# Scaling and fullscreen on Windows 11

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534>\
**Category:** Processing\
**Created:** [June 11, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534 "2025-06-11T19:49:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/1 "2025-06-11T19:49:37Z")

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I’ve been having problems with Processing 4.4.4 and screen scaling on Windows 11 systems, both laptop and desktop. The only way I have been able to reliably set fullscreen or screen sizes is by setting all my monitors to 100% scaling, making my setup unusable for anything else while developing in Processing.  
I do not know if this is the case in earlier 4 versions as I have been avoiding it for just this reason. Searching the forum doesn’t seem to give recent results.

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**Author:** ![YellowGTM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a87d85/32.png) [@YellowGTM](https://discourse.processing.org/u/YellowGTM)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/2 "2025-06-11T21:45:56Z")

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Can you give an example of what’s happening with screenshots?

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**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/3 "2025-06-11T22:32:37Z")

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This is what it should look like:

 ![java_EgIJcdG8ob](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/6/8/68cca7426782276905f0ce881f0da8ce970585f6.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/4 "2025-06-11T22:33:11Z")

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To get there I need both screens at 100% scale. If I put the monitors at their recommended 150%:

 ![Processing_h5bdG8YVVe](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/5/a/5a9c2e683de9863ff7915b1375415567ed0ef811.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/5 "2025-06-11T22:33:46Z")

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If I put the monitor the sketch is displayed on at 100%, and leave the second monitor at 150%:

 ![java_AXvO5L0aS0](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/uploads/processingfoundation1/original/3X/1/1/11d0b7645f107e121ef10e5f41ea8fddc56ebb41.jpeg)

This behavior is independent of the Disable HiDPI Scaling preference setting.

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**Author:** ![glv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/glv/32/18785_2.png) [@glv](https://discourse.processing.org/u/glv)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/6 "2025-06-12T01:39:50Z")

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> [@wblut](#):
>
> This behavior is independent of the Disable HiDPI Scaling preference setting.

I believe that only applies to the Processing PDE (IDE).

I have had similar issues.

Related:

> [@Canvas Scaling with different renderers](https://discourse.processing.org/t/canvas-scaling-with-different-renderers/46337):
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> Hello folks, I noticed different scaling for sketch windows on W10 with the following for my Display settings and using different renderers: Test code: import processing.javafx.\*; void setup() { size(400, 200); //size(400, 200, FX2D); //size(400, 200, P2D); //size(400, 200, P3D); background(0); textAlign(CENTER, CENTER); textSize(18); text("0123456789" + "\n" + "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" + "\n" + "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ", width/2, height/…

> [@SVG Export Issue transform="scale(2,2)"](https://discourse.processing.org/t/svg-export-issue-transform-scale-2-2/46350/3):
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> @glv I agree, thank you for responding before I had the chance blue_heart

Experiment with different renderers.

Try the workaround suggested in topics I shared.

`:)`

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 10:55am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/7 "2025-06-12T10:55:48Z")

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Thanks for the feedback, other renderers are not really an option as they all have their artefacts when pushed to their limits - where I always end up.

I can always fallback to trusty Processing 3. A bit surprised though, this feels like a very fundamental problem.

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**Author:** ![joshg](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/joshg/32/20226_2.png) [@joshg](https://discourse.processing.org/u/joshg)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 2:28am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/8 "2025-06-13T02:28:58Z")

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There was a recent (4.4.3) change to have pixelDensity() default to the setting for the current display in use. I would suggest trying an earlier version of 4 and see if that solves it, or just try setting pixelDensity(1) manually to match the old behavior.

(I wonder if detecting the ‘current’ monitor’s pixel density is having trouble when the IDE is in one window and the sketch in another?)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 10:09am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/9 "2025-06-13T10:09:08Z")

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I’ve tried several scenarios where I set primary monitor and secondary monitor scaling to 100% and 150%.

When one or two monitors are set at 150%, pixelDensity(1) is required to draw at the (for me) expected size.

For windowed sketches using pixelDensity(1) results in all cases in a correctly scaled sketch and the exported images are the correct size.

For fullscreen sketches, pixelDensity(1) results in correctly scaled content and correct resolution of saved images _if_ the display on which the sketch runs is set to 100%.

If not the fullscreen only covers part of the screen and the exported images have a reduced resolution. On a screen at 150%, it’s reduced with a factor 1.5. Same behavior for “integer” scaling like 200%.

I did encounter positioning issues for both fullscreen and windowed sketches when switching back and forth in the display setting. I also got some problems with the preferences in the IDE not retaining my choice of display to run the sketches on. But these aren’t reproducible enough to conclude anything. It seems more stable to restart Processing after making a change.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 10:10am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/10 "2025-06-13T10:10:35Z")

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in summary: I can get the desired behavior by running the sketches with pixelDensity(1) on one monitor set at 100% and keeping the other monitor at a comfortable 150%.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wblut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@wblut](https://discourse.processing.org/u/wblut)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 10:18am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/scaling-and-fullscreen-on-windows-11/46534/11 "2025-06-13T10:18:40Z")

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I wonder if this has to do with what I perceive as a fundamental difference between for example retina and Windows. (I could be 100% wrong here.)  
Windows works with scaling. The effective screen resolution never changes and UI elements are scaled up. There effectively is no “pixel density”.  
Retina seems to have “real” pixel density at a lower level, changing the effective resolution of the screen and handling pixel subsampling when drawing.