High Resolution Monitor Configuration in the MPLAB® X IDE

When using MPLAB^® X IDE on high Dots per Inch (DPI) / Ultra High Definition (UHD) monitors, there may be issues.

Because MPLAB X IDE is based on the NetBeans platform, some issues may stem from the way NetBeans works on the high DPI monitors:

• Bug 252452 - HiDPI resolution of 3840x2160
• NetBeans IDE scaling on Windows 8/10

Also, system graphics drivers and even the Java Run-Time Environment (JRE) could be part of the issue.

See some solutions below.

Change Interface Settings

If the MPLAB X IDE desktop looks “fuzzy”, modify the interface behavior.

• To change default options:
  1. Find the mplab_ide.conf file under <MPLAB X IDE install directory>\mplab_platform\etc.
  2. Open the file in an editor and find default_options=.
  3. Insert -J-Dsun.java2d.dpiaware=false into the string and save.
  4. Restart MPLAB X IDE.
• To override scaling behavior:
  1. Right click on a shortcut, such as the desktop icon, or an executable file (mplab_ide.exe or mplab_ide64.exe) and select Properties. Find the IDE executables under <MPLAB X IDE install directory>\mplab_platform\bin.
  2. Click on the Compatibility tab of the Properties dialog.
  3. In the Settings section, select an option worded as Override High DPI scaling behavior.
  4. Restart MPLAB X IDE.

Change Font Size

• To set the basic font size, use the following executable option: -fontsize=size, where size is in points. See also: FaqFontSize.
• To clear font settings: erase, rename, or move the cache and/or user directories (see Help > About for locations). Then restart MPLAB X IDE.