Windows – How to set systemwide “XP style DPI scaling” in Windows 8.1

dpihigh-dpiwindows 8.1

I run my ThinkPad with a system DPI setting of 140%. In Windows 7 and 8, I enabled the "Use Windows XP style DPI scaling" checkbox in the Custom DPI Setting dialog. When this setting is off, non-DPI-aware applications get DPI virtualization via bitmap stretching, which results in large but fuzzy text. Turning on the checkbox disables this bitmap stretching, so non-DPI-aware apps get smaller text but without the fuzzy stretching. I find most apps to be more readable with the smaller crisper text, so I enable XP style scaling (i.e. disable DPI virtualization).

Windows 8.1 RTM has removed this option completely. After upgrading, all of my non-DPI-aware apps are running with ugly bitmap stretching. I'm able to fix this by going into the Properties for each app and setting the "Disable diplay scaling on high DPI settings" box in the Compatibility tab, but that is a bit of a pain.

Is there any way to restore the systemwide XP-style DPI scaling in Windows 8.1?

Best Answer

Short answer (AFAIK): You can't anymore, as they reworked the DPI system in 8.1 to better adjust to newer HD displays and more complex setups (perhaps at the expense of running old, non-DPI-aware programs).

Check this out, from the "Windows Extreme Blog" (blogs.microsoft.com, Jul 15, 2013): Windows 8.1 DPI Scaling Enhancements

Blurb:

With the recent proliferation of high-DPI tablets, notebooks, and external displays these high-DPI and DPI scaling issues became an important consideration for Windows 8.1.

Windows 8.1 DPI scaling improvements are primarily focused on:

  • Optimizing the usability and readability of high-DPI displays
  • Providing a uniform experience [on] multi-display systems
  • Empowering developers to optimize app-specific scaling based on display DPI
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