Fixing Monitor Resolution Issues: Switching To Lower Settings

The error message could not switch to lower monitor resolution is a common issue that can occur when playing video games or using other applications. This issue can be caused by a variety of factors, including outdated or incompatible display drivers, corrupted third-party apps, or even recent Windows updates. To resolve this issue, users can try a number of solutions, including updating or reinstalling display drivers, booting into Safe Mode, performing a clean boot, removing faulty apps, or using a system restore. In some cases, simply changing the resolution of the Windows display settings or disabling full-screen optimization may solve the problem.

Disabling Full-Screen Optimisation

Full-screen optimisation is a feature included in recent releases of Windows 10 that allows the operating system to optimise video quality and performance when games are running in full-screen mode. However, this feature is known to cause problems with computers.

To disable full-screen optimisation, follow these steps:

• Locate the executable file of your game or launcher. You can do this by right-clicking on the executable and selecting "Open file location".
• Once in the directory of the executable, right-click on it and select "Properties".
• Navigate to the "Compatibility" tab and check the option "Disable fullscreen optimisation".
• Press "Apply" to save the changes and exit.
• Launch the application again using the same exe file and check if the problem has been solved.

Changing Resolution

If you are unable to switch to a lower monitor resolution, there are several fixes you can try.

Firstly, this issue may be caused by your computer failing to switch to the monitor resolution. To fix this, you can change the resolution of your Windows, which will prompt the game to launch in the set resolution.

To do this, right-click anywhere on your desktop and select "Display Settings". Then, select a lower resolution than the one currently set. Save these changes and exit. Now, try launching your game and see if the problem has been solved.

Other Fixes

If the above method does not work, there are several other fixes you can try. These include:

• Disabling Full-Screen Optimisation
• Deleting the 'options.txt' file from your game directory
• Resetting game options
• Selective Startup
• Updating Graphics Drivers

Deleting 'options.txt'

Deleting the 'options.txt' file is a workaround that can help resolve the "could not switch to a lower monitor resolution" issue. This issue occurs when a game client is unable to scale to the resolution set in the configurations or the resolution in which the launcher is trying to launch.

The 'options.txt' file is usually found in games like Minecraft and is located in the game directory. This file stores all the options that can be changed in the game. It can be edited with any text editor, but if deleted, the application will detect it as missing and will recreate a default one. This solution is effective if the 'options.txt' file is corrupt and causing the error message.

To delete the 'options.txt' file, follow these steps:

• Navigate to the directory of your game. It is usually located in "%APPDATA%\.minecraft".
• Once in the directory, locate the "options.txt" file and delete it.
• Restart your computer and launch the game. The game may take an additional minute or two to load the default configurations.
• Check if the error message still persists.

As a tip, instead of deleting the file, you can cut and paste it into another directory. This way, you can replace it if something goes wrong. Additionally, you can try modifying the lines in the file to match your current Windows resolution:

• Graphicsfullscreen=True
• Graphicsheight= [your screen height]
• Graphicsquality=1
• Graphicswidth= [your screen width]

Make sure to match the width and height values to your current Windows resolution.

Resetting Game Options

If the above methods don't work, you can try resetting the game settings using the Blizzard application. Then you can perform the first solution on the application, and hopefully, the issue will be solved. This problem occurs in the new Windows 10 build, according to Official Blizzard support, and is supposed to be fixed using this method.

Firstly, launch the Blizzard application. Click the Blizzard logo and click Settings. Now, click "Game Settings" from the left navigation pane and click "Reset In-Game Options" underneath the tab of the game in which you are experiencing the error message. Press "Done" after making the changes and exit.

Now, within the Blizzard application, select the Hearthstone tab and select "Options". Now, drop down to the "Open in Explorer" option and open the Hearthstone folder. Right-click on the exe and click "Properties". Select the "Compatibility" tab and check the option "Disable fullscreen optimization". Press "Apply" and exit.

Finally, restart your computer and check if the problem has been solved.

Selective Startup

If you are facing the "could not switch to lower monitor resolution issue", you can try the following solution:

Solution 5: Selective Startup

It is known that several startup programs can hinder games and cause certain errors. The best way to solve this problem is to disable those startup programs. Here is how you can do it:

• Press Windows + R, type "msconfig" in the dialogue box and press Enter.
• Once in the settings, select "selective startup" and uncheck the option "Load startup items". Press OK to save changes and exit.
• Navigate to the Services tab present at the top of the screen and check the line which says "Hide all Microsoft services". This will leave all third-party services visible.
• Now click the "Disable all" button. All the third-party services will now be disabled.
• Click Apply to save changes and exit.
• Navigate to the Startup tab and click the option of "Open Task Manager". You will be redirected to the task manager where all the applications/services that run when your computer starts up will be listed.
• Select each service one by one and click "Disable" at the bottom right side of the window.
• Now restart your computer and check if the error condition still persists. If the error message goes away, it means that there was either a service or an application that was causing the problem. You can enable them in small groups and check to identify the culprit.

Frequently asked questions