Windows 11 Font sizes too small to read in some apps.

[larryllix]

I just purchased a new Windows 11 laptop with a higher resolution screen. 2560 x 1960 pixels.

This has been a problem for a few decades where MS has been too lazy to update apps, especially system apps, to se the magnification and font size settings. As a result I have given up and reduced my screen resolution down to 1920 x 1200 (16:10 still).
 

After spending  a few days researching this with MS support and many other forums I find nobody really has any answers to fix this. This problem became very apparent with Windows 10 (maybe XP) and seems to just coincide with higher resolution screens.

Is this this just a result of MS being too lazy to address this properly in their Win O/S line apps? In past years many O/Ses had font size adjustments in every app (Android, and iOS), not being decent operating systems that provide centralised and global  settings. for hardware independence, like a real O/S should.

It seems MS made a poor attempt o fix this with font and display size scaling but never patched many of their apps to use these settings so a magnifying glass has to accompany newer high res screens and monitors.

Are these expensive O/S writers just completely lazy, they attempting to nickel and dime users with aftermarket "hack" apps to fix some of these quirks, or do they just not give a shlt about their user base? Much of these things existed before they removed them.

I am missing something or is this just a problem with many others?
Did I just waste my money on a higher res screen that cannot be of any usage?

 

[vbPhil]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm giving my Win10 laptop another year. Maybe catch Windows 12.

[paulbates]

@larryllix The option under Accessibility->Text size did not adjust enough?

(or is this AC specific?)

Edited May 11 by paulbates

[paulbates]

9 minutes ago, vbPhil said:

Thanks for the heads up. I'm giving my Win10 laptop another year. Maybe catch Windows 12.

Same. W10 is still viable for me. I buy over configured and then keep it a LONG time.

[larryllix]

2 hours ago, paulbates said:

@larryllix The option under Accessibility->Text size did not adjust enough?

(or is this AC specific?)

That doesn't adjust the fonts at all despite it professing to adjust most.

They do state "most" though. It's seems to be mostly system app fonts are the problems.

Temporarily, I have reduced my pixel density (such a waste),
reduced my display zoom from 200% down to 150%,
decreased my fonts size to 140% and
things are readable in most app I have seen so far. It seems MS has obviously made a previous attempts to fix this in Win 10 with the display zoom adjustment but never got to their system apps to make them listen to their new UI (yeah, I got similar ongoing same style upgrade problems for android mobile)   ...

Edited May 11 by larryllix

[larryllix]

2 hours ago, paulbates said:

Same. W10 is still viable for me. I buy over configured and then keep it a LONG time.

I have noticed many new and "renewed" laptops for sale now with some very impressive specs for the cheap prices coming with Win 10. However I played the "core count" game instead. Trying to speed up some 3D printing and CAD processes lately.

[vbPhil]

2 hours ago, larryllix said:

Trying to speed up some 3D printing and CAD processes lately.

Ah! 3d Printing. I love it. I started about 6 months ago. I use TurboCAD Platinum with a Creality K1 printer. Got into it so I could make my own enclosures for ESP32 projects. I use Home Assistant with their ESPHome platform to communicate with custom ESP32 automation devices. Works fantastically. Now I'm printing constantly making all kinds of stuff to use around the home. The T-Shirt my wife bought me says, "Eat, Sleep, 3D Print, Repeat".

Edited May 12 by vbPhil
typo

[larryllix]

9 hours ago, vbPhil said:

Ah! 3d Printing. I love it. I started about 6 months ago. I use TurboCAD Platinum with a Creality K1 printer. Got into it so I could make my own enclosures for ESP32 projects. I use Home Assistant with their ESPHome platform to communicate with custom ESP32 automation devices. Works fantastically. Now I'm printing constantly making all kinds of stuff to use around the home. The T-Shirt my wife bought me says, "Eat, Sleep, 3D Print, Repeat".

I started Christmas 2022 with a Ender3 S1 Pro, and love it also. I recently bought my son one to get him off a politics obsession and he loves it now too. I never hear about political garbage anymore.   It has a feeling of being in control of everything. I have created many gear toys for myself and children, as well as many useful hooks and gifts. My son then designed and  printed a replacement  gear for his son's 12V car.

If you haven't tried them yet, try making a lithophane. There is a website that creates patterns for them out of photographs, complete with a frame of your choice. People are fascinated with them when you gift them one. Make sure to use a fairly high-res photo, after cropping.
https://www.lithophanemaker.com/Curved Lithophane.html#processing

After a lifetime of 2D CAD I tried freeCAD and after two weeks of frustration and failure, I tried my same project on TinkerCAD. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the project. Its a totally browser run, cloud based, free, CAD system, very simple looking but can do a lot in a few minutes.

[vbPhil]

12 hours ago, larryllix said:

If you haven't tried them yet, try making a lithophane. There is a website that creates patterns for them out of photographs, complete with a frame of your choice. People are fascinated with them when you gift them one. Make sure to use a fairly high-res photo, after cropping.
https://www.lithophanemaker.com/Curved Lithophane.html#processing

Pretty cool. I'll have to play around with that. What filament gives the best results?

Edited May 12 by vbPhil
typo

[larryllix]

14 hours ago, vbPhil said:

Pretty cool. I'll have to play around with that. What filament gives the best results?

Just plain white. I try to focus mainly on PLA+ as it prints better, is tougher, and stronger.
After being told by so many I broke down and bought a filament dryer. Makes a big difference to printing, especially the ones claiming to be vacuum packed, etc..etc... Likely the wrong way to pack anything in a bag that draws in moisture inside the bottom of a cargo ship witting in the ocean during a pandemic. Inflated bags would likely work better. Now I dry them all as soon as I receive them.
My son printed a nice one of a grandson and you would swear you can see the colour of his eyes in it despite all white filament.
I have found the curved lithophanes are best about 120 degrees. Any flatter, they fall off the bed while printing. Any more arc, they cannot be seen from one viewpoint.

[vbPhil]

@larryllix  Thanks.  I don't use a drier yet. I think the humidity here in New Mexico is probably low enough, the other day it was only 7%.

[hart2hart]

That doesn't adjust the fonts at all despite it professing to adjust most.
They do state "most" though. It's seems to be mostly system app fonts are the problems.
Temporarily, I have reduced my pixel density (such a waste),
reduced my display zoom from 200% down to 150%,
decreased my fonts size to 140% and
things are readable in most app I have seen so far. It seems MS has obviously made a previous attempts to fix this in Win 10 with the display zoom adjustment but never got to their system apps to make them listen to their new UI (yeah, I got similar ongoing same style upgrade problems for android mobile)   ...
http://d2z8ydsemzif1x.cloudfront.net/monthly_2024_05/Tinytextfonts.thumb.jpg.1de64fb2e134c5ebfac597ecc1e3bb03.jpg

I’ve been using Win 11 since it came out on two 4K monitors. Fonts read great. Been a while but I recall having to mak an adjustment to settings.

[larryllix]

4 hours ago, hart2hart said:

I’ve been using Win 11 since it came out on two 4K monitors. Fonts read great. Been a while but I recall having to mak an adjustment to settings.

I would say the latest release has changed a lot. However not using the high-res capabilities of a monitor can resolve their bugs.