Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How To Set A Custom Screen Resolution in Ubuntu Desktop - UbuntuHandbook
How To Set A Custom Screen Resolution in Ubuntu Desktop - UbuntuHandbook
How To Set A Custom Screen Resolution in Ubuntu Desktop - UbuntuHandbook
xrandr
It outputs current screen resolution as well as all available solutions. ALL I need here is the display
device name, in my case, it’s eDP-1.
Replace 1600 900 (1600X900 in my case) in the command to your desired screen resolution.
3. Copy the Modeline (words with red underline, see previous picture), and run command to add new
mode:
sudo xrandr --newmode "1600x900_60.00" 118.25 1600 1696 1856 2112 900 903 908 934 -hsync
+vsync
UPDATE: For Ubuntu 17.10 Wayland, run xhost si:localuser:root command first in the
terminal window to avoid sudo failure “No protocol specified Can’t open display 0:”
NOTE the command section after --newmode are COPIED from previous step output.
4. Now add the new created mode for your display device:
IMPORTANT: To make Ubuntu remember the new created screen resolution at next start, you have
to edit the .profile via command:
gedit ~/.profile
add the last 2 commands to the end, commands in step 3 and 4, and save the file.
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/profile-new-resolution1.jpg)
Tweet
Recommend 16
Share
Ji m
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/about/)
I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu 5+ years ago and wishes to share my
experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please notify me if
you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me on Google
Plus (https://plus.google.com/105318999106266025664?rel=author) or email to
ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com (mailto:ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com?Subject=Hello%20again)
A very cool tip! I now can use a notebook with physical 1280 x 800 resolution with 1638 x
1024 :-) Thank you!
I’m getting the following error message. Any chance on helping me make it right?
Many thank!
I got that error but if you continue on with the steps it still works fine.
After changing your screen resolution, it’s xy alignment may overlap or gap your other
screens.
The steps work fine, but it doesn’t display correctly- I get fuzzy lines as if alignment is off.
Perfect!!!
Good article
Nice to see this technique laid out neatly – you don’t need to place the “cvt” command in
your profile file though.
That is only used to give you the format for placing in the –newmode xrandr command.
sudo xrandr –newmode “1920x1080_60.00” 173.00 1920 2048 2248 2576 1080 1083 1088
1120 -hsync +vsync
X Error of failed request: BadName (named color or font does not exist)
Major opcode of failed request: 140 (RANDR)
Minor opcode of failed request: 16 (RRCreateMode)
Serial number of failed request: 41
Current serial number in output stream: 41
Not sure what’s the problem. But as @Andrew said, it still work if you continue on the
steps.
in ~/.profile file enough add 2 last commands. (cvt is only show mode, not configuration)
Thank you – not only is your English perfect, your guidance on screen resolution is also
clear and precise. I’ve been trying to sort this problem out for weeks. Excellent…
JeF August 23, 2017 at 5:10 pm (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2017/04/custom-screen-resolution-
ubuntu-desktop/#comment-3664693)
Does not work at all. Xrander not found. Whye the HELL do you have to do these things in
some little DOS box in Linux? Can’t they catch up with other operating systems where you
do not have to use this little MS DOS box, and set things in a GUI?
And it should be forgiving of your spelling and or typing. I typed Xrander and it gave an
error! Unbelievable. It should work spelled either way.
Then, the thing does not say anything about edp-1 so that does not work. I don’t know what
else would??? I got this…..
xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1024 x 768, maximum 16384 x 16384
HDMI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
VGA-0 connected 1024×768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm
1024×768 60.00*
800×600 60.32 56.25
848×480 60.00
640×480 59.94
fixitman2@fixitman2-Linux:~$ 1600 x 1200 / 75 Hz
1600: command not found
fixitman2@fixitman2-Linux:~$ cvt 1600 900
# 1600×900 59.95 Hz (CVT 1.44M9) hsync: 55.99 kHz; pclk: 118.25 MHz
Modeline “1600x900_60.00” 118.25 1600 1696 1856 2112 900 903 908 934 -hsync
+vsync…..
THEN you notice, “command not found 1600! WHAT THE HELL??? Why would you have to
put in ANOTHER command? OK so then the cvt thing. ….
xrander –newmode “1600x900_60.00” 118.25 1600 1696 1856 2112 900 903 908 934 -
hsync +vsync
No command ‘xrander’ found, did you mean:
Command ‘xrandr’ from package ‘x11-xserver-utils’ (main)
xrander: command not found
fixitman2@fixitman2-Linux:~$ sudo xrandr –newmode “1600x900_60.00” 118.25 1600 1696
1856 2112 900 903 908 934 -hsync +vsync
and AGAIN command not found. I HATE MS DOS!!!!…
thern to top it all off I finally get this. ….
xrandr –newmode “1600x900_60.00” 118.25 1600 1696 1856 2112 900 903 908 934 -hsync
+vsync
X Error of failed request: BadName (named color or font does not exist)
Major opcode of failed request: 140 (RANDR)
Minor opcode of failed request: 16 (RRCreateMode)
Serial number of failed request: 33
Current serial number in output stream: 33
fixitman2@fixitman2-Linux:~$ sudo xrandr –addmode eDP-1 “1600x900_60.00”
xrandr: cannot find output “eDP-1″….
AND it simply does not work. Can’t someone write a damn display thingy that you can click
on the numbers you want, picking displays from a list (mine is a Dell UltraScan P1110 –
CRT monitor – 21″… which last I checked Window XP had listed, and I used.) Nothing
showing up, you cannot select anything from the dropdown. AND I REFUSE to get a new
monitor, this one is much better than those flat screen crap ones they now sell with the
stupid widescreen, which I never saw the need for! Also it’s native resolution is 1800X1440,
which I can’t seem to find in the dropdown. It only wants to let me set some widescreen
thing , 1024X768 OR the old fashioned 800X600 which Windows 95 used. I think Linux is
about 20 years behind the times on this one.
OK after typing stuff in for like 2 hours, trying over and over and all kind of errors and stuff, it
finally worked. Why does it have to be so hard? THEN I went to do the final steps with gedit
and it is not installed! I guessed I could do the same with mousepad (since I’m on Xubuntu_)
and I hope I got that right. mode is now 1280×1024 and for some reason it won’t run at 75
htz like the monitor manual says, it gets all wonky, so 60 htz it is. Oh and thank God for the
old monitors buttons that set size and top to bottom height, etc. That was way too hard to
figure out how to do with some obscure DOS code in a little box, I prefer physical buttons!!!
Now to find where the color profiles are stored! OH WAIT I can set colors right on the
monitor with BUTTONS unlike these new flat screen things where you can’t adjust anything
at all without being some sort of genius programmer. Hell, can’t even find the “on” button on
most of them, it’s on the back or side or something, I like it RIGHT on the FRONT labeled
“ON” where you can see it!!!
It seems that you can’t use xrandr with the nVidia proprietary driver. Getting back to the
driver included in Ubuntu fixed the error for me.
Moreover, my screen did not show proper resolution, and seems that you can not always
depend on cvt and gtf. I got the working numbers by finding your device EDID and reading it
by parse-edid.
Peter Wilcox September 12, 2017 at 4:43 pm (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2017/04/custom-
screen-resolution-ubuntu-desktop/#comment-3664738)
thank you, I always do that with my HP1740 screen but if you use wayland as your display
server it will never work
Don’t even try. Not gonna change anything. You are gonna get nothing but error messages.
In the step xrandr –newmode … I received some errors, but per comments here I just
ignored them and continued on with the steps.
Hey everyone. I’m trying to change the resolution within 17.10 on a dell studio 1558 laptop
to its native 1440×900. When trying to create the –newmode I get a: “No protocol specified
Can’t open display 0:”
Any ideas?
It works if you don’t use the password in order to authorize and login only. Else you get
something about tty or pass error
I am new to Ubuntu,
Thanks for the steps, this was very helpful and easy to follow, and now my scrren works
much better
Thank you!
Worked like a charm for my LG 22M45HQ-B which refused to be set in native resolution of
1920 x 1080. Great job, clear instructions. Thank you!
Best article I found on setting resolution manually. Folks, you need to follow each step and
the red highlights on the picture are there for a reason.
Jos January 17, 2018 at 8:31 pm (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2017/04/custom-screen-
resolution-ubuntu-desktop/#comment-3665091)
Hello,
what version of xrandr are you using? I only seem to get error messages:
xrandr –addmode Modeline “816x1080_60.00” 73.00 816 872 952 1088 1080 1083 1093
1120 -hsync +vsync
No protocol specified
Can’t open display :0
Can somebody help me? I have to work in Inkscape and my screen resolution is 1366×900,
I need it bigger. Thanks guys :)
#xrandr
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192
XWAYLAND1 connected 1920×1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 620mm
x 340mm
1920×1080 59.96*+
#sudo xrandr –newmode “2560x1440_60.00” 312.25 2560 2752 3024 3488 1440 1443
1448 1493 -hsync +vsync
[sudo] Passwort für ***:
No protocol specified
Can’t open display :0
#sudo xrandr –addmode XWAYLAND1 “2560x1440_60.00”
No protocol specified
Can’t open display :0
This is a Wayland issue since it’s default in Ubuntu 17.10. Try the update in Step 3.
xrandr –newmode “1920×1080” 173.00 1920 2048 2248 2576 1080 1083 1088 1120 -hsync
+vsync
Recent Posts
Kid3 Tag Editor 3.7.0 Released with Playlist Editor (How to Install)
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/12/kid3-3-7-0-released-playlist-editor/)
Popular posts
How to Install Python 3.6.1 in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2017/07/install-python-3-6-
1-in-ubuntu-16-04-lts/)
Fix ‘No WiFi Adapter Found’ for HP Laptops with Ubuntu 18.04 (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/08/no-
wifi-adapter-found-hp-laptops-ubuntu-18-04/)
Related Posts
Kid3 Tag Editor 3.7.0 Released with Playlist Editor (How to Install)
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/12/kid3-3-7-0-released-playlist-editor/)
Recent Comments
sugam on Fix ‘No WiFi Adapter Found’ for HP Laptops with Ubuntu 18.04
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/08/no-wifi-adapter-found-hp-laptops-ubuntu-18-04/#comment-
3665990)
Pavan on Fix ‘No WiFi Adapter Found’ for HP Laptops with Ubuntu 18.04
(http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2018/08/no-wifi-adapter-found-hp-laptops-ubuntu-18-04/#comment-
3665989)
About (http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/about/)