By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Explain the difference between screen resolution and display scaling.
- Change display scaling so text and buttons are comfortable to read.
- Add a keyboard layout and switch between layouts.
- Check that the time zone and automatic time are switched on.
A laptop that is hard to read, types the wrong symbols or shows the wrong time is tiring to use, and it can cause real problems: a missed appointment, a wrong date on a document or a password that will not type correctly. The settings in this lesson are quick to change and make every other lesson more comfortable. You will learn what each setting does, so you can fix it yourself next time.
Resolution and scaling are not the same thing
Your screen is made of tiny coloured dots called pixels. The Resolution is how many pixels it has across and down, for example 1920 by 1080. A higher resolution packs more detail into the same screen. The side effect is that everything on it gets smaller, because each icon and letter is made from a fixed number of pixels.
Display scaling fixes that. It makes the computer draw everything larger, using more pixels for each letter and button, without lowering the sharpness. At 100% things are drawn at normal size. At 125% they are a quarter larger. At 200% they are twice as large and the screen is still sharp. Think of reading a book: resolution is how fine the printing is, and scaling is whether you hold a large-print edition.
- Sharp text
- Can be very small
- Fine on small, lower-detail screens
Good if you read easily.
- Everything bigger
- Text looks blurry
- Wastes the screen's detail
Avoid this.
- Everything bigger
- Text stays sharp
- Easy to undo
Best way to enlarge.
Read this figure as text
A comparison of three ways of making text bigger on a screen: leaving it, lowering resolution and raising scaling.
Three columns. Column one, Native resolution at 100% scaling: sharp text, but small on a high-resolution screen. Column two, Lower resolution: text and icons look bigger but blurry, because the screen is no longer using its own pixels one to one. Verdict: avoid. Column three, Native resolution with 150% scaling: text and icons look bigger and still sharp, because the computer draws each letter with more pixels. Verdict: the best choice.
Changing the scaling
Open the display settings
Menu wording changes a little between releases. The ideas and the order of the settings stay the same.
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open Settings
Click the system menu at the top right (the group of small icons), then click the gear or Settings. You can also press the Super key (the key with the Windows logo), type
Settingsand press Enter.You should see: A window opens with a list of categories down the left side.
Step 2: Choose Displays
Click Displays in the left list.
You should see: You see Resolution, Refresh Rate and a Scale choice such as 100% and 200%. Some laptops also show a Fractional Scaling switch, which gives in-between sizes.
Step 3: Pick a scale
Choose a larger scale, then click Apply.
You should see: The screen redraws with larger text. A box asks whether to keep the changes; click Keep Changes.
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (recommended)
Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
Scale: 100% | 200%
- Marker 1: Choose the Displays page
- Marker 2: Scale: makes everything larger
- Marker 3: Apply, then keep the change
Read this figure as text
A simulated Ubuntu Settings window showing the Displays page with resolution, refresh rate and scale choices.
A window titled Settings with a sidebar listing Wi-Fi, Displays, Sound, Power and Keyboard, with Displays highlighted (marker 1). The main area shows three lines: Resolution 1920 by 1080 (recommended), Refresh Rate 60 Hz and Scale 100% or 200% (marker 2). An Apply button sits at the bottom (marker 3). The scale line is the one to change to make text larger.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open Settings
Press the Windows key and I together, or click Start and then Settings.
You should see: The Settings window opens with System selected on the left.
Step 2: Choose Display
Click System, then Display.
You should see: You see a Scale box (for example 125% Recommended) and a Display resolution box.
Step 3: Pick a scale
Open the Scale list and choose a larger value, such as 150%.
You should see: Text and buttons grow immediately. There is no Apply button on most versions.
Display
Scale: 125% (Recommended)
Display resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Recommended)
- Marker 1: System contains Display
- Marker 2: Scale: enlarge text and apps
- Marker 3: Resolution: leave on Recommended
Read this figure as text
An illustration of a Windows Settings window with the Display page showing scale and resolution boxes.
An illustration, not an exact screenshot, of a Windows Settings window titled Settings. The left list shows System, Bluetooth and devices, Network and internet, Personalisation and Time and language, with System highlighted (marker 1). The main area shows a Scale line set to 125 percent, recommended (marker 2), and a Display resolution line set to 1920 by 1080, recommended (marker 3).
Language and keyboard layout
Two different settings are easy to confuse. The display language decides the words in menus and messages. The keyboard layout decides which character each physical key produces. A UK keyboard and a US keyboard have the same letters in the same places but differ on symbols: @ and " swap places, and £ and # appear on different keys. If your keyboard types " when you press the key printed @, the layout does not match the keyboard.
You can install several layouts and switch between them, which is useful if you sometimes type another language. The current layout normally shows as a short code (such as EN) at the top of the screen on Ubuntu or in the taskbar on Windows.
Add and switch a keyboard layout
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open Keyboard settings
In Settings, click Keyboard. Look for the Input Sources section.
You should see: A list shows your current layout, for example English (UK).
Step 2: Add a layout
Click the + button, choose a language, then choose the exact layout, and click Add.
You should see: The new layout appears in the list, and a layout code appears near the top right of the screen.
Step 3: Switch layouts
Press the Super key and Space together to move to the next layout, or click the code at the top right and choose one.
You should see: The code changes, and the keys now type the characters of that layout.
Language is set separately. In Settings, open Region & Language to choose the display language and the formats for dates, numbers and money. A change of display language takes effect after you log out and in again.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open Language settings
In Settings, click Time & language, then Language & region.
You should see: You see your Windows display language and a list of preferred languages.
Step 2: Add or change a keyboard
Next to your language, click the three dots and choose Language options, then Add a keyboard and pick one.
You should see: The keyboard appears in the list of keyboards for that language.
Step 3: Switch layouts
Press the Windows key and Space together to cycle, or click the language code (such as ENG) in the right of the taskbar.
You should see: The code changes and the keys type the new characters.
The same Language & region page lets you choose the Windows display language and your region, which sets date and number formats. A new display language may need you to sign out and in.
Date, time and time zone
A time zone is a region of the world that keeps the same clock time. Nairobi and London are in different time zones, so the same moment shows a different hour on each clock. Your computer stores one exact moment and converts it to your local time using the zone you choose.
The correct time matters more than it seems. Files are stamped with the time they were saved, email and calendars use it to sort messages and meetings, and secure websites check your clock when they verify a HTTPS connection. If your clock is badly wrong, some websites show a certificate error even though nothing is wrong with them.
The simplest approach is to let the computer set its own time. When it has an Internet connection, it asks a trusted time server for the exact time. Choose automatic time, and, if your device offers it, automatic time zone.
Check date and time
On Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1: Open the settings
In Settings, click System, then Date & Time. On some releases the entry is called Date & Time at the top level.
You should see: You see switches for Automatic Date & Time and Automatic Time Zone, plus Time Zone and Time Format.
Step 2: Turn on automatic
Switch on Automatic Date & Time. If you want the zone to follow you, switch on Automatic Time Zone too; this needs Location Services to be allowed.
You should see: The time updates itself. The manual date and time entries become greyed out.
Step 3: Choose the format
Under Time Format, choose 24-hour or AM/PM.
You should see: The clock at the top of the screen changes style.
On Windows 11
Step 1: Open the settings
In Settings, click Time & language, then Date & time.
You should see: You see switches called Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically, and a Time zone list.
Step 2: Turn on automatic
Switch on Set time automatically. If you want the zone to follow you, switch on Set time zone automatically.
You should see: The time corrects itself. The manual Date and time button becomes unavailable.
Step 3: Check the zone
If you keep the zone manual, open the Time zone list and choose yours.
You should see: The clock in the taskbar shows the correct local hour.
- Exact momentstored as 09:00 universal time
- Nairobi+3 hours: 12:00
- Londonwinter, +0: 09:00
- Tokyo+9 hours: 18:00
Read this figure as text
A flow showing one moment in time converted into local times for Nairobi, London and Tokyo.
A flow of four boxes. Box one: the exact moment, stored by the computer as universal time, 09:00. Box two: Nairobi, which is three hours ahead, shows 12:00. Box three: London, which in winter is on universal time, shows 09:00. Box four: Tokyo, nine hours ahead, shows 18:00. The computer converts one stored moment into each local time using the time zone you choose.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Lowering the screen resolution to make text bigger.
✔ Do this: Keep the recommended resolution and raise the scale instead. Text stays sharp.
✖ Instead of: Assuming a keyboard that types the wrong symbols is broken.
✔ Do this: Check the keyboard layout first. It is a setting, and it takes under a minute to change.
✖ Instead of: Setting the clock by hand and never checking it again.
✔ Do this: Turn on automatic time so the clock and the time zone correct themselves.
If something goes wrong
- I changed the scale and now everything is too big to use.
- Wait for the confirmation box and let it time out: both systems revert if you do not confirm. If you are already past that, open Settings (Windows key plus I on Windows, Super key then typing Settings on Ubuntu) and choose a smaller scale.
- A website says my clock is wrong or shows a certificate error.
- Open the date and time settings, switch on automatic time and check the time zone. Then reload the page. A clock that is off by many minutes or days can break secure connections.
- I added a keyboard layout but cannot find how to switch.
- Use Super plus Space on Ubuntu or the Windows key plus Space on Windows. You can also click the layout code (for example EN) at the top of the screen or in the taskbar.
Key terms
- Resolution
- The number of pixels a screen shows across and down. More pixels means finer detail.
- Display scaling
- A setting that draws text, icons and buttons larger without lowering the sharpness of the screen.
- Keyboard layout
- The setting that decides which character each key produces, such as QWERTY for English.
- Time zone
- A region of the world that keeps the same clock time, so the same moment shows different hours in different places.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Review your display and clock
On your own laptop, open the display settings and write down the current resolution and scale. Change the scale to the next larger value, check whether the text is more comfortable, then choose the value you prefer. Next open the date and time settings and confirm that the time is set automatically and the zone is correct.
Challenge: test your keyboard layout
Open a plain text editor (Text Editor on Ubuntu, Notepad on Windows). Without looking up any steps, type the characters @ " £ # and the letter z. Compare each one with what is printed on the keys you pressed. If any differ, find and fix the keyboard layout in settings, then test again.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- Resolution is the number of pixels; scaling is how large things are drawn.
- To make text bigger, raise the scaling and leave resolution on the recommended value.
- Display language and keyboard layout are separate settings.
- Automatic date, time and time zone keep files, calendars and secure sites working.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.