Why am I unable to increase the resolution in Windows?

If you cannot raise the display resolution in Windows, take these actions.

Identifying and resolving video driver issues

If Windows doesn't let you raise the screen resolution, your video drivers can be damaged or missing. To assist in resolving this problem, follow these instructions.

Boot the computer into Safe Mode if you are unable to access standard Windows or cannot see anything in Windows.

Open the Device Manager and make sure that neither your video card nor any other devices show any conflicts or problems. Additionally, make sure the Other Devices category doesn't exist. If there are issues, resolve them first before continuing. Remove all video cards from the Display adapter category if Device Manager displays conflicts on your video card or if it is a Standard display adapter. Selecting each item and pressing the delete key will remove the Display adapter category from the list. Windows should recognize and install the video card and any other devices you might have removed or fixed in step two.

You may need to obtain the drivers described in the following step if Windows requests files, you do not already have.

Get the most recent video drivers from the computer, video card, or chipset maker if the methods above do not address your problem.

Through video card software, alter video settings.

There may be software for many video cards that can assist you in managing and controlling your visual card settings. Try increasing the resolution using the video card program if you cannot do it in Windows. These applications frequently operate in the background and, when available, display notifications in the Windows Notification Area.

If your computer has previously been able to support the desired screen resolution, then video memory is not a problem.

Before attempting to raise the resolution over 640 x 480 - 256 colors, check your computer's video memory. If your machine is less than three years old, it has enough video memory to enable a higher resolution.

Note: If your computer has previously been able to support the desired screen resolution, then video memory is not a problem.

If you cannot decide how much video memory your computer has, speak with the maker of your video card or computer to learn more about your hardware.

If you cannot change the screen resolution in Windows 11/10

Incorrect driver settings are the primary cause of this issue. Sometimes, drivers will opt for a lesser resolution to be safe when they are incompatible. Therefore, let's upgrade the graphics driver or revert to an earlier version.

Revert or Update the Graphics Driver

(WIN + X + M) Launch Device Manager

Select the GPU by expanding Display Adapters and clicking on it.

The updated driver can be downloaded from their website after noting the OEM and Model No.

Install the driver software you just downloaded by running it.

You can upgrade the driver by right-clicking the CPU if it's an INF file or another format. It will then ask you to install it after asking you to find the INF file.

You can try reverting to the previous driver if your driver has already been upgraded to the most recent version. Only if you have a driver backup from before the update or can find one on the OEM website is it possible.

Activate GPU scaling

You might wish to check the GPU scaling option if you have an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card. It enables scaling of the image to remove any black borders and make it fit the screen vertically and horizontally.

AMD

Activate the AMD Radeon settings.

Toggle to "Display."

There, look for GPU Scaling, and turn it on.

NVIDIA

Activate the NVIDIA Control Panel. You have two choices here:

Change the resolution or build a new one while keeping the refresh rate constant. You can test this before making a move. This is helpful when a certain resolution is present, but the monitor resolution is no longer shown.

Change Desktop Size: Full Screen, Aspect Ratio, or no scaling are your options. Scaling can be done at the display or GPU level. But first, a word of caution. While it might not be evident during routine activities, such as movie playback, you might experience lag when playing a video game.

You can grant GPU access to a specific app if your issue only affects that app. To change the graphics settings, go to Settings > System > Display.