Maximize Visibility under Windows 10

[koolkat]

Getting our priorities right, the first thing to adjust in a new system is the all important VISIBILITY. After all, don’t forget you’ll be working at the screen for hours at a time and you don’t want to strain your eyes more than necessary. Moreover, eyesight doesn’t get better with age. And though Windows 10 has good visibility, as they say, “The good is the enemy of the better.” Here, we’ll strive for the best.

 

None of the procedures below requires expert knowledge. Moreover, they don’t use third party software that may compromise the system, and are easily reversible. But admin rights would normally be required.

 

Make display text and other items larger

 

High resolution monitors can make on-screen text too small to read easily.

Adjust this via:

Start > Settings > System > Display: use the slider to make things larger.

 

For further adjustment of specific items, e.g. text, continue:

> Advanced display settings > Advanced sizing of text and other items

In the new dialogue box that appears, you can adjust individual items.

 

(Indeed, my HR monitor does become more comfortable with a zoom of 125%)

 

Improve visibility of ClearType

 

Though Microsoft’s ClearType for LCD screens does a good job, you can make it even better with easy fine tuning:

Start > Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings > ClearType text:

Make sure that ClearType is ticked and follow the Turner’s steps.

 

(As there’s nothing to lose, I did this)

 

Disable transparency

 

By default, Windows 10 includes transparency (Aero) effects in the Start Menu, Desktop Taskbar, and Action Center.

If you’d prefer greater contrast, and at the same time preserve system resources, you can disable this effect:

Start > Settings > Personalization > Colors

Use the switch near the bottom for turning transparency off.

 

(I consider Aero a gimmick and turned it off)

 

Increase contrast

 

If your eyesight isn’t what it used to be, you may make life easier by increasing contrast:

Start > Settings > Personalization > Colors > High contrast settings

 

(As an experiment, I tried ‘High Contrast White’ but it was overdone, things looked plain, so I restored ‘None’)

 

For completeness, I also include the following, though most users shouldn't need it.

 

Display calibration

 

If you feel that your monitor isn't showing things right, you can adjust it as follows:

In Run or Search, type:

dccw

Click Next to access the Display Color Calibration Wizard.