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Add system unrecognized but monitor supported resolution in X
#!/bin/bash
# Copyright (c) 2021 Soumya Deb <debloper@gmail.com>
#
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
#
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
#
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
# AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
# OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
#
# ---
# Q: WHY IS THERE A COPYRIGHT NOTICE ON THIS SCRIPT?
# A: It had to be added on (a very reasonable) user request.
# https://gist.github.com/chirag64/7853413#gistcomment-3736041
# First we need to get the modeline string for xrandr
# Luckily, the tool `gtf` will help you calculate it.
# e.g. `gtf <hRes> <vRes> <refreshRate>`:
gtf 1920 1080 60
# In this case, the horizontal resolution is 1920px the
# vertical resolution is 1080px & refresh-rate is 60Hz.
# IMPORTANT: BE SURE THE MONITOR SUPPORTS THE RESOLUTION
# Typically, it outputs a line starting with "Modeline"
# e.g. "1920x1080_60.00" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -HSync +Vsync
# Copy this entire string (except for the starting "Modeline")
# Now, use `xrandr` to add a new display mode. Pass the
# copied string as the parameter to the --newmode option:
xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -HSync +Vsync
# Well, the string within the quotes is the nick/alias
# of the display mode - you can as well pass something
# as "MyAwesomeHDResolution". But, why though!?!
# Then all you have to do is to add the new mode to the
# display you want to apply, like this:
xrandr --addmode VGA1 "1920x1080_60.00"
# VGA1 is the display name, it might differ for you.
# Run `xrandr` without any parameters to be sure.
# The last parameter is the mode-alias/name which
# you've set in the previous command (--newmode)
# It should add the new mode to the display & apply it.
# If it doesn't apply automatically, force it with:
xrandr --output VGA1 --mode "1920x1080_60.00"
# That's it... Enjoy the new awesome high-res display!
# NOTE to make the change persistent over reboots:
# - save the script file (with the necessary changes)
# - run it at startup (search the web for "How To")
# Thanks for the feedback!
@mikeloveapple2
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Nice Job!

@jotisa
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jotisa commented Apr 1, 2018

It works great on Linux Mint 18 x64

@asdf5252
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Hello debloper,

It goes to previous resolution when I restart my system, Is there any permanent solution for setting resolution so that It does not go to previous resolution ?

@TejaswiGunti
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Hello, I am Tejaswi Gunti..

xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -HSync +Vsync
When I run the above command, it is throwing the error, " xrandr: unrecognized option '-newmode' ".. Can you please help me how to overcome the error/warning.. I connected Touch screen display to my PC via HDMI to VGA connector.. Some part of the screen(bottom) is missing i.e only 3/4th of the desktop screen is displayed on the touch screen

@krakankrakan
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Hello, I am Tejaswi Gunti..

xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -HSync +Vsync
When I run the above command, it is throwing the error, " xrandr: unrecognized option '-newmode' ".. Can you please help me how to overcome the error/warning.. I connected Touch screen display to my PC via HDMI to VGA connector.. Some part of the screen(bottom) is missing i.e only 3/4th of the desktop screen is displayed on the touch screen

Well it seems like you didn't copy the line correctly. It is '--newmode' instead of '-newmode'.

@namhoangle
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namhoangle commented Mar 22, 2020

Hi, I got this error in the last step:

nale@r-iibi021:~$ xrandr --output xrdp_0 --mode "1920x1080_60.00"
X Error of failed request: BadMatch (invalid parameter attributes)
Major opcode of failed request: 139 (RANDR)
Minor opcode of failed request: 7 (RRSetScreenSize)
Serial number of failed request: 25
Current serial number in output stream: 26

I googled for a while but found no explanation. You have any ideas what they mean?

@debloper
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@namhoangle from the output name, I'm guessing it's a remote desktop session. If that's the case, see if https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/90101/xrdp-custom-resolution-fedora-19 helps.

If that's not the case, the simplest assertion would be either

  • the resolution you're trying to set isn't available for the display
  • you're using an adapter (DVI, HDMI, DP) which often causes issues
  • you're using NVIDIA drivers, which has some history of causing issues.

Without knowing more about the relevant details of the system, it'll not be possible to pinpoint the issue.

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ghost commented Oct 2, 2020

how to save this change to make it working after reboot?

@teo1978
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teo1978 commented Oct 12, 2020

Oh, great, now I get an option with the desired resolution in the droptown to choose. However, when I apply it it has no effect, the screen still stays at 640x480.

Very useful!

@debloper
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@teo1978 for a person in their 40's you're awfully bitter. Hope you don't intend to spend the rest of your life as such. I'd recommend taking a moment to self-reflect. And if this seems like an unwarranted/unwanted advice, then congrats... I've been able to get my message across without resorting to passive-aggressive smugness or sarcasm.

If I was facing the same issue as yours, I'd check (in order):

  • if the monitor is rated for the resolution+refresh rate
  • the graphics processor is capable of delivering it, and
  • the frame-buffer throughput is sufficient to allow it.

I can't tell which one might be the problem, cause your comment didn't come with any useful diagnostic/troubleshooting information.

@chirag64
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chirag64 commented May 9, 2021

@anthroid
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anthroid commented Apr 1, 2022

how to save this change to make it working after reboot? @saviobabu @Mouhamouhy @asdf5252

To make it persistent, just add the resulting xrandr commands to your ~/.xprofile :

#!/bin/sh
xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00"  172.80  1920 2040 2248 2576  1080 1081 1084 1118  -HSync +Vsync
xrandr --addmode VGA1 "1920x1080_60.00"
xrandr --output VGA1 --mode "1920x1080_60.00"

@Vortigern-The-Grey
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I entered xrandr --newmode "1920x1080_60.00" 172.80 1920 2040 2248 2576 1080 1081 1084 1118 -HSync +Vsync
and it returned xrandr: Failed to get size of gamma for output default
What do I do?

@debloper
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@Vortigern-The-Grey I looked up the error and found this discussion: https://askubuntu.com/questions/441040/ - hopefully it helps.

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