Get those blurry applications running clearly again under Windows 8, 8.1, 10
If you've done an upgrade to a newer version of Windows, or moved to a retina-like display with a name like
- 2560x1440 / 3840 x 2160 / 4096x2160 (resolution)
- 3K / 4K / 5K
- Ultra HD / Quad HD
it's pretty likely you've already noticed exactly what I'm talking about. Certain applications may be blurry, such as Chrome, or ATTO Diskbenchmark. They just look bad. Quite noticeable on a Surface Pro 3, for example. Tends to happen with older applications that weren't designed to handle high resolution displays. The problem is also related to font and menu and title bar scaling tweaks that Windows is slowly getting better at, so you can actually read stuff on super high resolution displays.
The fix is more of a workaround, but it's straight-forward, takes just seconds, and handles:
- Desktop Shortcuts
- Taskbar Shortcuts
- Start menu items
Here's the fix, step-by-step
Right-click on the application or shortcut
Select 'Properties'
Select the 'Compatibility' tab
Turn on the 'Disable display scaling on high DPI settings' checkbox
Click OK
Close your application, then launch it again, to clearly see the fix in action
Here's the fix, looping video
Here's the fix, YouTube (with voiceover)
See also
