How to Adjust Screen Resolution and Mirroring

How to Adjust Screen Resolution and Mirroring

1. Navigate to System Preferences by clicking on the Apple in the top left corner and selecting “System Preferences.”

2. Select “Displays

”

3. If there is a projector or second monitor connected there will be a dialog box on each screen.  Both windows are on the same screen for demonstration purposes.

4.  To show the “Display” icon on the main menu bar you can check the “Show displays in menu bar” option and a small screen will appear on the menu bar.

5. Each screen will automatically adjust to the best resolution for itself.a They can be adjusted manually as well.

7. To mirror displays navigate to the “Arrangement” tab.

8.  Once in the “Arrangement” tab click the “Mirror Displays” box and the screens will automatically change.

Mirroring displays treats the second display as a mirror of the first.  Both blue screens have stacked to show that they are mirrored.

A quick way to do this once the “Displays” icon has been added to the menu bar is to click on the “Displays” icon on the menu bar then select “Turn On/Off Mirroring.”  Resolution can also be adjusted from there.

If the second display has a lower resolution capability, the main display will automatically downgrade to that resolution to compensate.  That is why the iMac will enlarge icons, get black bars on the side and become fuzzy.  It is adjusting to the display capabilities of the projector which cannot display as clearly as an iMac.

This is great for teaching directly from the computer.  If you no longer want to display the same image on both screens you can turn mirroring off and go back to having two separate screens.  This is beneficial because it allows you to show an instructional video on the projector while doing Synergy on your main screen.  You simply drag the video over to the projector screen while keeping Synergy up on your screen.