How to Fix: Windows 10 Display (Black Border): Nvidia

Infopackets Reader Kim H. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I just upgraded to Windows 10 and my screen shrank with a big black border around it. Previously I was running Windows 7 and the screen fit fine on my monitor. I read your article, "How to Fix: Windows 10 Black Border (Shrinking Screen)," where you detailed how to manually adjust the video scaling options for Radeon video cards, so that the screen stretches all the way properly onto the monitor's edge. I have an Nvidia video card and was wondering if you had a similar fix so I can make Windows 10 fit properly onto my entire screen? "

My response:

When I originally wrote that article, there were no fixes for Nvidia cards. However, in the last week or so, Nvidia released an update to their video drivers which finally allows users to "adjust desktop size and position" (otherwise known as display scaling, or overscan, or similar). This effectively allows you to stretch the screen to fit onto the display as it should. The end result is that you will no longer have a black border around the edge.

How to Fix: Windows 10 Display (Black Border): for Nvidia Video Cards

You can adjust the desktop size and position (scaling / overscan) by doing the following:

1. First and foremost, download the latest graphics Nvidia driver from Nvidia's web site.
    
2. Once the driver has been installed, right click on an empty space on the desktop and select the Nvidia Control Panel option from the dialogue menu. If you don't see the Nvidia Control Panel option, then most likely your video card doesn't support GPU scaling at this time. The only option from here is to wait for another driver release (and hope that your video card is supported), or you can replace your video card with a newer model that properly supports Windows 10.
    
3. Assuming you've passed Step #2, a new window should appear with the title Nvidia Control Panel. On the left of the window, there will be multiple headings to choose from. Click the "Display" heading and then click the link that says "Adjust desktop size and position".
    
4. On the right of the window, the heading should now read "Adjust Desktop Size and Position". Under that, you will have two options. Option #1 will present a list of displays that look like little televisions; if you only have 1 display then it will already be selected; otherwise, click on the display that is giving you trouble.
    
5. Under Option #2, it should say "Apply the following settings:" and it will have the following radio buttons (sub-options): "Aspect Ratio", "Full-screen" and "No scaling". Try each radio button (one at a time), then click Apply, and see if that fixes the display so that it fits the entire screen. If it doesn't, then select the "Aspect Ratio" setting as your default, then click Apply and move onto the next step.
    
6. Next, click the "Size" tab near the "Apply the following settings:" heading. Following that, click the option which says "Enable desktop resizing", then click on the Resize button. A new window will appear with some sizing options. Try and make the white border fit around the edge of your screen.

If you are using an HDTV as your monitor, you may also need to adjust the Aspect Ratio on the HDTV itself. The HDTV should be set for "Just Scan" (if it is labeled as such). Otherwise, you may need to play with the Aspect Ratio on the HDTV to try and make the Nvidia scaling options plus the HDTV Aspect Ratio fit properly.

I hope that helps!

Additional 1-on-1 Support: From Dennis

If all of this is over your head, or you can't quite figure out how to make it work, I can connect to your computer and help set it up for you using my remote desktop support service. Simply contact me using the contact page and we'll set up a time to meet online.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.