Quick switching between monitor resolution/refresh rate settings in Windows 10

Question

I have a display (LG C9) which I have attached to my Windows 10 PC via HDMI. It has the capability of running at 1080p and 120hz, or at 2160p and 60hz, among many other modes that I have no use for.

In order to switch between them, I currently have to:

open up display settings
click on advanced display settings
open up the device adapter properties
choose "List All Modes"
scroll through the long and cluttered list to find the one setting I'm looking for
confirm the change

It's not a huge burden, but I often end up sitting on one setting instead of going back and forth like I'd like to because of this. Is there a way to perform this action quicker, and possibly bind it to a key stroke? I'm not against using third-party software such as AutoHotKey to get the job done.

Kalamalka Kid · Accepted Answer · 2020-08-09T09:33:00.193

There is a free Windows utility that should be able to get the job done called QRes. You can use the CMD to change to any of the supported resolutions, therefore you will be able to create a .bat file to switch between the two resolutions:

Once Qres is installed do the following to create a simple .bat file:

1 - Open notepad, create a new file and copy and paste the following command::

%homepath%\Downloads\QRes\QRes.exe /x:1920 /y:1080

In the command above make sure to enter the correct path for the QRes.exe file, and enter a supported width (x) and height (y) pixel resolution. For example, 1366 x 768, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1440, etc.

2 - Click the File menu and select the 'Save A's option.

3 - Save the batch file with a descriptive name and a .bat file extension.

After you complete the steps, double-click the batch file and the screen resolution should change automatically without the need for extra steps. You can create a second batch file with the alternative resolution and switch between the two resolutions with each separate batch file, or if you need to change the display resolution constantly then you could write something with a toggle using Autohotkey:

An example of an AutoHotKey script in conjunction with Qres might look something like this:

#a::
    toggle += 1 ; This increments toggle state (so values after execution of this line will be either 0 or 1)
    if (toggle = 0)
    {
        Run %homepath%\Downloads\QRes\QRes.exe /x:3840 /y:2160
    }
    else if (toggle = 1)
    {
        Run %homepath%\Downloads\QRes\QRes.exe /x:1920 /y:1080
        toggle :=  -1 ; set to -1 so on next run it will end up being 0
    }
Return

This script would use Windows A Windows+A but could be changed to whatever you like (preferably something that Windows doesnt already use). Again, the path to Qres would need to be inputted to the correct path.

There is more documentation on the use of Qres here. (some source of this question from that site).

Alternatively, you could use the freeware tool NirCmd. Example of usage:

nircmd.exe setdisplay 1920 1080 24

This changes the display to a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a 24 bit color depth. You could use NirCmd in conjuction with AutoHotKey as shown above to have a functioning toggle.

There are a lot of good solutions on Super User in this question as well, but I think what I have provided will suffice.

Quick switching between monitor resolution/refresh rate settings in Windows 10

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