How to Adjust Your Dell Monitor

Dell desktop and laptop computers come equipped with monitors that adjust to users’ needs. Users have the ability to adjust the brightness and contrast. Adjusting your Dell monitor makes the graphics look presentable on and relieves strain from your eyes. This is especially necessary if you constantly sit at your computer whether at home or at work. Familiarizing yourself with the parts of your Dell desktop or laptop will help you know how to adjust your monitor whenever you need to.

Instructions

1. Tilt the monitor slightly upward so that your gaze is slightly downward on it.

2. Open up Internet Explorer or another web browser. Test your monitor's brightness by going to a web page with a white background. If the white hurts your eyes, it is too bright. If it is gray, then it is too dim.

3. Locate the brightness button on your computer by its sunshine symbol. Adjust your monitor’s brightness by moving it to the left or right. Verify that it matches the brightness of your work station.

4. Adjust the contrast settings on your monitor by moving the bar to the right. Verify that the screen background and on-screen characters are set to a high contrast. This helps eliminate eye strain.

5. Change the screen resolution. An improper resolution results in items appearing too large or small on the screen. The screen may also be distorted, fuzzy or stretched out, which causes eye problems.

6. Verify that you can read the text on your screen. The text size should be large and easy to read from your normal position. If you need to squint to read, the text is too small.

7. Adjust the text to the appropriate size. Click “Start” and “Control Panel.” Click on the “Display Properties” box. Choose your text settings in the “Settings” or “Appearance” tabs. To change the text settings in Internet Explorer, click on “View” and choose a text size that is comfortable for you to read.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your monitor periodically. Smudges, dirt and dust affect the way that you view your monitor.

• If your monitor has a flicker light setting, upgrade it to a LCD monitor. Flickers contribute to eye strain.

• Sit at least 2 feet away from your monitor to reduce strain.

• Black text on a white background is the best color combination for your eyes.

References

• All About Vision: Computer Eye Strain: 10 Steps for Relief
• Windows: Adjust Your Monitor's Brightness and Contrast
• Dell Technical Support: Adjusting the Screen Size (Resolution), Font or Icon Size, Color Depth, and Refresh Rate on a Dell™ Computer