Mac OS on 1440p 27" monitor

[eifer]

Hi all,

I have a 2015 macbook pro retina and I'd like to use it with my external monitor, which is a 27" 1440p screen. It connects just fine, but the scaling options seem very limited. Text is too small everywhere, but relatively clear. I'd like to make everything bigger, without changing the actual resolution.

When I go to display scaling, all it does is let me pick other resolutions, and the result is blurry. When I do an alt-click on the options, it shows more options but again, it's still just more non-native resolutions.

I've tried apps like SwitchResX, and still nothing has worked.

Are there any other options to adjust scaling with an external 1440p screen?

 

[casperes1996]

HiDPI scaling factors are not natively supported on non-retina monitors. 1440p is not considered a HiDPI panel.

However you might be able to enable it through Quartz Debug

How to Enable HiDPI 'Retina' Graphics on a Non-Retina Mac

Apple has already begun the process of bringing Retina graphics to their non-Retina Macs - but for many, the process isn't happening nearly fast enough! There is a way to get a taste of what Retina graphics would look like on your Mac ahead of time, however - and Apple has provided instructions...

www.mactrast.com

 

[flowrider]

Have you tried holding down the Option key while looking for different resolutions?

Lou

 

[eifer]

Have you tried holding down the Option key while looking for different resolutions?

Lou

Yup, I did that, and while more resolutions appear, none are hidpi and they look blurry. It's still not proper UI scaling.

 

[MacGizmo]

...I'd like to make everything bigger, without changing the actual resolution.

There is no way to do that. In fact, that is exactly the only way to alter the appearance size of the UI.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP's problem is why I would not use a 27" 1440p display.
Dot pitch on these is .2342mm.

Instead, for a native 1440p resolution I would use a 32" display.
Dot pitch on these is .2775mm
This makes text (displayed at "normal" sizes) much more readable for my (older) eyes...

 

[eifer]

Well, I gave up, doesn't look like there's a way to do it. Threw Manjaro on a 2015 lenovo laptop and it has perfect scaling options for my needs. The MBP will stay a dedicated laptop and won't be hooked up to an external screen. Too bad.

 

[casperes1996]

Well, I gave up, doesn't look like there's a way to do it. Threw Manjaro on a 2015 lenovo laptop and it has perfect scaling options for my needs. The MBP will stay a dedicated laptop and won't be hooked up to an external screen. Too bad.

Did you try using Quartz Debug to enable HiDPI scaling like I said earlier?