Adjusting the Resolution for Your Remote Desktop Session

Overview


Adjusting a local PC’s resolution can make Remote Desktop icons and programs larger or smaller to accommodate your visual preferences. This article will walk you through multiple ways of adjusting the resolution on your remote desktop, as well as things you might want to avoid.


Topics in this article include:

• Best Option
• Alternative Option
• Things to Avoid

Best Option
 

The best option for adjusting icon sizes within your Remote Desktop is through your display settings by adjusting your local PC’s resolution. You can set your resolution to low or high. Choosing a resolution depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Typically, the lower the resolution, the larger the programs and icons will appear within your Remote Desktop connection.


Here's how to get there:
Start ⊞ > Settings ⚙️ > System > Display
or
Right-click anywhere on your local desktop > Display Settings. The image below shows the menu that will appear depending on if you're on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

1. Make sure that your scale is at 100%.
 

2. Select your desired display resolution. 


 

Alternative Option

Edit the Remote Desktop icon's resolution by right-clicking it and selecting the Edit on the drop-down menu.

1. From the drop-down, select the Display tab.

2. Under the Display Configuration selection, adjust the resolution.

Note: If you change the display resolution away from Full Screen you might get scroll bars around the Remote Desktop window.

 

Things to Avoid

Avoid changing the resolution on the server itself as it affects all remote users. If at all possible, avoid making text larger as it can negatively affect wording in programs and reporting.

Related articles