Larger text often makes words easier to read on a screen. But larger characters alone don’t necessarily make a computer easier to use if all the icons and navigation elements remain relatively small. Screen scaling makes everything on the screen slightly larger, making applications easier to use for people with less than perfect vision.

Windows 10's display scaling system adjusts the size of text, icons, and navigation elements to make your computer more visible and usable.

You can adjust the display scaling for your Windows 10 device and for external displays. For example, adjusting the display scaling can transform a display from one with small text that’s hard to read to one that’s easier to see. Scaling can also make it easier to open, run, and use apps on a projected display.

The Windows 10 screen scaling system selects the size based on several factors, such as the native screen resolution, the dimensions of the screen, and the expected distance to the screen. For example, the distance to the screen assumes that a laptop screen is closer to the viewer's eyes than an external monitor, and that a projected screen is viewed from an even greater distance.