I have a Chromebook with a small screen size and relatively high pixel count (aka resolution)[1]. Some of the text that normally would be easily readable on my large 27 inch screen is literally… 1/16 inch tall on this screen… and I don't like that! I can't find where to adjust the Chromebook for "High DPI" mode or adjust the DPI scaling.
Does the Chromebook have any such a "High DPI" mode? If yes how do I navigate to this option and use change such an option?
At the very minimal I require: How do you increase the size of the Chrome-webbrowser GUI interface? If there isn't a way I need to make a feature/enhancement request (Windows 7 has been around since 2009 and has some decent/good support for High-DPI settings…)
I know you can lower the screen resolution but this question wants to explore other solutions besides lowering the screen resolution [2].
Here is what I have tried so far.
I tried two things:
- Settings –> Web Content –> Font Size
- Settings –> Web Content –> Page Zoom
But neither of these increase the size of the Chrome-webbrowser GUI interface. (Also if you do crank these up too much… you get this absolutely ridiculous situation where you have some parts that are large… but then your mouse-pointer and Chrome-webbrowser are all so tiny that it makes your eyes bleed.)
For now I am using the "Page Zoom" at 125%. But it does not adjust the size of the Chrome-webbrowser… or the taskbar GUI interface with application icons or the settings icon in the lower-right.
UPDATE:
I tried a third solution:
- Settings –> Accessibility –> "Enable Screen Magnifier"
When you use this feature, the chrome webrowser-gui is bigger… but it only let's you see 25% of the screen… because you only see 25% this solution is not an option for me. I need to see all the windows at all times (i.e. see all the window and the tray when a window is maximized).
[1]
I have heard a number of different people/groups use the term "High DPI" to describe such a screen that is small with lots of pixels.
Mobile phones support these "High DPI" screen types for almost all applications but Desktop applications are more hit or miss. A more recent application may present a GUI that is readable/easy-to-use on a High DPI device… but then the next application's GUI is so tiny that you can almost not use the application unless you do something like lower your resolution or something.
[2]
Lowering your screen resolution IMO is not an option because then your screen becomes fuzzy/less-readable (because you are running at the non-native screen resolution) and you are wasting your money (buying an expensive/hi-res screen then using it like a cheap/lo-res screen… and you lose functionality because less pixels means you can display less).
Best Answer
In a nut-shell there are two keyboard shortcuts for modifying a Chromebooks DPI settings:
When you use these keyboard shortcuts your DPI of the screen will change but your Chromebook will be always be using the native resolution of the LCD (in my case that native resolution is 1080p).
To verify that your machine is still using the native LCD screen resolution you can goto youtube to view an HD video and you will see 1080p pixels. Or open a 1080p image and see there are 1080p pixels. (I even went so far as creating a test image that has for all pixels black pixel then white pixel and when you view the image fullscreen you can see all the pixels.)
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I will comment briefly about something more advanced that is IMO confusing. Feel free to skip this if you aren't well versed in what "DPI" means and why it's important to run your screen at the "native" resolution:
The documentation and behavior for these two keyboard shortcuts is a little confusing IMO. The documentation refers to "Change screen resolution". When you:
But then whenever you view an HD 1080p video ... the HD video displays the same way even when you do: Ctrl + Shift + - and your screen resolution is set to 600p or 800p.
The fact that your HD video still displays correctly shows that these settings are adjusting the DPI and not actually changing the screen resolution.
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