How do I correct display scaling issues on Surface Pro 4

Anonymous

I'm noticing display scaling issues and docking issues on the Surface Pro 4. I'm using the docking connector and have two Dell 24" Ultrasharp U2415 monitors. When I undock the Surface, the text is aliased very poorly on the Surface display, not crisp as it should be. Certain elements appear fine, but my browser, Outlook 2016, and other apps have poor quality text. A restart is required to get the text back to its normal hi-DPI quality.

Secondly, if I start a program while undocked and dock the surface, some apps are scaled up (both text and UI elements of the window) and others are fine.

Lastly, a few times when the SP4 is docked and I return from being away for a few minutes, my external displays don't kick on. Clicking the mouse or pressing keys on the keyboard do nothing. Occasionally, the SP4 display will activate and my mouse/keyboard will control work. I've tried disconnecting the dock connector, power cycling the dock, but only restarting the SP4 will correct this issue.

In general a restart is required to resolve any of these issues. Is this the result of buggy display drivers or something else?

I've installed the latest SP4 firmware update and have the latest OS updates through Windows Update, as of this morning, February 19, 2016.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hello SP4_user11,

A lot of work was done in Windows 10 to support high resolution screens, such as the Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and third-party laptops and tablets with screen resolutions above 1080p. However, there are issues that occur when using Office apps on these devices when connecting to an external monitor with a lower resolution.

To find out more about what has been improved and what is still being worked on, please check out these articles:

The current and future improvements are dependent on having Windows 10 Creators Update installed. So if you have not yet updated, please start with that.

Best Regards

0 comments

52 additional answers

Anonymous

2016-10-07T17:46:15+00:00
Have you tried using a different docking station? We suggest that you install the latest driver and firmware update on your device. Be sure that your device is docked when you install this update.

Keep us posted.

Regards.

Turbodog isn't alone with this problem, it's well described - known to thousands of users (is it a new one to Microsoft?).

Steps to reproduce:

get Surface 4

connect external monitor which has scaling set 100% (directly or thru dock)

make it primary

reboot with monitor connected

check the sizes of icons, bars etc on external monitor, unplug it and check on surface - they are tiny on surface screen

reboot without monitor attached then connect monitor - check the sizes - big now

The problem is connected to mixed scaling between surface (usually 200%) and external monitor (usually 100%). All Win 10 releases has this bug and there is no cure, except logout/login and/or restart.
Agreed on everything in this response. I've been deploying Surface Pro 4's in my company for the past 6 months and every one of them has this issue. Different docks, updated drivers/firmware, different models/brands of monitors - it doesn't matter. I've heard reports that Windows 10 1607 fixes this, but we have not begun testing or rolling out this version, so I cannot verify.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2016-10-07T06:53:43+00:00
Have you tried using a different docking station? We suggest that you install the latest driver and firmware update on your device. Be sure that your device is docked when you install this update.

Keep us posted.

Regards.

Turbodog isn't alone with this problem, it's well described - known to thousands of users (is it a new one to Microsoft?).

Steps to reproduce:
1. get Surface 4
2. connect external monitor which has scaling set 100% (directly or thru dock)
3. make it primary
4. reboot with monitor connected
5. check the sizes of icons, bars etc on external monitor, unplug it and check on surface - they are tiny on surface screen
6. reboot without monitor attached then connect monitor - check the sizes - big now
The problem is connected to mixed scaling between surface (usually 200%) and external monitor (usually 100%). All Win 10 releases has this bug and there is no cure, except logout/login and/or restart.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2016-10-07T02:28:57+00:00

I don't have another docking station. But I did install the latest driver and firmware, when this was suggested several months ago. That has not fixed the issue.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2016-10-06T04:07:48+00:00

Have you tried using a different docking station? We suggest that you install the latest driver and firmware update on your device. Be sure that your device is docked when you install this update.

Keep us posted.

Regards.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments