How to Decrease Monitor Picture Size with Black Borders in Windows

Decrease Monitor Picture Size with Black Borders in Windows

There are situations when you might want to decrease the size of the picture on your monitor without actually changing its resolution. For instance, when you need to simulate a smaller screen or when you want to add black borders around the display for a specific design purpose. This article will cover the key concepts and steps for achieving this in Windows.

Why Decrease Monitor Picture Size?

This technique is particularly useful in the following scenarios:

• Simulating a smaller screen when testing applications or websites
• Adding black borders for a retro or cinematic look
• Adjusting the display size when using multiple monitors with different resolutions

Using Custom Resolution Utility

To change the monitor picture size without altering its resolution, you can use a free utility called Custom Resolution Utility (CRU). Here are the steps to follow:

1. Downloading and installing CRU
2. Launching CRU and clicking Add
3. Entering a custom resolution width and height (e.g., width: 1920, height: 1040 for a 16:9 aspect ratio with reduced height)
4. Setting the refresh rate to match your monitor's native refresh rate
5. Clicking OK and then Apply

After applying the custom resolution, Windows will display black borders around your screen, effectively decreasing the visible area without changing the resolution.

Using the Built-in Windows Display Settings

You can also use the built-in Windows display settings to change the display scale, which will have a similar effect. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click on your desktop and choose Display settings
2. Scroll down to Scale and layout
3. Change the scale to a lower percentage (e.g., 90%)
4. Scroll back up, and click Keep changes when prompted

While this method does not add black borders, it reduces the size of the displayed items, making them appear smaller. This can simulate a smaller monitor or retro look.

Decreasing the monitor picture size without changing the resolution is possible in Windows using a third-party tool, CRU, or through built-in display settings. Both methods help you achieve specific design or testing purposes. To revert to the default settings, simply delete the custom resolution added via CRU or reset the scale in Windows display settings.

References

• Custom Resolution Utility (CRU)
• Windows Display Settings: Change the size of text, apps, and other items