Windows 10 scaling fix

IMPORTANT NOTE — 14 April 2017.
If you are using the latest version of Windows 10 (Creators Update) you might not need this DPI Fix (if you already have, you can simple run the DPI fix and set it to »Use Windows 10 Default DPI scaling’ and hit ‘Apply’).
It looks like Microsoft fixed this blurry fonts finally for a lot of people.
But we still get emails from people that said the Creators Update did not fix their blurry fonts and that our DPI fix did.
So if you still have blurry fonts after the Creators Update, you can use this DPI Fix to make them razor sharp.

Welcome.
This page is only intended to help you with the DPI Scaling for Windows 10 if you have blurry fonts on high DPI.
When we installed Windows 10. We noticed the DPI scaling is not working as it was in Windows Vista, 7 and 8(.1).

The problem in Windows 10:
When you have a widescreen, with a resolution of 1920×1080 or higher or a bit lower, in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 you would put your DPI scaling to 125% or higher to make text and images appear larger and more easy to read.
But when you put the DPI scaling to 125% in Windows 10, you see in a lot of dialogs and windows the font gets very blurry.
It does not matter if you are using the regular or custom Windows DPI scaling functions at your ‘Screen properties’. Text will get blurry on 125%.
You can test if you have this bug also if you put your DPI scaling to 125% at your ‘Screen properties’, then reboot Windows (or sign in again when it asks you).
Then goto ‘Control panel > Administrative tools > Services’.
If you have this issue also you would see the titlebar of the Services window has a font scaled good. But the services list itself is very blurry/unsharp to read.

The SIMPLE fix:
Right-click on the shortcut to your application that has blurry fonts, then select ‘Properties’. Then tab ‘Compatibility’. Then enable ‘Disable display scaling on high DPI settings’ and hit ‘Apply’. then restart your application, and you see it will look good.

The DPI fix:
Windows 10 is using another scaling method for DPI as in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1.
At some point we can understand Windows why they changed the DPI scaling in Windows 10. It is probably ment to support mobile devices more easy.
But if you like to use your Desktop as a Desktop, and you demand high quality only. Then you can use this fix until Microsoft has addressed this issue.
This fix simple tells Windows 10 to use the original DPI scaling as it was in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1.

Why this is a small software program, and not some ‘Registry Tweak’ is because when you manually adjust the DPI settings at your ‘Windows Registry’. Windows will reset your dpi settings every 2 reboots. Which means you would have to adjust the registry again (Microsoft forces you almost to use its new DPI scaling method).
You could use a batch file for it that starts when you start Windows(r) to change the registry DPI settings, but then a ugly CMD box would show if you turn on your computer.
This method we created simple works, does what you want. And will not show a ugly CMD box because its using pure API.

Side effects:
— It needs to start when Windows starts, but only for a couple milliseconds (you will not see it afcourse). Then it will adjust the DPI scaling to use the Windows 8 way. And then it will close itself.
— In Microsoft Edge (its new browser) some Adobe Flash objects will appear smaller, but you can simple overcome that by using Internet Explorer 11, or Chrome, or FireFox.

Screenshot:

Created by: Michiel Schermer (Netherlands)

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Note for Google VirusTotal users.
30 augustus 2015: White-listing completed for all AV’s for version 2.1.

Tip: At VirusTotal click at tab ‘Additional information’ and look for ‘First submission’ date.
If a file changes, the ‘First submission’ will change also at VirusTotal and votes will be resetted.

Windows scaling issues for high-DPI devices

Summary

When you use a high-DPI device such as a Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, or Surface Book together with external monitors, you experience the following issues:

Elements such as applications, the taskbar, icons, toolbars, text, and dialog boxes appear to be fuzzy.

Elements are too large or too small compared to the rest of the desktop.

Blurry text appears in applications or in the Windows interface.

Although these symptoms may be seen on a single monitor, they’re more common when you use multiple monitors that vary in display resolution. These symptoms also occur when the hardware configuration changes, such as when you dock and undock a device that uses external monitors, or you detach an external monitor from the device.

These issues commonly occur in the following scenarios:

Applications are moved between monitors that use different display resolutions.

The monitor that applications are displayed on changes between docked and undocked configurations.

Users mix connections during the same logon session. For example, users log on through a remote desktop connection (RDC), and later connect directly without first logging off.

Display information is determined when a user logs on to the system. A logoff-logon process resets the display information and improves behavior. However, the issue recurs if the monitor configuration changes during the same logon session, such as when you dock or undock the device or detach an external monitor.

This issue has become more prevalent since the introduction of 4k and higher resolution monitors, especially when these monitors are mixed together with older, standard monitors.

For more information about how Windows scales applications, see the following Core Team Blog articles:

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use the following methods.

Check for software updates Improvements are continuously being added to Windows 10 and Office 2016 applications. If you are experiencing a specific issue, first check whether it has been resolved in the latest Windows release or cumulative update. To check Windows 10 updates, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Match screen resolutions Consider deploying monitors that have complementary screen resolutions.

When you use multiple monitors (including when you dock or connect to remote screens), a greater difference in the resolution between the native device and external device is more likely to cause the issues to occur. For more information, see the following OneDrive presentation:

Use UWP applications Use or deploy Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications instead of Win32 applications.

Modern (UWP) apps always scale correctly. If there is a comparable modern app available, you can substitute that app to mitigate the scaling issues. For example, Edge is a modern app that does not cause the DPI Scaling issues that Internet Explorer might experience. Similarly, Remote Desktop is an alternative to mstsc.exe.

Check for known issues See the following articles for more information about known issues in these specific products.

Note Office 2016 applications started being released starting in September 2016. Additional updates are scheduled to follow.
Internet Explorer

3165808 Internet Explorer 11 Window display changes between built-in device monitor and an external monitor

Workaround

To work around scaling issues, try the following methods:

Log out and in Log out and log back in to the system. This improves how applications and elements are displayed when the monitor configuration changes.

Adjust display settings Windows 10

Select Display > Change the size of text, apps, and other items, and then adjust the slider for each monitor.

Earlier Windows systems

Right-click the application, select Properties, select the Compatibility tab, and then select the Disable display scaling on high DPI settings check box.

Change application properties In Explorer or on the Start menu, right-click the application name, select Properties, select the Compatibility tab, and then select the Disable display scaling on high DPI settings check box.

Note: In Windows 10 Version 1703 and later version of Windows, the text of the Disable display scaling on high DPI settings option is changed to Override high DPI scaling behavior, scaling performed by: Application.

Check whether applications are DPI-aware To determine an application’s support of DPI Scaling, follow these steps:

In Process Explorer, click the columns, and then add the DPI Awareness column to the view.

Start the application that you want to check.

In Process Explorer, locate the application, and then examine the DPI Awareness column.

DPI Awareness status definitions

Per-Monitor Aware: Per-monitor DPI-aware. These applications check for the DPI when they are started, and adjusts the scale factor whenever the DPI value changes. These applications are not automatically scaled by the system.

System Aware: System DPI-aware. These applications do not scale for DPI changes. They query for the DPI one time, and then use that value for the lifetime of the application. If the DPI changes, the application does not adjust to the new DPI value. It will be automatically scaled up or down by the system when the DPI changes from the system value.

Unaware: DPI-unaware. These applications do not scale for DPI changes. They are always assumed to have a scale factor of 100 percent (96 DPI). These applications are automatically scaled by the system at any other DPI settings.

For more information, see the following MSDN topic:

Report an issue Many UI elements have been updated because of customer feedback. Because DPI Scaling issues can involve multiple symptoms and configuration, information from users can help us identify specific scenarios and prioritize the development of updates.

To provide such feedback, follow these steps:

Record monitor configurations. To do this, take a screenshot of Display window ( Start > Settings > System > Display).

For each monitor, note the make and model, scaling percentage, and resolution.

Record the steps that you must follow to reproduce the issue.

Take screenshots or video of the desktop or applications before and after the scaling issues occur.

Run DXDiag.exe on the system.

Select Start > Feedback Hub. Search on “DPI” to check whether any listed issue matches your specific issue. If you find a match, you can add additional feedback, including screen shots, DXDiag results, and any other relevant information.

More Information

Display scaling is a deceptively complex problem. There is no magic bullet or single fix to resolve all DPI Scaling problems. DPI Scaling benefits from continuous improvements in the core operating system, in application development models, and in applications from both Microsoft and third parties.

Different versions of Windows and application development models have different display scaling capabilities and limitations.

For example, in Windows that were released earlier than Windows 8.1, desktop environment and applications understand only one scale factor, generally based on the primary display at the time that the logon session starts. When the display changes in the middle of a logon session, the system bitmaps scale content from the system scale factor to the new monitor scale factor. This makes sure that content doesn’t become excessively large or small. However, text may appear blurred. (The effect is worse when you scale up.) If the system shrinks or stretches UI elements to the correct size, this may cause some blurriness in dialog boxes and other UI elements.

In Windows 10, investments were made so that large parts of the desktop UX will scale crisply in docking-undocking scenarios. Additional scalability improvements were made to the taskbar, File Explorer, desktop icons, context menu, and other UI elements to improve the user experience.

Microsoft is continuously updating the system and first-party applications. Third-party applications may require similar investments.

References

MSDN: Writing DPI-aware Win32 applications

Thurrott Blog: July 13, 2015 post that discusses DPI Scaling. Article is based on the «Devices» chapter of the Windows 10 Field Guide.

Windows Blog: July 15, 2013

Build 2015: Display Scaling: What it is and what you need to know about it to have great visuals

Build 2014: Windows Desktop Development Platform Advancements

Build 2013: Making your desktop apps shine on high-DPI displays

XPExplorer — Windows 10 DPI Fix v2.2

XPExplorer — Windows 10 DPI Fix — крошечная утилита, которая позволит решить проблему размытых шрифтов в Windows 10. Многие испытали эту проблему на своих ноутбуках с небольшой диагональю экрана в разрешении FullHD.

Решить эту проблему в Windows 8.1 многие могли без проблем, однако на Windows 10 все оказалось куда сложнее, именно поэтому и появилась данная утилита, вероятно потом данная проблема будет решена самой компанией.

XPExplorer — Windows 10 DPI Fix вносить изменения в реестр, таким образом будет произведена корректировка экрана «hight DPI” доводя параметр до оптимального размера. Обратите внимание, что каждый раз перезагружая систему, Windows сбрасывает настройки масштабирования, поэтому программа прописывается в автозагрузку и сразу после запуска вносит изменения в реестр.

Использовать программу легко, после запуска надо просто отметить галочкой параметр USE Windows 8.1 DPI Scaling (our fix), далее видим список под названием DPI Scale, там надо выбрать 125 процентов, после надо перезапустить систему, на этом манипуляции можно закончить, всем удачи!

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