How to Fix Advanced Display Settings Missing in Windows?

We came across numerous complaints from users where they complained that they were unable to locate the Advanced Display Settings on their computers after a potential Windows 10 update. This issue was reported globally and occurred to almost everyone who updated to 1703 or Fall Creators update.

The most common feature which the users used was the ‘Text Size Setting’. Using the Advanced Display Settings, users were able to easily change their text sizes without going through much hassle. However, this was changed with the updated Windows. In this article, we will go through all the reasons as to why this issue might occur on your computer and what the workarounds are to solve the issue.

What causes ‘Advanced display Settings’ to Disappear?

After analyzing all the user reports, statements from Microsoft and our research, we concluded that the issue occurred due to several different reasons. Some of the reasons why you might find the ‘Advanced Display Settings’ missing are but not limited to:

Before starting the solution, make sure that you are logged in as an administrator on your computer. Furthermore, save all your work as we might be restarting your computer again and again.

Solution 1: Using Alternate Options

If your computer was indeed updated and you found the option missing, it is probably because it was removed by Microsoft. They replaced the options present inside the Advanced Display settings to another location in Windows. We will navigate there and access the text formatting/size settings from there.

1. Press Windows + I to launch your Settings. Now, click on the sub-category of System.

   

2. Once in the System tab, click on Display from the left-hand side of the screen.
3. Now on the right-hand side, scroll down until you find the option of Display adapter properties. Click it. Here, you can also change other settings of your display such as Scale and layout and Multiple displays

   

4. Now, navigate to Intel HD Graphics Control Panel and then click on Properties
5. Now, click on Graphics properties and then go to the Display setting to make changes as required.

Also, if you don’t find your required setting here, you can always navigate to the color management.

1. Press Windows + S, type “color management” in the dialogue box and open the application.
2. Once in color management, click on Advanced
3. Now if you wish to calibrate the display, click on Calibrate Display.

   

4. After calibrating your display, click Finish and go to the ClearType Text Tuner.

   

5. From here, you will be able to change the text type without any issues.

Solution 2: Using Third-party Software

If the above method doesn’t work for you and you still having difficulty in changing your settings, we will try downloading a third-party software and see if we can get it to work. This is a workaround given if your computer was indeed updated. If it wasn’t and you see the option missing, proceed to the other solutions listed down below.

Download System Font Size Changer from WinTools page and install it on your computer. When you launch the application, you will see various options the ability to change their settings. You can also create a shortcut and access the tool whenever required.

Solution 3: Running Hardware and Device Troubleshooter

Every Windows OS has a hardware troubleshooter which helps users in detecting issues with your current operating system and resolve them after a series of steps. This solution applies if you haven’t updated Windows and the display settings option automatically vanished from your screen.

1. Right-click on the Windows icon present at the bottom left side of the screen or press Windows + X button and select Control panel. If this doesn’t work, press Windows + S and in the dialogue box, type “control panel” and hit enter.
2. Now on the top right side of the screen, click on View By and select Large Icons from the list of options available.
3. Now select the option of Troubleshooting from the control panel.

4. Now on the left side of the window, select “View all” option to list all the troubleshooting packs available on your computer.
5. Now select “Hardware and Devices” or Display from the list of options available and click it.

6. Now select Next in the new window that pops up in front of you.
7. Now Windows will start searching for hardware problems and fix them if it finds any. This process can take some time as all of your hardware is being checked. Be patient and let the process complete successfully.
8. Windows might prompt you to restart your PC to fix problems. Don’t delay the request, save your work and press “Apply this Fix”.

Solution 4: Disabling onboard graphics (if dedicated graphics installed)

Another issue which we noticed that plagued users was where dedicated graphics on your computer were causing several issues with the OS. This is very unlikely but usually occurs if there is a conflict of the drivers with the system. In this solution, we will disable the onboard graphics. This will help us determine and troubleshoot whether they are clashing with your dedicated graphics and causing the problem.

1. Press Windows + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the Device Manager, navigate to the entry “Display adapters”, right-click on the on-board graphics and select Disable device.

   

3. Restart your computer. Now, only your dedicated graphics will be active. Check if the issue is resolved.

Solution 5: Changing Registry Entries

If you indeed want to change the text size of your computer (or some parts of it), you can perform the actions using registry files. Registries are instructions and a type of manual for your computer which informs it what it needs to do when certain actions occur. Here, we will make changes to your Registry by downloading an external one and installing it. When we install it, the computer automatically merges the new and the existing one.

Note: Making changes to the Registry is a risky job so make sure that you proceed at your request and don’t make any changes to any other entries.

1. Download the required Registry file from the links down below:

How to Change Text Size of Icons in Windows 10

How to Change Text Size for Menus in Windows 10

How to Change Text Size for Message Boxes in Windows 10

How to Change Text Size for Title Bars in Windows 10

How to Change Text Size for Tooltips in Windows 10

2. After downloading the registry file, right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
3. If you are prompted with User Access Control, press Yes.
4. Now, restart your computer completely. After restarting, check if the issue is resolved indeed. You can always run the opposite registry entry for reverting the entry.

Solution 6: Updating Graphics Drivers

Graphics drivers are the main components in play when you are playing games on your computer. They have the job of relaying the information from the motherboard to your graphics hardware. If the graphics drivers themselves are having issues, it is recommended that you update them as soon as possible and see where things go.

In this solution, we will first try installing default drivers and see if this fixes the problem.

1. Download and install DDU (Display driver uninstaller) from its official website.
2. After installing Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU), launch your computer in safe mode. You can check our article on how to boot your computer into safe mode.
3. After launching the DDU, select the first option “Clean and restart”. This will uninstall the current drivers completely from your computer.

4. Now after the uninstallation, boot your computer normally without safe mode. Press Windows + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter. Right-click on any space and select “Search for hardware changes”. The default drivers will be installed. Try launching the game and check if this solves the problem.
5. In the majority of the cases, the default drivers will not work for you so you can either install the latest drivers through Windows update or navigate to your manufacturer’s website and download the latest ones.

6. After you have installed the drivers, restart your computer and check if the problem is solved.

Solution 7: Performing a System Restore

If all the above methods are not working and you still cannot get any response out of Ctrl + Alt + Del, you can perform a system restore after backing up your data.

System restore rollbacks your Windows to the last time it was working correctly. The restore mechanism automatically creates backups either periodically or in-time whenever you install a new update.

1. Press Windows + S to launch the start menu’s search bar. Type “restore” in the dialogue box and select the first program which comes in the result.
2. One in the restore settings, press System Restore present at the beginning of the window under the tab of System Protection.

   

3. Now a wizard will open navigating you through all the steps to restore your system. You can either select the recommended restore point or choose a different restore point. Press Next and proceed with all the further instructions.
4. Now select the restore point from the list of options available. If you have more than one system restore points, they will be listed here.

   

5. Now windows will confirm your actions for the last time before it starts the system restore process. Save all your work and backup important files just in case and proceed with the process.

Note: You can also get your hard drive checked if the problem is persisting.

Solution 8: Clean installing Windows

If all the above methods don’t work out and you are still unable to the problem at hand, we can try installer a fresh version of Windows on your computer. This fixes any issues with the installation files (if any) and solves the problem instantly. Make sure that backup all of your data before proceeding as all your information as well as installed applications will be removed.

You check out our article on how to install Windows 10 on your computer. You can easily make a Windows bootable by either Rufus or by Windows media creation tool. Do note that you would have to manually install the update by updating the version of Windows installed (or if you clean install Windows directly into update 1903, the problem will go away automatically).