Optimum resolution for Dell monitor

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Level 1

16 points

Optimum resolution for Dell monitor

I have a Dell P4317Q monitor that, except for the lack of sound control, works fine with my MacBook Pro 15" (2017). At least it did, until today.

This morning when I plugged it in, my Mac decided that the highest resolution it could use was 1080. Before this, I was always able to use it at its full 2160.

Things that do not help:

Rebooting my Mac

Unplugging the monitor from the wall

Unplugging the monitor from the Mac

Turning the monitor on and off

Holding in option when selecting the resolution in the Settings->Display menu

What happened, and how do I fix it?

I'm running Big Sur.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Dec 12, 2020 6:50 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

enfolder Author

Level 1

16 points

Dec 12, 2020 1:12 PM in response to enfolder

Followup: after losing sound then all video, unplugging and re-plugging cables over and over solved the problem!

Also, the options under "Scaled" changed from a list of resolutions to a graphical "larger text–more space" slider. Weird!

For future people with this problem: if you have a list of resolutions where you used to have graphics there, try cable swaps.

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Answer 2

Sharhari

Level 5

6,287 points

Dec 12, 2020 7:08 AM in response to enfolder

Try Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support.

"Settings that can be stored in NVRAM include sound volume, display resolution, startup-disk selection, time zone, and recent kernel panic information. The settings stored in NVRAM depend on your Mac and the devices that you're using with your Mac.

If you experience issues related to these settings or others, resetting NVRAM might help."

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