HP PCs - Change display settings, background image, icons, and screen saver (Windows 11)

Change the text size, display brightness, and screen resolution using display settings

You can modify the size of text and windows on the desktop to fit your personal preferences. You can also adjust the screen resolution, in addition to other display settings.

Note:

During a normal Windows installation, the program tests the graphics card and displays the optimal size and resolution for that card.

In Windows, right-click an open area of the desktop, and then select Display settings.
To change the Display orientation between Landscape and Portrait, or to flip the orientation, select an option from the Display Orientation drop-down menu, and then click Keep Changes or Revert.
To change the size of text and app windows, select the size you want from the Scale drop-down menu in the Scale & Layout section. Changes take effect immediately.
To adjust the brightness, click and drag the slider bar under Brightness & color. Changes take effect immediately.
To reduce the amount of blue light coming from the display, turn on Night light.
To schedule the night light, click the arrow to the right of the Night light switch, and then turn on Schedule night light.
To change the Display resolution, select a resolution from the drop-down menu, and then click Keep Changes or Revert.

Note:
HP recommends, in most circumstances, that you use the native resolution of the monitor, which is marked as Recommended.

If you have more than one monitor, click the monitor that you want to adjust, and then repeat these steps to change the resolution. A confirmation window is displayed.

Additional methods to change text or object size

Learn to make objects in Windows, such as desktop icons or text, larger or smaller. Also, zoom in or out in applications and webpages to make objects and text display larger or smaller.

Zoom using the scroll wheel on the mouse

If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use it to make objects (such as desktop icons or a webpage) larger or smaller.

Click anywhere on the Windows desktop or open the webpage that you want to view.
Press and hold the ctrl key on your keyboard.
Roll the scroll wheel on the mouse to shrink or enlarge the objects on the screen.

Zoom using the keyboard

You can use your keyboard to zoom in or out. This method works in many applications and web browsers.

Click anywhere on the Windows desktop or open the webpage that you want to view.
Press and hold the ctrl key, and then simultaneously press either the + (plus sign) or - (minus sign) key to make objects on the screen larger or smaller.
To restore normal view, press and hold the ctrl key, and then press 0.

Adjust the text size in Windows accessibility settings

Open accessibility settings to adjust the size settings for text and other items.

In Windows, search for and open Accessibility.
Select Text size.
Move the slider bar next to Text size to enlarge or shrink the size of text, and then click Apply.

Zoom using the TouchPad (Notebook PCs only)

If you have a notebook computer with a TouchPad, use the pinch gesture on the TouchPad to shrink or enlarge objects on the screen.

Zoom in (make larger): Move 2 fingers apart
Zoom out (make smaller): Move 2 fingers together

To ensure that the pinch gesture is enabled:

In Windows, search for and open Touchpad settings.
Click Scroll & zoom, and then select Pinch to zoom.
Use the options that are displayed to adjust the TouchPad settings for gestures, such as scrolling, tapping, and clicking.

Adjust zoom in Microsoft Edge

Adjust the zoom in Microsoft Edge using keyboard shortcuts or the Microsoft Edge menu.

Zoom using the keyboard: Press and hold ctrl, and then simultaneously press either the + (plus sign) or - (minus sign) key to make objects on the screen larger or smaller.
Zoom using Microsoft Edge: With Microsoft Edge open, click the three dots on the top right-hand side of the screen, and then click either + (plus sign) or - (minus sign) next to the Zoom option to make objects on the screen larger or smaller.

Change the Windows desktop background

You can personalize the pattern or image on the Start screen background.

Right-click an open area of the desktop, and then click Personalize.
To change the image that is displayed in the background, click Background.
Choose a picture or slideshow, or click Browse to select one of your pictures or slideshows.
To change the way the picture is displayed on the background, select Fit, Stretch, Tile, Center, or Span from the drop-down menu. Changes take effect immediately.

Adjust the desktop icons

Change settings to adjust the appearance of icons, display missing desktop icons, and add new folders or shortcuts to the desktop.

Adjust the size of desktop icons

You can change the size of the icons on a Windows desktop.

To change the size of desktop icons, right-click an open area of the desktop, select View, and then click Large icons, Medium icons, or Small icons.

Note:

To quickly adjust the size of all icons at once, click an open area of the desktop, and then press and hold the ctrl key and use the scroll wheel on the mouse.

Rename a desktop icon

You can rename a desktop icon.

Right-click the icon that you want to rename, and then click the Rename icon .
Type the new name, and then press enter.

Display missing desktop icons

If all desktop icons are missing, you can restore them using this step.

If all desktop icons are missing, right-click an open area of the desktop, select View, and then make sure that Show desktop icons is selected.

Create a new folder

To create a new folder that is displayed on the desktop, use the following procedure.

To create a new folder on the desktop, right-click an open area of the desktop, select New, and then select Folder.
Type a name for the folder, and then press enter.

Create a new shortcut on the desktop

To create a new shortcut on the desktop, drag and drop apps from the Start menu to the desktop.

You can also right-click an open area of the desktop, select New, and then select Shortcut. Follow the on-screen instructions to create the shortcut.

Change the appearance of windows and text for Windows features

You can personalize the appearance of Windows by choosing text colors, text background, window borders, and many other elements. You can also choose the font and size of text for different Windows features, such as menu items.

Right-click an open area of the desktop, and then select Personalize > Lock screen.
In the Lock screen window, you can choose one of these options from the drop-down menu::
- Windows spotlight: Shows daily images from Microsoft, and tips and tricks for using Windows.
- Picture: Allows you to choose a picture to use as your background from a folder on your computer.
- Slideshow: Shows all images in a folder in sequence. It also includes other options you can adjust for the slideshow.

Additional display settings

Open the advanced display settings or display adapter properties to view the desktop mode, set the refresh rate, or manage the color and other advanced settings.

Right-click the desktop, and then select Display settings. Scroll down and click Advanced display.
In the Advanced display window, select a display to see the current settings. To change the display settings for another display, click the display or select it from the drop-down menu.

Change the screen saver

Windows is preloaded with a number of screen savers that you can choose.

In Windows, search for and open Change screen saver. The Screen Saver Settings window is displayed.
Select a screen saver from the menu.
Click Settings to open a settings window for the selected screen saver (if settings are available).
Click Preview to see how the screen saver is displayed on the computer screen. Move the mouse when you are finished previewing the screen saver.
Enter a number in minutes in the Wait field. This is the number of minutes of inactivity before the screen saver opens.

Note:
Make sure that the Wait time for the screen saver is lower than the number of minutes before the computer enters a sleep state.
To require login credentials when the session is resumed, select On resume, display logon screen.
Click OK to save the settings and close the Screen Saver Settings window.

Troubleshoot the screen saver

If the screen saver does not open after the selected time has elapsed, the issue might be due to activity from certain hardware devices. Use Device Manager settings to prevent these hardware devices from interfering with the screen saver.

Click the Search icon, and then type device manager in the search box.
Click Device Manager.
Double-click the device type that might be interfering with the screen saver, and then double-click the device name to open the Properties window.

Some devices that commonly interfere with a screen saver are an optical mouse (Mice and other pointing devices), an "always-on" internet connection (Network adapters), and high-definition audio (Sound, video and game controllers).
Click the Power Management tab, and then clear the Allow this device to wake the computer check box.

Note:
If you prevent the mouse from waking the computer, you can wake the computer using the spacebar on the keyboard.
Click OK, close any open windows, and then restart the computer.
Disconnect all nonessential peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, and USB flash drives.
Restart the computer with only one mouse, monitor, and keyboard connected.

If this resolves the sleep/standby problem, one of the connected devices was causing the problem. Replace one device and test to see if the problem occurs again. Continue adding devices and testing until you find the device that is causing the problem.