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The resolution (in pixels by pixels) of your Mac’s display determines how much information you can fit on screen and how sharp the image is, so it’s important to know. If you run a full-screen game or application at native resolution, the image will look its best, so here’s how to find out what it is.

RELATED: Everything You Know About Image Resolution Is Probably Wrong

First, click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen, and select “About This Mac.”

In the window that pops up, click the “Displays” tab.

On the next screen, you will see information about the display (or displays) you have built-in or attached to your Mac.

The screen resolution is the set of numbers listed in parenthesis just after the size of the display. For example, the listing here says “27-Inch (2560 x 1440)” which means that the Mac in this image has a 27-inch display with a 2560 x 1140 pixel resolution.

(Note that “About This Mac” always show the native (ideal) resolution of the display regardless of the resolution settings in System Preferences.)

In the "About This Mac" Displays tab, you will see the resolution of your monitor on Mac.

If you have more than one display attached to your Mac, you will see all of them in this window. Here’s an example. With an external display, you’ll find its native resolution listed just under its name.

In the "About This Mac" Displays tab, you will see the resolution of your multiple monitors on Mac.

Now that you know your display’s native resolution, you can use it to run games at the best possible quality, find desktop wallpapers that fit your screen exactly, and more.

If you need to adjust your resolution settings, About This Mac makes it easy. Just click the “Displays Preferences” button in this window, and you’ll be taken directly to “System Preferences” where you can tweak your display settings to fit your needs.

RELATED: How to Select an Exact Display Resolution on Your Mac

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Benj Edwards is a former Associate Editor for How-To Geek. Now, he is an AI and Machine Learning Reporter for Ars Technica. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast.
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