Windows 10 doesn’t have a single “reset display settings” button, but you can get back to the defaults in a minute. Right-click the desktop, choose Display settings, and set Change the size of text, apps, and other items and Display resolution to the options marked (Recommended). Set Display orientation to Landscape and turn off Night light. If the screen is black, flickering, or frozen, press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B to restart the graphics driver.
Below is a checklist for resetting each display setting, plus fixes when you can’t see the screen well enough to change anything.
Display settings reset checklist
| Setting | Where | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Settings > System > Display | (Recommended) value |
| Resolution | Settings > System > Display | (Recommended) value |
| Orientation | Settings > System > Display | Landscape |
| Night light | Settings > System > Display | Off |
| Custom scaling | Display > Advanced scaling settings | Turned off, and “Fix scaling for apps” on |
| Text size | Settings > Ease of Access > Display > Make text bigger | 100% |
| Refresh rate | Display > Advanced display settings | Highest your monitor supports |
| Color profile | Color Management > Devices | System default or monitor’s profile |
Step 1: Reset scale and resolution
- Right-click an empty area of the desktop and choose Display settings.
- If you have more than one monitor, select the one to fix at the top.
- Under Scale and layout, choose the scale marked (Recommended).
- Under Display resolution, choose the resolution marked (Recommended), then click Keep changes.
- Set Display orientation to Landscape.
Step 2: Turn off custom scaling
- On the Display page, click Advanced scaling settings.
- If a custom scaling size is set, clear the box and click Apply, or click Turn off custom scaling and sign out at the top of the Display page.
- Sign out and back in.
Step 3: Reset text size and refresh rate
- Go to Settings > Ease of Access > Display and drag Make text bigger back to 100%.
- Go to Display > Advanced display settings, click Display adapter properties, open the Monitor tab, and choose the highest refresh rate listed.
Step 4: Reset colors
- Turn off Night light and any Color filters in Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters. Press Windows + Ctrl + C to toggle filters if the screen is grayscale.
- Turn off High contrast with Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen.
- Reset color profiles: search for Color Management, select your display, and on the Advanced tab click Change system defaults, or remove custom profiles on the Devices tab.
- Check your graphics control panel (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) for color or display adjustments, and use its Restore defaults button.
Can’t see the screen to fix it?
- Restart the graphics driver: Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. The screen flickers and you’ll hear a beep.
- Wait for the timeout: After changing resolution, Windows reverts in 15 seconds if you don’t click Keep changes.
- Boot into low-resolution mode: Use Advanced startup > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, then press 3 for Enable low-resolution video. Fix your settings, then restart normally.
- Try Safe Mode and uninstall or roll back the display driver in Device Manager. See how to boot into Safe Mode.
- Wrong monitor: Press Windows + P and choose PC screen only if the picture is going to a disconnected display.
Reset the display driver
- Right-click Start and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics card, and choose Properties.
- On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver if the problem started after an update, or Uninstall device and restart to reinstall it.
Frequently asked questions
Why is everything so big on my screen?
Scale or text size is set too high, or the resolution is too low. Reset both to Recommended. See how to make the screen smaller in Windows 10.
Does resetting display settings delete anything?
No. It only changes how things look on screen.
How do I reset display settings in Windows 11?
The steps are similar. Go to Settings > System > Display, and text size is under Accessibility > Text size.
Matthew Burleigh is the head writer at solveyourtech.com, where he covers topics like the iPhone, Microsoft Office, and Google apps. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has over 15 years of IT experience.
He has been writing online since 2008 and has published thousands of articles that have been read millions of times.