keep the image’s proportions, Full panel to stretch it across the display, or Center to display it without enlargement. Changes apply immediately. AMD supports this feature on compatible Radeon graphics using DVI, HDMI, or DisplayPort, with controls that vary by configuration.
For a compatible HDMI screen with cropped edges or an unwanted border, keep its native resolution and refresh rate, then adjust HDMI Scaling in Display Settings until the desktop fits. This corrects overscan or underscan rather than selecting a different source aspect ratio. The control may be unavailable with other connections or non-native timings.
If you need to find and update your graphics driver for an AMD system, use AMD’s driver selection or automatic detection options to obtain software appropriate to your hardware and Windows version. Those options are on the official AMD Drivers and Support page, and available packages depend on the GPU.
Adjust scaling with Intel graphics controls
With Intel Graphics Software on Windows 11 and Intel Arc A-Series or B-Series dedicated graphics, open Display and set Scaling Mode to GPU Scaling. Under Scaling Method, choose Preserve Aspect Ratio, Stretch, or Centered. Availability on Intel Iris Xe and UHD systems depends on the configuration and manufacturer settings.
Intel’s Stretch mode requires a standard resolution. Custom resolutions are not supported in combination with that mode, so select a standard resolution when you want stretched output.
If your compatible Intel system uses Intel Graphics Command Center, open Display and select the screen. Choose a resolution below the recommended or native resolution, then open Scale and select Maintain Aspect Ratio, Stretched, or Centered. In Graphics Command Center build 1.100.2765.0 or newer, the recommended resolution hides those options and shows Maintain Display Scaling instead.
For a supported external Intel-controlled display that needs resizing, choose Custom under Scale and adjust the available controls to fit the picture. This changes the displayed image size without creating a custom resolution. Intel excludes built-in laptop screens from this custom scaling option.
Adjust the picture on your monitor or TV
Your display’s own controls can determine how it fits the incoming image. On a BenQ PD2770U, press the 5-way controller and open Display > Display Mode. Choose Aspect to preserve proportions, Full to fill the panel, or 1:1 for unscaled pixels; the change takes effect immediately.
Use the BenQ path only for the PD2770U. Other monitor models can use different labels and offer different controls, so check your model’s manual for its equivalent setting.
On compatible Samsung TVs receiving your PC’s external-input signal, press Home on the remote and select Settings > Picture > Picture Size Settings. The choices can include 16:9 Standard, Custom, and 4:3, depending on the model, input, and resolution. Samsung does not promise every choice for 4K or 8K signals.
To remove overscan on a Samsung model and input that support it, enable Fit to Screen. For manual resizing and positioning, set Picture Size to Custom and use the on-screen controls. If the TV’s configuration does not offer the needed adjustment, use the applicable PC resolution or GPU scaling controls.
Change only the video in VLC
For desktop VLC 3.0 on Windows 11, play the video and open Video > Aspect Ratio. Choose a ratio such as 4:3, 16:9, or 16:10. Select Default to restore the video’s default proportions; these choices do not change Windows desktop resolution.
Cropping removes picture edges during playback. To use it, open Video > Crop and select a ratio such as 16:9 or 4:3. Choose Default to undo cropping.
Create a custom resolution only when needed
A custom resolution requires a supported combination of graphics hardware, display, connection, and timing settings. Start with an existing supported resolution. If you need another mode, NVIDIA and AMD provide creation controls on compatible systems.
In NVIDIA app 11.0.7 or later, open System > Displays > Display Properties > CUSTOMIZE RESOLUTION. Turn on Enable display resolutions not available in Windows, select +, and enter Horizontal Pixels, Vertical Lines, and a supported Refresh Rate (Hz). Then select TEST.
On a compatible AMD Radeon system, open AMD Software, search for Custom, and select Custom Resolution. Select the display and expand Custom Resolutions. On first use, click Read & Accept the EULA, review the agreement, then click I Accept.
Click Create New, enter supported custom resolution settings, and click Create. Apply the saved mode through Windows Display resolution or the game’s resolution menu. AMD’s interface can differ between configurations; if the custom mode does not work, choose an existing supported resolution in Windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can List All Modes offer another way to choose a resolution?
Yes, you can select an existing display mode through the adapter dialog when your graphics driver exposes it. Open Settings > System > Display > Advanced display, select the display, and open Display adapter properties. On Adapter, select List All Modes, choose a supported resolution, color depth, and refresh-rate combination, then select OK. This selects an existing mode rather than creating a custom one.
What does integer scaling do?
On supported Radeon configurations, integer scaling enlarges pixels by whole-number factors while retaining the image’s proportions. Space that the scaled image does not fill remains around it. You can also apply AMD’s per-game integer scaling settings, which override the global setting.
Why do older Intel tutorials show a custom resolution button?
The current standard Intel Graphics Command Center uses Windows display settings and has no option to add a custom resolution. Intel’s alternative is Graphics Command Center Beta on compatible systems.
Can a BenQ companion app change the display mode?
Display Pilot 2 provides advanced monitor settings under Settings > Advanced > Display System Settings on compatible BenQ models, such as supported MA series monitors. Your monitor must have DDC/CI enabled, and the available controls, including any display mode setting, depend on the model and input.