How to Fix Display Resolution Greyed out on Windows 11 (2024)

The display on a Windows 11 device is your window to the world. It relays important visual information and facilitates various tasks, such as media consumption, editing, and more. Needless to say, you might miss out on some important benefits, and your overall user experience on the computer may be affected if you can’t change the display resolution in Windows.

Factors like corrupted or outdated graphics drivers, display settings, and system file corruption may be common causes of this problem. We have performed in-depth research on the problem and will introduce you to the most effective solutions in this guide.

1. Restart the Computer

Rebooting the computer should be your first call when you are unable to change the Windows 11 display resolution. This solution is effective because minor bugs may trigger the problem, and a reboot often kills the problematic services or processes.

After rebooting your computer, if the problem persists, you may proceed to other solutions below.

2. Adjust the Display Scale

If you have selected a mismatch scale for your Windows 11 display resolution, you may encounter a few problems. In this case, your only option will be to set the scale to the recommended settings from Display Settings before changing the resolution.

Step 1: Click the magnifying lens on your Taskbar, type display settings, and click the Display Settings application.

Step 2: In the Scale & layout section, click the Scale dropdown menu and select any option that has Recommended.

Step 3: Try changing the display resolution again.

3. Update the Graphics Driver

On Windows computers, the graphics driver aids communication between the graphics card and the operating system. When it is outdated, you may notice certain flaws with graphical components, which may be why you cannot change the display resolution. Update the driver following the steps below.

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and click Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand the Display adapters category, right-click your driver, and click Update driver.

Step 3: Click ‘Search automatically for updates.’

4. Reinstall Your Graphics Drivers

If updating the driver did not work, you may have a more serious case of graphics driver corruption. In this instance, it will be more effective to reinstall it altogether. You must first start by uninstalling the current driver. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and click Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand the Display adapters category, right-click your driver, and click Uninstall device.

Step 3: Confirm your choice.

Step 4: Restart the computer, reopen the Device Manager, and click the icon for ‘Scan for hardware changes.’ Once done, the system should automatically prompt you to install the required drivers.

5. Update Windows

When you can’t change the display resolution in Windows due to a bug or outdated driver, a Windows update will come in handy. Windows updates often include bug fixes, patches, and driver updates that may help resolve the problem.

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open your Settings app.

Step 2: On the lower left pane, click Windows Update, then click the Check for updates button on the right.

Step 3: If any updates exist, download and install them, then restart your computer.

6. Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

The system maintenance troubleshooter can scan your computer for a wide range of problems and fix or recommend solutions. When an underlying system issue is impacting the display drivers or settings, this troubleshooter will resolve it.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.

Step 2: Type the command below and hit Enter to launch the System Maintenance troubleshooter.

msdt.exe -id MaintenanceDiagnostic

Step 3: Click Next and follow the wizard to complete the process.

7. Run the SFC Scan

On Windows 11, the System File Checker (SFC) utility is a scan that checks for damaged or corrupted system files. This tool is powerful enough to fix damage or repair the files when needed. If system file corruption makes changing the display resolution on Windows 11 impossible, an SFC scan will fix it.

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.

Step 2: Type the command below and hit Enter to start the SFC scan.

sfc /scannow

Step 3: Follow any instructions on the Command Prompt and restart your computer when the scan is complete.

Enjoy the Best Display Quality on Windows 11

The right display is essential to getting the best out of your Windows 11 devices. When it is impossible to change the display or when the display option is greyed out, the solutions in this guide will be perfect for fixing it.

Have you been able to resolve the problem? Please let us know what worked in the comment section below.