Choose the display before changing its scale
If more than one screen is connected, open Settings, System and Display, then select the screen you want to adjust. Use the identification control if you are unsure which numbered rectangle represents it. A change applied to the wrong display can make the setup more confusing.
Start with the recommended resolution. Microsoft explains that using a lower-than-native resolution can reduce sharpness or create a stretched or bordered picture. Scale changes the size of text and interface elements without using the same approach as lowering the resolution.
Choose one of the offered scale values and inspect ordinary applications. The recommended value is a useful starting point, not a requirement to tolerate text you find too small. Give yourself a full page to read rather than judging from an icon.
Decide whether everything needs to grow
If menus, buttons and documents all feel small, display scaling is the broad adjustment. If only a web page or a document is difficult to read, use that application's zoom instead. This keeps the rest of the interface at a size that already works.
Windows also provides text-size accessibility options. Their effect can vary between applications, so test the programs you depend on. Search Settings for text size if the exact path differs on your version.
Remember that enlarging content reduces how much fits at once. A dialog may require more scrolling, and side-by-side windows may become less useful. That is a tradeoff to evaluate, not evidence that the adjustment failed. Comfortable reading is more valuable than fitting a large amount of content you cannot comfortably see.
Check the result where you work
Read at your normal sitting distance, with the laptop and any external monitor in their usual positions. Moving closer during a quick test can hide the problem you were trying to solve.
Some applications need to be closed and reopened after a scaling change. Save work first. If one program remains blurry while others look sharp, investigate its display support separately rather than repeatedly changing every screen.
Keep a note of the original scale and resolution if you are experimenting. Make one change at a time and return to the previous setting if it creates a new difficulty. Once the display is comfortable, use application zoom for the occasional unusually dense page instead of rebuilding the whole setup around it.
