5 Ways to Troubleshoot RDP High DPI Issue

Meet with RDP High DPI issue

I am connected to server 2006 from a Win10 notebook with a High-DPI Screen (FHD) and 125% of normal size. Text is too small and blurry when I use Full Screen. If I use other remote desktop sizes, like 800x600 or other, I get a smaller window and can’t zoom it up. What can I do to make it full screen and clearer?

It’s not hard to find that the screen is fuzzy and small when we RDP with high DPI to a server with lower DPI. The icons, text, dialog boxes and so on are blurry, and the process of RDP is not full screen, making it impossible to read and operate effectively.

How to fix the RDP High DPI issue?

To fix the issue of "RDP high DPI", we provide you with 5 ways to get you out of trouble.

Solution 1. Log off the previous device and log on the new device

Before you log onto the new device, especially for the new monitor, you’d better to log off from the previous device you have connected to before. For the changes, logging off and logging in can fix most of the DPI problems.

Solution 2. Check the update

Generally, checking the update is also necessary. The lower Windows version may be one of the reasons for the blurry icon and text. If the local PC and the remote PC are not on the same Windows version, then the feeling of operation must be different.

Step 1. Press Win + I to open “Settings” and locate Update & Security.

Step 2. Update to the latest Windows version.  After that, check whether the Remote Desktop scaling issue has been fixed. 

Note: If the problem still persists, try to use the manifest file.

Solution 3. Use manifest file

According to the feedback of some users, the registry changes after the update . So, we can use manifest file to recover and fix the issue.

Step 1. Press Win + R to run box and then type in “regedit” and press Enter key.

Step 2. Navigation:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide

Step 3. Copy “PreferExternalManifest”, right-click and click on “New”, then choose “DWORD (32 bit) Value”.

Step 4. Paste “PreferExternalManifest” on it.

Step 5. Double-click on it and then change the value to 1 and tick “Decimal”, finally click on “OK”.

Step 6. Create a new notepad and input the following:

★Tips:

type="win32"

name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls"

"version"="6.0.0.0" processorArchitecture="*"

publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"

language="*"

type="win32"

name="Microsoft.VC90.CRT"

"version="9.0.21022.8"

processorArchitecture="amd64"

publicKeyToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b"

level="asInvoker"

uiAccess="false"/

false

Step 7. Save the notepad and name it “mstsc.exe.manifest”, and then save it in C:\Windpws\System32

   

Step 6. Restart the PC and then check if the issue has been fixed.

Solution 4. Change DPI in the Registry Editor

Theoretically, changing DPI can promote the resolution in the client computer can promote the resolution, make the text, icon, application, etc clearer.  

Step 1. Press Win + R and then input “regedit”, hit OK to open Registry Editor.

Step 2. Navigation:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Step 3. Locate “LogPixels” and double-click on it. Set the value to 100 and tick “Decimal”. Finally, click on “OK”.

Step 4. Restart the PC to check the issue. Then Remote Desktop DPI scaling issue would be solved.  

Solution 5. Resort to third-party software  

Solving the problem of Windows built-in features RDP seems too difficult for most users. Sometimes the issue might not be addressed well even though you take much time on it. We recommend a free remote access software -- AnyViewer, to boost your work without disruption.

You can choose “Adaptive” on the above line to adapt your screen, and you can also adjust the resolution to make the icon, and text clearer.

To connect to a remote computer from an iOS device like iPhone 13, you can download AnyViewer for iOS from Apple Store. 

Step 1. Install and launch the remote connection software on the host computer (the remote computer) and the client computer.

Step 2. Sign up for an AnyViewer account and log in to the same account on the two computers. After login, the PC will be assigned to the account automatically. 

Step 3. On your local computer, click "Device", right-click the PC that you need to access, and choose "One-click control".Then, you can connect to the remote computer with one click. Isn't it easy?

Step 3.  Then you can remote into the computer over the internet for free and you can choose “Adaptive” to realize full screen and set the resolution on the second option to make it clearer.

Note: Another way to log in AnyViewer? See “Send a request control ”.

Conclusion

To fix the RDP with high DPI issue, there are 5 solutions illustrated above. Of course, we strongly recommend the 5th solution-- switching to Anyviewer, to effectively help you avoid the issue.