What Resolution Is My Monitor? 3 Ways to Find Out

Why You Need to Know Your Monitor's Resolution

Knowing your monitor's resolution helps you:

Confirm you are running at native resolution for the sharpest image
Pick the right wallpaper size so it does not stretch or crop
Configure games at the correct resolution for the best performance and visuals
Troubleshoot display issues like blurriness, black bars, or stretched images
Compare specs when shopping for a new monitor

There are two numbers worth knowing: the resolution your monitor is currently running and the native resolution it was designed for. Ideally, they should be the same.

Way 1: Use an Online Tool (Any Device, 10 Seconds)

The fastest method. Open MyScreenResolution.com in any browser on any device. The page instantly displays:

Screen resolution — the resolution your display is currently using
Viewport size — the area inside the browser where content is rendered
Device pixel ratio (DPR) — how many physical pixels make up one logical pixel
Color depth — the number of bits used per pixel for color

No installation, no settings menus. Just open the page and the information is right there.

This method shows you the current resolution your system is outputting to the monitor. If you want to verify whether it matches the monitor's native resolution, check the label on your monitor or use one of the methods below.

Way 2: Check Through Your Operating System

Every major OS lets you see and change your display resolution in system settings.

Windows 10 & 11

Right-click anywhere on the desktop
Select Display settings
Scroll to Display resolution
Your current resolution is shown in the dropdown
The option marked (Recommended) is your monitor's native resolution

For more detail, you can also use DirectX Diagnostic Tool:

Press Win + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter
Click the Display tab (or Display 1, Display 2 for multiple monitors)
Look at Current Display Mode — it shows the resolution and refresh rate

macOS

Click the Apple menu > System Settings
Click Displays
Your current resolution is shown
Hold Option and click Scaled to see every resolution your display supports

You can also use Terminal:

system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution

This outputs something like Resolution: 2560 x 1440 (QHD/WQHD).

Linux

GNOME (Ubuntu, Fedora):

Open Settings > Displays
Your resolution is shown in the Resolution dropdown

Any distro via terminal:

xrandr | grep '*'

This shows the currently active resolution with an asterisk. To see all supported resolutions for each connected display:

xrandr

Chrome OS

Click the clock in the bottom-right corner
Click the gear icon to open Settings
Go to Device > Displays
Your resolution is listed with options to change it

Way 3: Check the Monitor's Physical Specs

If you want to know the native resolution your monitor was built for — regardless of what your OS is set to — check the monitor itself.

On the monitor

Look at the sticker on the back of the monitor. It usually lists the model number and native resolution
Open the monitor's OSD (on-screen display) menu by pressing the physical buttons. Many monitors show the incoming signal resolution under an Information or Input menu item

Online lookup

Find your monitor's model number (on the back sticker, on the box, or in your OS display settings)
Search for it on the manufacturer's website or a spec site like DisplaySpecifications.com
Look for Native Resolution or Maximum Resolution in the specifications

Common native resolutions by monitor type

Monitor Type	Typical Native Resolution
24-inch office monitor	1920 × 1080 (Full HD)
27-inch mid-range	2560 × 1440 (QHD)
27-inch high-end	3840 × 2160 (4K UHD)
32-inch mid-range	2560 × 1440 (QHD)
32-inch high-end	3840 × 2160 (4K UHD)
34-inch ultrawide	3440 × 1440 (UWQHD)
49-inch super ultrawide	5120 × 1440 (DQHD)

If the resolution your OS is currently using does not match the native resolution from the spec sheet, change it to native for the sharpest image.

Current Resolution vs Native Resolution: What Is the Difference?

Current resolution is what your display is actually outputting right now. This is what MyScreenResolution.com and your OS display settings show you
Native resolution is what the monitor was physically built for. It is a hardware spec that does not change

They should always match. If your current resolution is lower than native, the image is being upscaled and will look blurry. If it is somehow higher (through GPU supersampling), the GPU is rendering more pixels than the display can show and downscaling to fit.

The (Recommended) tag in Windows Display Settings and the Default for display option on Mac both point to the native resolution.

What If Your Monitor Does Not Show the Native Resolution Option?

If the native resolution does not appear in your display settings:

Update your graphics driver — this is the most common fix. Without the right driver, the OS cannot detect all supported resolutions
Update or install the monitor driver — in Windows Device Manager, check under Monitors. If it says "Generic PnP Monitor," try updating the driver or downloading the INF file from the manufacturer
Try a different cable — older HDMI cables (1.4 and earlier) cannot carry resolutions above 1080p at 60Hz. Use HDMI 2.0+, DisplayPort, or USB-C
Check for adapter limitations — some USB-C to HDMI adapters max out at 1080p or 4K 30Hz

For a full walkthrough of resolution troubleshooting, see our guide on why your screen resolution might be wrong and how to fix it.

Conclusion

Finding your monitor's resolution takes less than a minute. The fastest way is to open MyScreenResolution.com for an instant reading. You can also check through your operating system's display settings, or look up the native resolution from the monitor's model number. Make sure your current resolution matches native — that one change makes the biggest difference in how sharp your display looks.