BetterDisplay For Mac

M1 Macs are known to have some issues with external displays, 1440p monitors in particular. They do not allow you to select HiDPI resolutions on displays that run on under 4K natively, which can make scaling very blurry on QHD monitors.

One solution is to use BetterDisplay. It creates a virtual display, running at native 4K, which you can then mirror to your actual monitor. You will have HiDPI resolutions available for scaling, giving you a much better visual experience.

To use BetterDisplay, just launch the app and head to the menu bar. From here, create a dummy display (choose the aspect ratio you need), then head to your macOS display preferences. You will have to mirror this virtual display's contents to your physical monitor.

After you've enabled mirroring, select the Scaled option while holding down the Option key (⌥) to get more resolutions to choose from. Enable the one you prefer for your display (1080p is good for a 24-27" 1440p monitor) and you will now have much better scaling than before.

Another popular solution is to connect an HDMI dongle to your Mac, which tricks it into thinking that a 4K display is connected. You can then mirror this display and enjoy better scaling.

However, there are some disadvantages to this option. First, you have to buy the dongle and use up the HDMI port. You will also get fewer resolution options, graphics hardware is used for no reason, and there can be some issues with mouse movements as well.

Aside from improving your experience with an external QHD monitor, the app provides more HiDPI resolutions than you would normally have access to, and it allows you to get higher resolution screenshots and better zooming on any non-4k display.

Mostly aimed at 1440p external monitor users, BetterDisplay may prove useful in other scenarios as well, and it is much more convenient than connecting an HDMI dongle to your Mac.