Getting Started > Installing DEX > Monitor Text Scaling

Microsoft Windows includes a feature that allows you to scale the size of text and other items on your screen. This can be particularly useful if you're using a high-resolution display, such as a 4K monitor, where items might otherwise appear very small.

DEX supports screen text scaling.

Text scaling in the context of computer monitors refers to the process of adjusting the size of text and other items on the screen. This feature is crucial for ensuring readability, particularly for users with visual impairments, or when using screens with very high resolution where default text sizes could be too small to read comfortably.

Here's how text scaling works and how you can adjust it on different operating systems:

Understanding Text Scaling

When you change the text scaling, you're essentially increasing or decreasing the size of the text and other elements without altering the display's resolution. This action helps in:

1.Improving Readability: Making text larger helps avoid straining the eyes, especially for individuals with vision problems.

2.Enhancing Accessibility: It makes computers more accessible to users with visual impairments.

3.Adapting to High-Resolution Displays: On high-resolution (HiDPI) displays, especially, text might appear too small to read comfortably under standard settings.

Adjusting Text Scaling

Windows 10

Here's how you can adjust these settings in Windows 10:

1.Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop and choose "Display settings".

2.Under "Scale and layout", you'll find a drop-down menu labeled "Change the size of text, apps, and other items". By default, this might be set to something like 100% or 150%, but you can select a higher percentage to increase the size of items on your screen.

3.You can also click on "Advanced scaling settings" for more options. Here, you can enter a custom scaling size between 100% and 500%. You can also enable a feature that lets Windows try to fix apps so they're not blurry.

After making these changes, you might need to sign out of your account and sign back in, or possibly even restart your computer, for the changes to take effect.

Windows 11

In Windows 11, the steps are similar:

1.Right-click on an empty spot on your desktop and choose "Display settings".

2.Under "Scale", you'll see a similar drop-down menu where you can select the percentage of scaling.

3.If you click on "Advanced scaling", you can manually enter a custom scaling size.

Remember, these changes will impact all displays if you're using multiple monitors unless you specifically set each monitor's scaling individually. Also, not all software behaves perfectly with scaled text and other items – you might notice that some apps or elements look blurry or pixelated after changing these settings. Windows has gotten better about this over the years, but it can still be a problem with some software.

Additional Tips

Right-click on your desktop and select "Display settings".

•If individual applications have text that's too small, check within the app's settings. Many programs offer their own text scaling or font size adjustments.

•Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari also have built-in zoom functions that make web-page text larger. You can use Ctrl/Cmd + Plus (+) to zoom in, Ctrl/Cmd + Minus (-) to zoom out, and Ctrl/Cmd + Zero (0) to reset to the default zoom level.

•Remember that extreme scaling could cause some interface elements to look blurry or distorted, depending on how applications support scaling. You might need to experiment to find the best setting for your needs.

Adjusting text scaling is a valuable tool for making your computer more comfortable to use, helping to avoid eye strain and making the system more accessible to individuals with varying levels of vision.