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To change your MacBook Air’s built-in screen resolution, open Apple menu > System Settings > Displays, then select a resolution. If you’re unsure which to choose, start with Default: macOS selects the best resolution for that display. Lower resolutions make items appear larger; settings that make items smaller give you more room onscreen.
Change the built-in display resolution
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Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
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Select Displays in the sidebar. Scroll down if you don’t see it.
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If another display is connected, select the MacBook Air’s built-in display.
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Choose a resolution. In thumbnail view, move the pointer over a thumbnail to see its size before selecting it.
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To view choices as a list, Control-click the resolution thumbnails and choose Show List. You can also use the Displays advanced settings to keep the list view available. The labels and available choices can vary by Mac model, macOS version, and display. See Apple’s guide to changing your Mac display’s resolution and its overview of Displays settings.
Choose a setting for readability or workspace
Resolution choices change how large text and other onscreen items appear; they do not change the built-in panel’s physical pixel count. Choose based on what you want to see:
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Make items larger: Choose a lower resolution, or select Larger Text in Displays if that option appears.
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Fit more onscreen: Choose a setting that makes text and items smaller. Smaller content can create more workspace, but some app windows may no longer fit entirely onscreen.
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Change text size without adjusting resolution: Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Text size to adjust text across apps, desktop icons, and sidebars.
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Magnify the whole screen or part of it: Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Zoom.
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Apple recommends using the default resolution as the starting point; a scaled setting can affect performance. Its instructions for increasing the size of items on the Mac screen cover additional readability options.
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If the screen goes black after a change
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Wait 15 seconds. Apple says the Mac may reset the display setting automatically.
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If the screen remains blank, press Esc to revert the change.
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If the display still does not recover, start the Mac in safe mode, choose Default in Displays, then restart normally.
Changing resolution on an external display
Connect the monitor, then open Apple menu > System Settings > Displays and select the external display before choosing its resolution. Show all resolutions may reveal additional modes. External-display choices are separate from the built-in panel’s choices and depend on the Mac, monitor, cable or adapter, refresh rate, and other connected displays. Apple notes that a display’s native resolution can look sharper than a scaled resolution. For connection or low-resolution problems, consult Apple’s guides to connecting displays to a Mac and troubleshooting an external display that is dark or low resolution. MacBook Air support for multiple displays also varies by model; Apple lists details in its MacBook Air display-connection guide.
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