How to change DPI to correct errors showing old applications on Windows 10

Now, most devices have high DPI (screen resolution), whether they are phones, laptops, tablets or desktops. However, even though Windows 10 supports changing DPI to improve the display image, older applications do not benefit from that.

Users can see this problem when running old win32 applications, blurred text and images, or distorted windows. To overcome this problem, Microsoft brought some improvements on Windows 10 Anniverysary Update but not to the new version of Creators Update to change significantly.

Improve how to change DPI to run old applications on Windows 10

Microsoft has changed the way Windows 10 handles automatic screen-aligning tools, thereby reducing image blur and distortion on older applications. However, there are cases where the application cannot render, for example, when the developer does not update to the application to support the new DPI change. With these cases, Windows 10 offers the option to force the application to run on the DPI required.

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This new feature is called System (Enhanced), which brings a lot of improvements to the image, though still a bit fuzzy, but still much better than the original. Here are instructions for turning on this feature.

Use System (Enhanced) to change DPI on the application

1. Open the application you want to change DPI settings.
2. Right-click on the application in the taskbar.
3. Right-click on the application name and select Properties.

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Note: Alternatively, you can find the application's .exe file, right-click and choose Properties.

1. Select the Compatibility tab .
2. Under Settings, tick Override high DPI scaling behavior.
3. In the Scaling performed by list, select System (Enhanced).
4. Click Apply.
5. Select OK.

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This new option will allow Windows 10 to "take over" the way DPI handles applications. After completing the steps above, turn off and turn on the application again to see the changes. However, this still has some limitations:

1. The contents of GPI + and DX cannot change DPI.
2. The bitmap content will not be clear.
3. Need to turn on each time for each application.

In addition, you also see two other options when System (Enhanced) is being selected when running the application:

1. Application: use this option to force the application to run DPI on each screen.
2. System: this is the standard choice for how Windows handles DPI, when selected, Windosw 10 will pull the application, the bitmap image and the text will be blurred.

This setting is only effective on old desktop applications (based on GPI). Windows Store applications cannot be set up this way because they have been optimized to display on high-resolution screens.