How to set a scaled display resolution from the command-line in macOS Catalina

-setupautomationdefaultsresolutionsettings

I am trying to automate the setup of a Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15.1).

I found this question: How can I set the display settings using command line
. But none of the answers really explain how I can set this "slightly larger text" setting. I would like to know how to automatically set the configuration in the below screenshot:

Display Scaled Resolution

Is there a way to do this using the defaults command?

Best Answer

I’m not aware of any way to do this via defaults write (although it seems like it should be possible). I even checked MacPilot which is usually my go-to for hidden defaults.

My suggestion would be to use display_manager.py which is the best command-line tool that I know of which is being actively developed. It is free, but will require you to figure out the proper settings for your computer.

There’s also SwitchResX which is a commercial app ($16, I think) but if all you want it for is the initial setup, that might be overkill.

Last but not least, there’s ‎Display Menu which is free, but with a $2 in-app purchase will add AppleScript support, which means you can use it from the command line.

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