Guides
How to fix blurry and resized windows with mixed DPI monitors
Pair a 4K laptop or monitor at 150 percent scaling with a 1080p screen at 100 percent, and Windows has to decide how big every window should be on each screen. Modern apps handle it well. Older apps can turn blurry, text can look soft after you move a window, and windows can jump in size or position when they cross the boundary. This guide explains what is going on, which Windows settings help, and how WindowLayout keeps layouts right across screens with different scaling.
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Understand per-monitor scaling
Windows lets each monitor have its own scale, set under Settings, System, Display, Scale. Apps that are per-monitor DPI aware redraw themselves sharply at each scale when you move them. Older apps only know one scale, so Windows stretches their pixels on the other screen, which looks blurry. Some apps read the scale only when they start, so they look sharp on the screen they opened on and soft after you move them.
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Check your scaling with Diagnostics
WindowLayout's Monitors page shows each screen's scaling under Size of text and apps (scaling), next to the value Windows recommends, and WindowLayout lets you change it there together with other monitor changes. Diagnostics, on the AI page, work offline without the AI assistant: click Run checks to see Mixed display scaling with the values in use, plus monitors whose edges are offset or of different lengths, which affects how the cursor and windows cross between them. Where you can, choose monitors with similar pixel density, such as 27-inch 1440p next to 24-inch 1080p, so both run well at similar scaling.
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Let Windows fix blurry apps
Search the Start menu for Fix apps that are blurry and turn on Let Windows try to fix apps so they're not blurry. For a specific program that stays blurry, right-click its program file or shortcut, open Properties, Compatibility, Change high DPI settings, tick Override high DPI scaling behavior and try Application or System (Enhanced). Sign out and back in after changing scaling, because some apps only pick up the new scale after a new session.
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Move windows without size jumps
When you drag a window across, Windows switches its scale once most of it is on the other screen, so the size jumps halfway. Moving with a hotkey avoids the awkward middle state. WindowLayout's Ctrl+Alt+Right and Left move the active window to the next or previous monitor and place it at the same relative position and size in that monitor's work area, and maximized windows stay maximized. Win+Shift+Left and Right do the same in Windows.
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Keep layouts right across scales
Window positions saved in pixels go wrong when scaling or resolution changes. WindowLayout's window profiles place each window correctly on monitors with different scaling. If a monitor has the same geometry as when you saved, windows go back to the exact pixel position; if its resolution or scaling has changed, each window goes to the same relative spot in that monitor's work area and stays fully on screen. Zone layouts are fractions of each monitor, so they adapt to any scale.
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Smooth the cursor between screens
With mixed resolutions, the shared edge between two screens is shorter on one side, and the cursor catches at the corner. Turn on Smooth monitor edges on WindowLayout's Mouse page to let the cursor pass where Windows would stop it. In Display settings, align the screens so the edges you cross most line up. Diagnostics offers a Turn on Smooth monitor edges button when it finds such edges.
Frequently asked questions
Can WindowLayout change the scaling of a monitor?
Yes. WindowLayout lets you set each monitor's scaling on the Monitors page and save it in a display profile. A few monitors only accept scaling changes in Windows Settings, and WindowLayout tells you when that is the case.
Why is one app blurry only on my second monitor?
It is not per-monitor DPI aware, so Windows stretches it on screens with a different scale from the one it started on. Try the high DPI override in its Compatibility settings.
Does a different resolution alone cause blurriness?
No. Blurriness comes from scaling, not resolution. Two screens at different resolutions but the same scale do not cause it, though windows will look larger on the lower-density screen.