MBP 2021 M1 - External Monitor Fuzzy Text & Graphics

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Level 1

4 points

MBP 2021 M1 - External Monitor Fuzzy Text & Graphics

My employer just upgraded me to a 16" MBP 2021 / M1 Pro running Ventura. I'm having lots of issues with fuzzy text and poor readability on one of my external monitors.

My previous Mac was a 2018/2019 MBP and I had no problems. I WFH and have been using the previous Mac with 2 external monitors for 2+ years without issue.

My left monitor is an 7 or 8 year old 24 or 27" Acer connected to USB-C port on my laptop through a USB-C > DVI adapter. Max resolution is 1920x1080. Nothing is wrong with text/graphics rendering on this monitor. Looks great.

My right monitor (and the primary one for working) is a 2 or 3 year old 27" 4K ViewSonic connected to a USB-C port on my laptop using a USB-C > HDMI cable. Per View Sonic the default resolution for this monitor is 2560x1440 @ 60HZ . This is the monitor that is having fuzzy text & graphics issues.

The M1 says the View Sonic's default/native resolution is 1920. But it's not. It's 2560 and I have gone higher with my old Mac.

The M1 is also limiting the View Sonic to 30HZ (I can't change it). It should be 60HZ. The Acer monitor is displaying at 60HZ though.

When viewing all the resolutions available for the View Sonic, none of them have HiDPL as an option. I have normal options and then low-resolution options. Nothing else.

I've tried rebooting in Safe Mode. I've downloaded Better Display (doesn't work). I've contacted Apple Support and no response. My internal tech support team is like [shrug].

Any other suggestions? Should I "upgrade" the cable to Thunderbolt 4 > HDMI or Display Port? Following the instructions in the "Force RGB Color on M1" video on YT?

This is driving me nuts and impacting my work. I want my old 2019 MBP back.

MacBook Pro Apple Silicon

Posted on Jan 6, 2023 09:50 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Etta_James Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 8, 2023 08:18 PM in response to Bill_T1

Hello -

I have done all of those suggestions. I have also swapped out cables. The M1 still won't allow me to change the refresh rate for my monitor from 30HZ (it's supposed to be 60HZ). The M1 is making the text on my 4K monitor unreadable.

It's not the monitor that is causing the problem. The monitor works fine with my older 2019 MBP. It's the M1. There are tons of other posts in these forums describing the same external monitor display issues, yet Apple does nothing about it.

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Answer 2

Bill_T1

Community Specialist

Jan 8, 2023 04:52 PM in response to Etta_James

Hi Etta_James,

The steps from Change your Mac display’s resolution describe the steps to change display resolution for a connected device as:

"1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Displays in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

2. Select your display on the right, click the pop-up menu next to Resolution, choose Scaled, then select the resolution you want to use.

You may be able to turn on “Show all resolutions” to see additional resolutions for the display."

Additionally, you may be able to view more selections by holding the Option key on your keyboard while clicking the Scaled, Larger text or More space options depending on your macOS version.

Alternatively, testing other cables and adapters to rule those out as possible causes would be a good step as well.

Regards.

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Answer 3

AnnieL2

Community Specialist

Jan 9, 2023 11:04 AM in response to Etta_James

Etta_James,

Let’s work to further narrow things down.

First, if the right monitor, the primary one for working, is the only one connected does that change anything?

Next, how do things display when using safe mode? How to use safe mode on your Mac

Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.

3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”

4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

Also, let’s test in a new user to see if the situation is user specific. Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Thanks.

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MBP 2021 M1 - External Monitor Fuzzy Text & Graphics

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