Gnome 3.16 HiDPI scaling only accepts integers
Solution 1
I checked with my Fedora 21 install where I have Gnome 3.14.2 and it doesn't seem to be possible to set your desired value:
[btegge@za21 ~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1.2
invalid character in number:
1.2
^
[btegge@za21 ~]$ gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface scaling-factor 1,2
expected end of input:
1,2
^
My assumptions:
- There is a another setting to achieve what you want. The only thing that comes to my mind is font rendering related, though that is not exactly what you are looking for.
- It's a mistake that the key only accepts integers as datatype and you should file a bug.
Solution 2
I am not sure if this got resolved or not, but there are two scaling options in Gnome to achieve this. The "window scaling" attribute that you are doing either accepts 1 or 2 (or 0, but this is "undefined" I think). If you want, you can do text scaling, which accepts floating numbers.
In Gnome Tweak Tool, this is available under the font section. Alternatively, you can access both in the dconf-editor under org.gnome.desktop.interface
I have noticed this option tends to work better, as Gnome Tweak Tool can sometimes not update setting correctly, causing weird scaling issues.
Solution 3
You can do it if you switch to the Wayland display server: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/09/enable-fractional-scaling-gnome-linux
Otherwise, your only option would seem to be to upgrade to a version of the distro with a newer version of GNOME. This functionality is available in Ubuntu 19.04: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/06/enable-fractional-scaling-ubuntu-19-04
Solution 4
Fractional scaling is not officially supported on versions lower than 3.32
and not supported at all inside GNOME in versions lower than 3.28
.
You can neverthless obtain the same effect on 3.16 with xrandr.
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Severin
Updated on September 18, 2022Comments
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Severin almost 2 years
I recently upgraded to Ubuntu 15.04 with Gnome 3.16, which is working really great on my machine (despite what I found on many forums around the web). Having a high DPI screen however (13.3" with 1920x1080) I need to scale the entire system to use it. There is a setting for that in the TweakTool, but it only seems to accept integers as scaling factor.
Does anybody know about a workaround for this? Scaling by two is way too large for my screen. The value I want is closer to 1.2
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
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azmeuk about 8 yearsYou may find some clues in the archlinux tutorial on the subject
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Severin about 9 yearsThats the exact same error I get as well
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JAB almost 6 yearsGnome only accepting integer scaling factors is a known limitation even now.
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Severin almost 6 yearsAs of Gnome 3.28 it actually is possible now, but thx for your comment.
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Wiggles almost 6 years@Severin Correct me if I am mistaken, but doesn't Gnome 3.28 only support fractional scaling via a Wayland session in an experimental feature, i.e. it is not supported officially, yet? (see link ) Concerning "this does not provide an answer to the question". I think it does. If it is not supported in 3.28, it certainly is not in 3.16. How to work around it? I mentioned the procedure using xrandr. I think this can still be a valid workaround for OP. I should have provided a source, though. Sorry.