Set Custom Resolutions on Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface comes with a high-resolution display packing millions of pixels for delivering as clear as possible to the human eye. However, it also causes issues when you are using some software or old applications that don’t aware of display scaling.

In order to fix the display scaling problem, software developers need to rebuild their software to be compatible with high DPI display. You can also fix this problem by adjusting your Surface’s display resolution and scaling to a viewable 100% display scaling. However, Windows 10 doesn’t include any 3:2 resolution options besides the default maximum resolution on your Surface (see image below).

There is no preferred resolution

There is no 1440 x 960 (3:2 aspect) in the resolution list by default on Surface Pro 3.

  1. Why do you need custom resolutions on Microsoft Surface?
  2. Microsoft Surface Screen Resolution
  3. Add custom resolutions via Intel Graphics Command Center
  4. Add custom resolutions via CRU
  5. Applying your new custom resolution
  6. Alternative Methods

1Why do you need custom resolutions on Microsoft Surface?

There are situations in which you might need a custom resolution. Here is a few of those:

  1. When you are working with applications that do not support high DPI.
  2. When you want to fix problems while you working on multiple displays with different display scaling.
  3. When you want to optimize gaming performance with a lower resolution and the right 3:2 aspect ratio.

2Microsoft Surface Screen Resolution

Here is some information about native resolution and resolution at 100% scaling you might need when you want to add a custom resolution on your Surface.

Device NameNative Resolution & ScalingResolution at 100% Scaling
Surface Go1800 x 1200 (150%)1200 x 800 (100%)
Surface Pro 32160 x 1440 (150%)1440 x 960 (100%)
Surface Pro 4-72736 x 1824 (200%)1368 x 912 (100%)
Surface Laptop 1-32256 x 1504 (150%)1504 x 1002 (100%)
Surface Book / Book 2 13"3000 x 2000 (200%)1500 x 1000 (100%)
Surface Book 2 15"3240 x 2160 (200%)1620 x 1080 (100%)
Surface Studio 1-24500 x 3000 (200%)2250 x 1500 (100%)

You can also use the calculator below to help you find more 3:2 resolutions for your Surface devices. First, choose 3:2 from the preset and enter your desired resolution width or height to find its corresponding value.

3Add custom resolutions via Intel Graphics Command Center

Recently, Intel has introduced a new tool called Intel Graphics Command Center that is available for download for free via Microsoft Store. This tool has many features and functions that allow you to customize your device’s graphics settings without messing with current installed graphics drivers. On top of that, it also offers an easy way to add custom resolutions for your device as well.

The Intel Graphics Command Center currently supports only 6th Gen Intel Core processors or newer and Windows 10 version 1709 later. Here is the list of devices that supports this tool:

  • Surface Pro 4/Pro 5/Pro 6/Pro 7
  • Surface Laptop/ Laptop 2/ Laptop 3 (Intel)
  • Surface Book/Book 2
  • Surface Studio/Studio 2

To add a custom resolution via Intel Graphics Command Center:

  1. Install the Intel Graphics Command Center from Microsoft Store.
    Install Graphics Command Center
  2. Open Intel Graphics Command Center.
  3. Go to the Display section, and click the Custom button.
    Add Custom Resolution via Intel Graphics Command Center
  4. Enter your preferred width and height and click OK. In this case, I entered 1504 for width and 1002 for height on my Surface Laptop 3.
    Enter custom screen width and height
  5. Click Yes to confirm adding the custom resolution.
    Confirm adding the custom resolution
  6. Now it will available in the resolution list. You can identify custom resolutions with “X” next to it.
    Newly added custom resolution in Intel Graphics Command Center
  7. And it will also available in the system resolution list as well.
    Newly added custom resolution in System resolution list
Note If you can’t add custom resolutions via the Intel Graphics Command Center, please check out the following article  https://dancharblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/26/custom-resolutions-with-windows-10-may-update-1903-and-intel-dch-uwd-gpu-drivers/

4Add custom resolutions via CRU

To manage custom resolution, today, I want to introduce a tool named CRU.

  1. Download the CRU (Custom Resolution Utility).
  2. Extract the downloaded file.
    Custom Resolution Utility files
  3. Open the CRU tool.
    CRU User Interface
  4. To add a custom resolution click Add button under Detailed resolutions.
    CRU > Add Detailed Resolution
  5. Set values of your preferred horizontal and vertical resolution. In this case on my Surface Pro 3, I set 1440 for horizontal and 960 for vertical.
    CRU Add Custom Detailed Resolution Detail
  6. Click OK to close the Detailed Resolution dialog.
  7. Click OK again to save changes.
  8. Restart your computer to apply changes.

5Applying your new custom resolution

After you restart, now you can set your added custom resolution.

  1. Go to Settings > System > Display.
  2. Under Resolution, choose your new custom resolution (1440 x 960).
    Apply your new custom resolution
  3. Click Keep Changes to accept your new resolution.

6Alternative Methods

Besides using the CRU tool, you can alternatively use a predefined screen resolution list made specifically for the 3:2 aspect for Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Book with a reg key. For more information check out: