How to set display resolution via PowerShell on Win10 Pro

Question

I was asked by a client's IT admin to "write a powershell script that sets the resolution manually on bootup". Presumably it is possible if they're asking me to do this. I have absolutely no experience with powershell. My scripts/commands and their errors are as follows:

Set-DisplayResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768

Set-DisplayResolution is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768

Set-ScreenResolution is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

SetDisplayResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768

SetDisplayResolution is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

What am I missing? Thank you.

Solution 1

Not sure where you got your example from but in a native powershell there is no command to set the resolution.

I use AutoHotKey. You can build your own script there or use an example from the net.

Or you could write your own function, that can be called from powershell: see here

And of course there are several 3rd party tools depending on your requirements. Here's one example that works with a script as well or here are 7 others. What exactly are you trying to do?

Solution 2

Per Albin's answer:

Make a setResolution.ps1 file with the following contents (src):

Function Set-ScreenResolution { 

<# 
    .Synopsis 
        Sets the Screen Resolution of the primary monitor 
    .Description 
        Uses Pinvoke and ChangeDisplaySettings Win32API to make the change 
    .Example 
        Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768         
    #> 
param ( 
[Parameter(Mandatory=$true, 
           Position = 0)] 
[int] 
$Width, 

[Parameter(Mandatory=$true, 
           Position = 1)] 
[int] 
$Height 
) 

$pinvokeCode = @" 

using System; 
using System.Runtime.InteropServices; 

namespace Resolution 
{ 

    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)] 
    public struct DEVMODE1 
    { 
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 32)] 
        public string dmDeviceName; 
        public short dmSpecVersion; 
        public short dmDriverVersion; 
        public short dmSize; 
        public short dmDriverExtra; 
        public int dmFields; 

        public short dmOrientation; 
        public short dmPaperSize; 
        public short dmPaperLength; 
        public short dmPaperWidth; 

        public short dmScale; 
        public short dmCopies; 
        public short dmDefaultSource; 
        public short dmPrintQuality; 
        public short dmColor; 
        public short dmDuplex; 
        public short dmYResolution; 
        public short dmTTOption; 
        public short dmCollate; 
        [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst = 32)] 
        public string dmFormName; 
        public short dmLogPixels; 
        public short dmBitsPerPel; 
        public int dmPelsWidth; 
        public int dmPelsHeight; 

        public int dmDisplayFlags; 
        public int dmDisplayFrequency; 

        public int dmICMMethod; 
        public int dmICMIntent; 
        public int dmMediaType; 
        public int dmDitherType; 
        public int dmReserved1; 
        public int dmReserved2; 

        public int dmPanningWidth; 
        public int dmPanningHeight; 
    }; 



    class User_32 
    { 
        [DllImport("user32.dll")] 
        public static extern int EnumDisplaySettings(string deviceName, int modeNum, ref DEVMODE1 devMode); 
        [DllImport("user32.dll")] 
        public static extern int ChangeDisplaySettings(ref DEVMODE1 devMode, int flags); 

        public const int ENUM_CURRENT_SETTINGS = -1; 
        public const int CDS_UPDATEREGISTRY = 0x01; 
        public const int CDS_TEST = 0x02; 
        public const int DISP_CHANGE_SUCCESSFUL = 0; 
        public const int DISP_CHANGE_RESTART = 1; 
        public const int DISP_CHANGE_FAILED = -1; 
    } 



    public class PrmaryScreenResolution 
    { 
        static public string ChangeResolution(int width, int height) 
        { 

            DEVMODE1 dm = GetDevMode1(); 

            if (0 != User_32.EnumDisplaySettings(null, User_32.ENUM_CURRENT_SETTINGS, ref dm)) 
            { 

                dm.dmPelsWidth = width; 
                dm.dmPelsHeight = height; 

                int iRet = User_32.ChangeDisplaySettings(ref dm, User_32.CDS_TEST); 

                if (iRet == User_32.DISP_CHANGE_FAILED) 
                { 
                    return "Unable To Process Your Request. Sorry For This Inconvenience."; 
                } 
                else 
                { 
                    iRet = User_32.ChangeDisplaySettings(ref dm, User_32.CDS_UPDATEREGISTRY); 
                    switch (iRet) 
                    { 
                        case User_32.DISP_CHANGE_SUCCESSFUL: 
                            { 
                                return "Success"; 
                            } 
                        case User_32.DISP_CHANGE_RESTART: 
                            { 
                                return "You Need To Reboot For The Change To Happen.\n If You Feel Any Problem After Rebooting Your Machine\nThen Try To Change Resolution In Safe Mode."; 
                            } 
                        default: 
                            { 
                                return "Failed To Change The Resolution"; 
                            } 
                    } 

                } 


            } 
            else 
            { 
                return "Failed To Change The Resolution."; 
            } 
        } 

        private static DEVMODE1 GetDevMode1() 
        { 
            DEVMODE1 dm = new DEVMODE1(); 
            dm.dmDeviceName = new String(new char[32]); 
            dm.dmFormName = new String(new char[32]); 
            dm.dmSize = (short)Marshal.SizeOf(dm); 
            return dm; 
        } 
    } 
} 

"@ 

Add-Type $pinvokeCode -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue 
[Resolution.PrmaryScreenResolution]::ChangeResolution($width,$height) 
} 

Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768

Then the file can be executed from powershell as follows

`C:\path-to-file\setResolution.ps1`

Comments

[G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica']

Please don’t include answers in questions.  Post your answer as an answer and edit it out of the question.

[CodeFox]

Set-DisplayResolution is a commandlet from the ServerCore PowerShell module and seems not to be available on Windows 10.

[Jaakko]

Can confirm what @CodeFox said. Running Set-DisplayResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768 on Windows Server 2019 worked out of the box.

[A__]

I'm trying to have the resolution set automatically when the machine boots (I realize the resolution should persist through a power cycle and/or is hardware-dependent, but just accept this as presupposition for the given scenario).

[Albin]

@A__ how many screens?

[A__]

How would that powershell function you linked be organized? Would I put that inside a ps1 script, followed by the actual call to it (Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768) inside the script as well?

[A__]

one 4k display ////

[Albin]

@A__ as shown in the paramter definition param() would have guessed Set-ScreenResolution 1024 768 but I'm propable wrong since the script says in it's example it should be Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768. Haven't used my own function in powershell for quite a while, I'm propable mistaken, just in case: try both! ;)

[A__]

Thanks, the solution was to include that linked powershell function immediately followed by the call to it, with the Set-ScreenResolution -Width 1024 -Height 768 syntax, in the ps1 file.

[Saaransh Garg]

Note: This may look like a spam but it isn't, I checked it.

[Admin]

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