Changing your screen resolution in macOS should be a fairly simple task, but there are actually a few more steps involved than you might imagine. That's because your options change based on whether you're connected to an external computer monitor or are using your Mac's built-in display.
If you've been running into trouble, here's a look at how to change your Mac's screen resolution in macOS Sequoia. Follow these steps closely, and you'll have no issue tweaking the resolution of your screen. Here's a closer look at everything you need to know.
How to change your Mac's screen resolution with an external monitor
If you have an external monitor connected, regardless of whether it's a laptop like the MacBook Pro or a desktop like the Mac mini, you can easily adjust your screen resolution.
Step 1: First of all, open the System Settings app from your Mac’s Dock. If it’s not there, click the Apple logo in the top-left corner, then System Settings.
Step 2: In the System Settings sidebar, click Displays. Here, you should see a list of resolution options, with your monitor’s default resolution selected. Just click one of the other options in the list and your Mac’s resolution will change right away.
Step 3: If the resolution you are looking for is not in the list, click Show all resolutions. Note that these extra resolutions might look odd because they will not necessarily scale properly to your monitor’s dimensions.
Step 4: Sometimes, your external monitor will not have its resolution options listed, and will instead show a series of thumbnails, including Larger Text to More Space. If that’s the case, right-click or Control-click a thumbnail and click the Show List menu. This should reveal the full list of resolutions, where you can just click an option to change your display’s resolution.
Change your resolution with your MacBook’s built-in monitor
Things work slightly differently if you’re using an Apple laptop with a built-in display, but are just as straightforward.
Step 1: As before, open System Settings and click Displays in the sidebar.
Step 2: Here, you will see a few options at the top of the window, from Larger Text to More Space. The former will lower the resolution, while the latter will increase it.
Step 3: Click one of the on-screen options and your Mac’s resolution will change accordingly. To put it back to how it was, just click the option you were previously using.
Step 4: If you want more exact resolution figures, right-click one of the thumbnails and select Show List.
Step 5: You should now see a set of resolution figures given in pixels, just as you do when you're connected to an external monitor. Choose an option and your MacBook's built-in display resolution will change. To revert to using thumbnails, right-click anywhere in the resolution list and choose Show Thumbnails.
And that's all there is to it. Changing your Mac's screen resolution in macOS Sequoia is quick and simple to do, whether you're using the device's built-in screen or an external display.
The only slight hitch is that exact resolution figures are hidden behind thumbnails when you're using a MacBook, but it's easy enough to reveal the actual numbers behind those options.
If you are getting different options from what we have shown above, or your System Settings app looks different from the one in this guide, make sure you have updated your Mac to the latest version of macOS.
