How To Set Screen Resolution To 1920x1080

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How to Increase Screen Resolution to 1920x1080

Having the right screen resolution settings on your Windows laptop ensures crisper, more detailed images. It goes without saying that the higher the resolution, the sharper the images will appear. So, what do you do if your laptop only comes with a 1366×768 screen resolution by default? Are you doomed to watch movies and play games on an HD display? Not necessarily. There are many ways you can go about increasing your screen's resolution to 1920×1080. In this article we'll show you the factors that go into determining the optimal resolution for your screen, from pixels to aspect ratios. Let's get started.

How to Increase Screen Resolution to 1920×1080

Windows comes with its own default scaling and color display settings. They're referred to as native resolution. These native settings are designed to boost your PC system. Still, you can always adjust things according to your personal preferences. The good news is that Windows provides three basic ways to change the screen resolution.

Finding the Display Settings Page

To get started, we want to begin by showing you several ways to get to the Settings page. Once there, you can easily change the resolution in the Display settings.

Option 1: Desktop

Go to the desktop on your PC and right-click your mouse, then select Display settings from the menu. This will take you to the Settings page.

Option 2: Start Menu

Click on the Start menu on the desktop or press the Windows button on your keyboard. When the start menu opens, click on the Settings icon, it's located above the icon for the Start menu and looks like a gear.

A new page should appear. Locate System on the Settings page. It should be the first option on the page. Clicking on it will open the Settings page.

Option 3: Cortana Search Bar

With the Cortana search bar, you can just type in 'Display' and it'll take you right to the System Settings page. It's quick, efficient and saves time.

3 Ways You Can Increase the Screen Resolution

1920×1080 resolution is also known as 1080p. It's the first resolution to make the most of HD's complete range of capabilities.

It's now the standard resolution in many applications. Some of these applications include video games, streaming services, and more.

Below, you'll find three ways to increase your screen's resolution to 1920×1080.

Method 1: When Screen Resolution 1920×1080 Is Available

Once you're on the Settings page, following these steps:

Click on the Display settings on the right-hand side. It's the first option.
In the Display settings, look for the Resolution menu.
You'll notice it says that the recommended resolution is set at 1366×768.
Click on the drop-down menu and scroll until you find 1920×1080.
When you click on it, Windows will give you several seconds to either 'Revert' or 'Keep the changes.' If you do nothing, the screen resolution will return to its default automatically.

Method 2: When Screen Resolution 1920×1080 Isn't Available

If the drop-down menu doesn't list 1920×1080 resolution, then follow these steps:

Right-click the Start menu icon and click on Device Manager. You can also type in Device Manager in the Cortana search bar.
When the Device Manager page opens, look for Display adapters.
Click the arrow left of Device adapters and you'll get a drop-down menu of the system adapters.
Right-click on the adapter and select Update driver from the pop-up menu.
A dialog box will appear asking for your permission to search for possible drivers.
Choose 'Search Automatically for updated driver software. This is to allow Windows 10 to search for the latest version of the display driver online.
When the driver has been updated, go to the Display settings. You can find the 1920×1080 option in the drop-down Resolution menu.

Method 3: Download the Resolution Driver

Search for your PC's display (graphics) driver online. If you don't know which driver your PC uses, look for it in the Device Manager. It should be listed under Display adapters.

The three most commonly used graphics drivers are Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD Radeon.

Once you find the applicable display driver, download it. Then, open the file and it should complete the installation steps on its own.

Why Is Screen Resolution Important?

Some people use their PCs for work and studying. Then, there are those who are more interested in using their laptops to watch movies, create graphics content, and play games. Whatever your preference may be, a computer is only as good as its screen.

If you belong to the latter, you're in serious need of a higher screen resolution to keep up with all you're games are doing. Plus, the high resolution will make your content look sharper and more detailed.

In short, the resolution is the measurement of the visual dimensions of any screen or display. The width and height of the screen are expressed in a certain number of pixels.

Most laptop monitors come with a default resolution of HD 1366×768. This means the width of the screen is 1366 pixels and its height is 768 pixels for a total of 1,049,088 pixels or 1 megapixel. That's still fairly decent when it comes to image quality.

Yet, who can say no to the full HD display resolution of 1920×1080? After all, it has twice the number of pixels that the 1366×768 does.

With Full HD, you get much sharper images with more accuracy and finer detailing. Also, the frame-per-second capabilities of an image or video rely on resolution. In other words, the higher the resolution, the less likely your movie or game will lag.

What Are Pixels?

Here's an interesting piece of information: the word 'pixel' is short for 'picture element.' This is because pixels are the tiniest pieces of data you'll see on your screen. Every image you see on a display screen is generated by many pixels grouped together.

Pixels are represented by small little squares. They have a direct relation to the resolution of a display screen. The higher the number of pixels, the higher the resolution.

Think of pixels as pieces of a puzzle. The more pieces in the puzzle, the sharper and more detailed the completed puzzle looks.

What Does DPI/PPI Refer To?

You'll find the term dots per inch (DPI) used in print media. It indicates the number of dots found within a one-inch line of a print or scan. When it comes to screens and displays, however, DPI isn't used to describe pixel density.

The correct term when referring to screen resolutions is pixels per inch (PPI). It's used to describe a screen's pixel density. With higher pixel densities, you get more pixels packed into every square inch of your laptop screen. The result is sharper, better-looking images.

Pixel density is one of the most significant factors used in determining image quality. Still, there's a limit to how high the pixel density can go because it's governed by the physical size of the monitor.

How Does the Size of the Screen Affect PPI?

Say you have two laptop screens standing side by side; one is 15 inches and the other is 17 inches. Both are equipped with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 resolution.

Now imagine having the same number of pixels spread across each of these screens. Which one do you think will have clearer images and smoother lines?

The smaller screen will have a higher pixel density resulting in sharper images and smoother videos.

Screen Sizes and Their Recommended Resolutions

The size of the screen is important when deciding on the best resolution. It also takes into account display scaling and aspect ratios. These values are pre-determined by the manufacturer to make the most of your laptop.

The reason for this is that greater resolution means larger images. There are always limitations to what our output devices can offer. Sometimes we can't take advantage of the best possible resolution because our screen is just not large enough.

Here are the recommended resolutions for some of the more popular screen sizes:

14-inch screen: 800×600 pixels (standard ratio)
15-inch screen: 1024×768 pixels (standard ratio)
17-inch screen: 1152×864 pixels (standard ratio)
19-inch screen: 1280×1024 pixels (standard ratio)
20-inch screen: 1600×1200 pixels (standard ratio)
22-inch screen: 1680×1050 pixels (widescreen)
24-inch screen: 1900×1200 pixels (widescreen)

Does a Display's Aspect Ratio Affect Screen Resolution?

Displays usually offer two ratios for a screen's width and height. They indicate the direct relationship between the height and width of the monitor. There's the standard 4:3. Then there's the widescreen ratio of 16:9 or 16:10, depending on screen type. Read ahead to find out more about each aspect ratio.

4:3

The 4:3 monitor aspect ratio is known as Fullscreen. It was once considered the standard ratio for use in film and broadcast. Thanks to the rise of HD resolution, 4:3 isn't as widely used.

16:9/16:10

Known as widescreen, this ratio is the new standard for anything and everything HD-related. It's been instrumental in boosting the efficiency among users and product sales.

It's pretty much taken over and left the 4:3 display aspect ratio in the dust. As a result of its popularity, you'll find the 16:9/16:10 aspect ratio pretty much everywhere. Even televisions, DVDs, cinema screens, and much more.

The only difference between the 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios is the type of screen. For instance, TVs typically have a 16:9 aspect ratio. While laptop displays and computer monitors generally have the 16:10 ratio.

Final Words

You spend hours in front of your laptop. Therefore, the screen resolution is a critical factor that determines how much information your able to see at one time. After reading our guide, you now know how to increase screen resolution to 1920×1080. Trying the methods outlined above, you'll feel like you have a brand-new display. With just a few clicks of your mouse, colors on your screen will appear more intense and more vivid. Likewise, if you work with high-definition images and videos they'll appear sharper and more detailed, which is quite vital for creating achingly beautiful graphical content.