How to change screen resolution in macOS

Screen resolution determines the clarity and amount of content displayed on your computer's screen. By adjusting the screen resolution, you can enhance the visibility of text, images, and graphics. Lower resolutions tend to make content appear larger, while higher resolutions shrink items but offer sharper details.

In macOS, adjusting screen clarity and real estate is often referred to as display scaling rather than changing the system resolution. By setting display scaling, users can adjust the size of text, apps, and other items, which can be particularly useful on high-resolution displays, such as Retina screens.

Whether you're trying to optimize your display for design work, writing, or just general use, macOS provides a simple and intuitive way to customize the display scaling. Changing the screen resolution in macOS can be accomplished via the System Preferences app.

1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu at the top left of the screen.
2. Click on Displays.
3. Select the Display tab if it's not already active.
4. Click on Scaled in the Resolution section.
5. Choose your preferred scaled resolution.

   You will see options ranging from Larger Text to More Space. Click on one of the options to preview the changes. The further you move towards More Space, the smaller items will appear, providing more workspace. Conversely, moving towards Larger Text makes items appear bigger and more legible.

6. Below is a comparison between the default resolution and when selecting More Space option.