BetterDisplay

BetterDisplay is a macOS utility that lives in the menu bar and takes over the settings Apple leaves out of System Settings. The most used one is HiDPI scaling: it lets a 1440p or ultrawide monitor render at a sharp fractional scale instead of the blurry or tiny options macOS offers by default. Custom resolutions and refresh rates are added the same way, without editing plist files.

External monitors get real brightness and volume control. BetterDisplay talks to the monitor over DDC, the same protocol the monitor's own buttons use, so the Mac keyboard brightness keys adjust the panel backlight rather than a software overlay. Where DDC is not available it falls back to a software dimmer that can go darker than the hardware minimum.

XDR and HDR displays can be pushed past their standard brightness cap, and any display can be mirrored into a Picture in Picture window on the same Mac. Virtual screens create a display that does not physically exist, which is how headless Macs and remote-desktop sessions get a proper resolution.

Version 5.0.6 supports macOS 26 and 27 on Apple Silicon as well as Intel Macs. The .dmg is about 28.6 MB. Free features include scaling, resolutions and basic brightness control. Pro features such as multi-monitor sync, EDID overrides and automation through Shortcuts or the CLI work for 14 days, after which they require a perpetual license from the developer.