ClearType is a font-smoothing technology included in Windows that makes text on LCD monitors more readable. Tweaking your ClearType settings will undoubtedly help if your text is looking a little blurry.
Slight blurriness can be caused by a number of factors. For starters, you should always use your monitor’s native resolution. By default, Windows utilizes the native resolution, but some games and other apps can lower it and then fail to properly reset it when they’re finished. Also, without a little tuning, Windows doesn’t always handle high-DPI displays properly. If neither of these factors is to blame for your fuzzy fonts, it’s likely that adjusting your ClearType settings will help.
The ClearType tuner is built into Windows 7, 8, and 10, and the instructions in this article apply to those operating systems. If you’re still using Windows XP or Vista, download the ClearType Tuner PowerToy for XP (which also works in Vista). It functions similarly to the built-in tuner we’ve been discussing.
What Is ClearType?
The font smoothing technology ClearType was initially released with Windows XP. It uses subpixel rendering to smooth the fonts on your screen, making them more readable on LCD displays. Because LCD screens have fixed pixels, fonts can easily appear jagged and pixelated. With older CRT screens, which did not have fixed pixels, this was not an issue.
Traditional text rendering just reveals black pixels, which can frequently appear jagged on an LCD panel, whereas ClearType uses various color shading to make text look more readable. Standard text rendering looks like this at 500 percent magnification:
Text rendering looks like this when ClearType is enabled. On LCD panels, the color shading around the characters gives the fonts a considerably smoother look.
When you zoom in to normal levels, you can notice the difference in readability between when ClearType is turned off (on the left) and when it is switched on (on the right) (on the right).
How to Turn ClearType On or Off
In Windows 7, 8, and 10, ClearType is turned on by default. You’ll need to run the ClearType Text Tuner to turn ClearType on or off. Select “Adjust ClearType text” from the Start menu after typing “cleartype.”
Simply pick or clear the “Turn on ClearType” option and then click “Next” to turn ClearType on or off.
If you’re turning off ClearType, the wizard will appear to walk you through the ClearType tuning process, but you’ll be given the option to finish and save your changes. The wizard will walk you through the tuning procedure (which we’ll discuss next) if you’re turning ClearType on or merely want to leave it on and tune it.
Tune ClearType for Your Display
When you enable the “Turn on ClearType” option in the ClearType Text Tuner and click “Next,” you’ll be able to fine-tune ClearType for your display. If you have more than one monitor, you’ll have the option of tuning all of them at once or just the one you choose. We’re just going to tune one monitor in this example because the tuner simply repeats the identical processes for each monitor you have. This screen will be hidden if you only have one monitor.
The tuner will begin by ensuring that the display is configured to its natural resolution. You’ll need to modify this first if it isn’t. Read our guide to using your monitor’s native resolution if you’re not sure how.
Following that, you’ll be brought through 4 or 5 screens (depending on your Windows version) where you’ll be asked to select the wording that appears best to you from a variety of options. Your current setting is highlighted, but you can click the example that appears best on each screen and then click “Next.” Simply use your best judgment and choose the option that feels most natural to you.
Click “Finish” after you’re finished. If you have more than one monitor and choose to tune them all, the following monitor will be tuned using the same processes as the previous monitor. Otherwise, the tuner will close and you’ll be done.
ClearType tuning can help you get the best-looking text on your screen. Even if you don’t have a problem with blurriness, you should go over the tuning choices to see whether you can improve your onscreen reading experience.
In this video, we are gonna show you how to to turn on or off ClearType Text Tuner for each display for your account in Windows 11/10:
That’s about it.
