- ⏰ 4 hours ago
- Alban Martin
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1
If you work on Mac with external displays having a “low” resolution, you have certainly already noticed that macOS does not allow you to choose a lower resolution while remaining “Retina”. Suddenly, you lose the fineness of display without exploiting the capacity of the monitor. But luckily, there is a free and easy software solution called BetterDummy that even allows other fancy stuff like PiP and Sidecar orientation on a connected iPad.
BetterDummy feigns macOS to customize resolution
BetterDummy helps you create and manage virtual screens for your Mac, create Picture in Picture windows of your screens, and easily manage your screen preferences from the menu bar.
As the developer reminds waydabber – real name Istvan Toth – Macs tend to have problems with custom resolutions. New M1 Macs are notorious for not allowing sub-4K resolution displays to have HiDPI (“Retina”) resolutions, although most 1440p displays would greatly benefit from a HiDPI “Retina” mode. On other models, the resolution options for widescreens are too limited. To solve these problems, some resort to purchasing a 4K HDMI dongle to trick macOS into thinking a 4K display is connected, then they mirror the contents of that dummy display to their real monitor in order to have HiDPI resolutions. Others use the built-in displays of their MacBooks as a mirror source. These approaches have obvious drawbacks and limitations.
BetterDummy solves the problem by creating a flexible “dummy” virtual display that supports an unprecedented range of Retina resolutions. You can then use this dummy screen as a mirror source for your screen which achieves any HiDPI resolution. Better, you can choose to embed it in your current screen, like PiP (Picture In Picture) or even modify Sidecar to operate vertically.
Here are the benefits of BetterDummy:
- Your HDMI port will remain usable for another display on the Mac Mini.
- Your internal display will be available as an extended space on a MacBook (or you can use clamshell mode).
- Doesn’t suffer from the issues that are prevalent with a physical screen.
- Offers a much wider range of HiDPI and standard resolutions.
- Works with all aspect ratios, does not depend on resolutions saved in monitor’s EDID/firmware.
- Available instantly.
Why use BetterDummy?
The app is useful for anyone who is unhappy with the default HiDPI resolutions offered by macOS.
Use remote Macs (servers) with any resolution and HiDPI mode.
Create a Picture in Picture window for any real or dummy screen. (Pro version)
Redirect the content of your screen (real or dummy) to another screen via streaming. (Pro version)
If you’re using a large TV up close, use the bottom half of your TV as a widescreen (off-center streaming). (Pro version)
Sidecar resolution scaling.
SideCar Portrait support. (Pro version)
Better quality zoom (System Preferences “Accessibility” “Zoom”) or high quality screenshots, even on 1080p displays.
Easily change the resolution of your real and fictional screens using a slider (or sub-menu) in the menu bar.
Simplify the creation of mirrored games. (Pro version)
Easily move screens relative to each other using the app menu. (Pro version)
Easily designate a screen as your primary screen.
Associate manikins to screens for automatic login/logout.
Support for hotkeys*
Mannequin customization (resolution, orientation, name) (Pro version)
Create a dummy optimized for real display (Pro version)
Part of the functions are now available in the BetterDummy Pro, the paid version.
Install and use BetterDummy
Facility
- Download the latest version from the official GitHub.
- Move the app to your Mac’s Applications folder.
- Launch the app.
- Use app menu bar item to interact.
Use
BetterDummy has many uses and many features, but most users tend to use it to create a dummy mirror to use custom resolutions on Apple Silicon machines. Follow the next steps to do this:
- Launch the app and find the apps menu (you will see a BetterDummy icon in the menu bar).
- In the application menu, locate the name of your screen and click on the Settings submenu below.
- Click on the Create Dummy for This Display option.
- In the window that opens, select Connect and Configure mirroring.
- It’s as simple as that. Then you should see your dummy screen mirrored on your screen where you can use the slider to quickly change the resolution.