How to fix blurry text in Windows 10 with multiple monitors

Windows 10 still can't do scaling properly. But there is a workaround for this.

1. Connect the external display.
2. Go to display settings and set your screen with lower DPI that has 100% scale factor as the primary screen (there is a checkbox at the bottom of this screen).
3. Log out and log in. Now both screens should have crisp text.

If you disconnect external display you'll get blurry text on the laptop, but don't worry - if you log out and log in it should be fixed. If you connect monitor, you need to log out and log in again. It is annoying, but I did not find a better way and Microsoft just doesn't care.

Solution 0

It could be a not optimal default configuration applied by your monitor after to plug in to your pc. So before to change your system settings, try to auto configure your monitor via monitor's menu/buttons.

Solution 1

To fix this issue, please check Start => Settings => System => Display tab

Find the Scale and layout section and set the value of scaling at 100 % for each monitor Indeed, the scaling op the text can occured an blurry appearance.

WARNING : You must do these operation for each monitor (select the monitor 1, set the correct value then select the monitor 2 set the correct value, ...)

Solution 2

If you want scale the text, you can do but you must disable the display scaling on high DPI for each app who doesn't display correctly. To do that, You must find the exe of the application. Tips : to find easily the exe, right click on the app => properties => Open file location.

Do the following:

• on the exe, right click
• troubleshoot compatiblity
• Troubleshoot program (second option) =>
• Check "The program open but doesn't display correctly"
• Next
• Check "Program does not display properly when large scale font settings are selected"
• Test the program...
• Next
• Yes, save these settings for this program

If you want to do, you can use The process explorer and add the column dpi aware to help you. This tools is avaible on the Microsoft sysinternals webiste.

Et voilà :)

This is the the explanation that you can find on the microsoft documentation

Windows® desktop apps fall broadly into two classes: apps that are DPI-aware and those that are not.

However, if an application is not DPI aware, and is running on a high DPI display, Windows scales the app by applying bitmap scaling to the application output. This ensures that the application is the correct size on a high DPI display. In most instances this will result in crisp and usable applications, but in some instances, the result is less crisp and might have a slightly fuzzy or blurry appearance because of the bitmap scaling.

You can try to use a different high-DPI compatibility setting for that app instead of the Let Windows try to fix apps so they’re not blurry setting.

• Enter the name of the program in the search box on the taskbar, right-click the search result, and then select Open file location.
• Right-click the program, select Properties, and then select the
• Compatibility tab. click Change high DPI settings
• Select Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program… check box
• Use I signed in to Windows option
• Select the Override high DPI scaling behavior check box
• Use Application option
• Press OK and OK . Then Restart the program

References :-

• Fix apps that appear blurry in Windows 10 - Windows Help https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4091364/windows-10-fix-blurry-apps
• Make older programs compatible with this version of Windows - Windows Help https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15078/windows-make-older-programs-compatible