Download SwitchResX for Mac - Menu extra allows you to switch resolution of your monitor. MacUpdate.com

SwitchResX 4.2.7

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(8) 3.875

Menu extra allows you to switch resolution of your monitor. Shareware ($19)

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7.3 MB
Download Older Version
4.2 MB (vers. 3.8.7 - OS 10.4)
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Stephane Madrau

SwitchResX is a tool designed to manage resolutions of all your monitors. Here's a quick summary:

As standard features: it gives you access to most of your monitor settings within its customizable menus (in the Menu Bar or with a Contextual Menu Plugin [currently not working on Snow Leopard] on the Finder Desktop). SwitchResX incorporates features relative to the Monitor Resolution, Color Depth, Video Mirroring, Display Rotation, Display Overscan into one single utility.
Other useful features include saving desktop layout, ie positions of the icons on the desktop and

What's New

Version 4.2.7:

Allows to switch into billion of colors modes on Mac OS X 10.7.2 (if available)
Supports HiDPI modes again on Lion 10.7.1 and above (Apple did some changes in 10.7.1 that prevented SwitchResX to show these modes on 10.7.1 and above)
Solves a problem that prevented the program to change resolution on some 2011 Macs (example MacBookAir 2011)
Solves a bug that continuously prevented SwitchResX to save new resolutions after OS Upgrade (the program would report "Not installed" in the custom resolutions list)
Solves a bug that could prevent installation of the contextual menu and the extension on a fresh Lion install
Solves a bug that could crash the preferences application if this one was open and the daemon would quit

Version 4.2.7:

Allows to switch into billion of colors modes on Mac OS X 10.7.2 (if available)
Supports HiDPI modes again on Lion 10.7.1 and above (Apple did some changes in 10.7.1 that prevented SwitchResX to show these modes on 10.7.1 and above)
Solves a problem that prevented the program to change resolution on some 2011 Macs (example MacBookAir 2011)
Solves a bug that continuously more...

Requirements
PPC / Intel, Mac OS X 10.5 or later

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+2
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SwitchResX User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 4.x:

(8)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(22)

sort: smiles | time

-3

-115

Afcgbbob reviewed on 03 Oct 2011

Up front I HATE HAXIES!. But, since I have a G5 and will no longer be doing major system upgrades, I figured it was safe to try one. The only thing I did not like was the installation of APE behind my back. This is one reason I do not like this company and so does Apple. This I got from people in higher levels at Apple. They just do not approve of software that is placed in the system folder and affects the functionality of the system folder. I just cannot understand why they are so inept at making stand alone sw.

Anyhow I digress, SwitchResX is one of the few items they make that I have not found in any other program to do what it does and do it well. It gives you so many features to control your monitor that I have yet to find in any other sw. I have a LG N2051-W with an ATI Radeon X800 XP video card and after doing all the updates I am now able to run it at 1280 x 960 and a refresh rate of 75 HRZ. I can take it even higher but then the refresh rate would suffer. The reason I say this is because this monitor was not designed for this resolution and yet I am getting a perfect screen image and this first showed up in SWX first before showing in the Apple Monitor Preference. I still hate that it is a Haxie and cannot understand why it cannot be written as just a plain application. Why do you have to put your teeth into the system folder??? Apple does not approve of it and yet you just spit in their face and break the developer codes in making your haxies. Unless you are at a point with your Mac where you are no longer updating your system you need to be careful of using haxies. They can totally corrupt your system when a major system upgrade comes out and they had not updated their software. It had happened to me. A major system upgrade was trashed due to a haxie. All I can say is just be careful when you do a system upgrade if the haxie has not been upgraded for it. This comes from over 25 years of reviewing software on the Mac. End of Line...

PS: If anyone is looking for a Professional Mac writer please contact me at gameboybobataol.com

[Version 4.2.6]

1 Reply

+51

Martin replied on 21 Dec 2011

It’s not an easy thing to like haxies, but I’m happy that they exist on the Mac platform. Application Enhancer (APE) is only used when it is necessary as some coders have to work around limitations from Apple. Mac OS X doesn’t have any programming interfaces that allow you to do this kind of things with your graphics hardware. So it’s not possible to offer the features of SwitchRes X without an Haxie.

The only thing you need to take care of, is to wait some days after a mayor OS X update is released, so the haxie developers could update their apps. If you do this and have learned this once, you probably never have any problem with those tools. I use another one for over 4 years without a hitch and SwitchResX on a different Mac for two years – also without problems. Both Macs get their updates several days after the offical release dates, when the haxie updates are available.

-3

+56

Donmontalvo commented on 23 Jul 2011

So someone please explain how this $19.00 (actually $24.95 when we try to register) is any better than Display Maestro ($4.99)?

[Version 4.2.4]

2 Replies

+55

Mmueck replied on 27 Jul 2011

I own Display Meastro and ended up having to buy this because there is no way to change the resolution of my 17" MacBook Pro to 1440x900 in DM. DM only allows you to choose supported resolutions whereas SwitchResX allows you to create pretty much any resolution you want. I needed 1440x900 on my 1920x1200 MacBook Pro so that my mouse would seamlessly travel into and out of a lesser resolution external monitor. The makers of DM acknowledge this limitation and say they'll fix it one day. Note also that SwitchResX could definitely stand to have a better user interface...

+236

Nontroppo replied on 03 Oct 2011

Why don't you read the description? It clearly states what it does that DM doesn't, and features like display sets, desktop set management, key bindings and being able to create custom timing/resolution settings (which is why we've bought multiple copies, this is essential for vision research on Macs) make it unique software on OS X...

Justmed commented on 14 Jul 2011

The download link is for the older 4.2.3 version. I've also had a look on the developers site and the version shown there has also changed back to the older 4.2.3.

[Version 4.2.4]

2 Replies

+88

MacUpdate Warren replied on 14 Jul 2011

The dev's site does refer to 4.2.4 (http://www.madrau.com/download/latest/latest.html), but I am also seeing 4.2.3 in the file when I download it. Thanks for the heads up; we'll contact the developer to see if we can figure out what is going in!

+63

MacUpdate---Ryan replied on 14 Jul 2011

The download has been corrected. The dev had to make a few last minute changes to the release and temporarily took it down. Should be all set now :)

Mauromaitan commented on 29 Mar 2011

cannot download. The throughput form the website (through MacUpdate and directly), does not go over 205 bytes per second and download stops after a little while (my counter is saying it will take approx 13 hours to download).
Access to all other websites and downloads works a charm.
I am on a very fast connection.

thanks

[Version 4.2.3]

+54

Thomas1977 commented on 26 Mar 2011

Is there a way to lock a resolution AND graphics mode for Macbooks?

[Version 4.2.2]

-5

+11

Ben-Marko reviewed on 11 Feb 2011

Not sure what the utility is here. Resolution can be changed within System Preferences, and is it really worth $20 to save icon positions?

[Version 4.2.1]

3 Replies

+369

Fishscale replied on 11 Feb 2011

The app does much more than what display in system preferences can do. One bit is the fact that this can change your resolution to anything you define, you can control every small detail of your resolution, not just pick from the few choices apple gives you which of all of them 2-3 actually are usable. Download the app then you will see.

+235

Lvdoc replied on 26 Mar 2011

As an example, I have a MB Pro 17". I'm also older, so my eyes get strained easily even with reading glasses. Apple's default of 1920 X 1200 has proven to be just too small for me. (By small, I mean that fonts in the menu bar, finder windows, etc. are just too tiny to read without pain.) But 1680 X 1050 (the next default available) is too much compensation in the other direction. I don't need the fonts and such to be quite that large, and I don't like losing quite that much screen space. SwitchRes let me create something in between (1750 X 1094) that works just right. I've had no problems with SwitchRes in several years of using it.

+41

Dualie replied on 28 Mar 2011

I really love that I can make a short cut to change the menu bar to another desktop without the manual hassle of opening the Display preferences and dragging the bar to another screen. This alone made this worth the money.

+10

Andu reviewed on 16 Jan 2011

with this I could resolve an issue with an external Monitor at MacbookPro 17" (not unibody), that went black every now and then for about half a second:
Setting up both monitor with exactly 60 Hz removed the problem. Thanks.

[Version 4.2]

+41

Dualie reviewed on 18 Oct 2010

This seems to be the only solution out there for switching the menu bar to another display without manually dragging it in the Displays/Arrange preference pane. Kudos the S.Madrau for responding to my query about it. Though it doesn't (yet) toggle, there are options for both hot keys and a desktop contextual menu. Awesome.

[Version 4.1.8]

+41

Cortig reviewed on 12 Aug 2010

I love this application. It works like a charm for me.
I've had a few issues (crashes) witht eh previous version but the author was extremely responsive and the new version corrects all my problems (and more).

[Version 4.1.7]

+91

Ean reviewed on 12 Aug 2010

I use this to idiot-proof display resolution and configuration changes on a couple of workstations with very complicated video routing setups and it works like a champ. There are occasional oddities in the way active sets are displayed in the menu that come and go with different versions, but they've always only been cosmetic. Have never been able to get the desktop icon position features to work--probably because I wasn't willing to invest more than thirty seconds in figuring them out--but don't actually need them anyway. Being able to customize the menu, removing items I don't want users monkeying with is superb.

[Version 4.1.7]

Jlangman had trouble on 06 Sep 2010

Hi I downloaded the demo a while ago. I was hoping to get my old g5 to use the VGA input on my old pioneer 53" rear projection tv however I couldn't get it to work. Has anyone had any expeirence with this?

Thanks.
Jim

[Version 4.1.7]

1 Reply

Jlangman replied on 06 Sep 2010

Sorry for the double post.

Jlangman had trouble on 06 Sep 2010

[Version 4.1.7]

Macinspore rated on 08 Oct 2011

[Version 4.2.6]

+153

Gryphonent rated on 07 Sep 2011

[Version 4.2.4]

jmoretti rated on 29 Mar 2011

[Version 4.2.3]

Downloads:68,328

Version Downloads:3,306

Type:Utilities : System

License:Shareware

Date:21 Dec 2011

Platform:PPC / Intel

Price: $19.00

Overall (Version 4.x):

Features:

Ease of Use:

Value:

Stability:

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SwitchResX is a tool designed to manage resolutions of all your monitors. Here's a quick summary:

As standard features: it gives you access to most of your monitor settings within its customizable menus (in the Menu Bar or with a Contextual Menu Plugin [currently not working on Snow Leopard] on the Finder Desktop). SwitchResX incorporates features relative to the Monitor Resolution, Color Depth, Video Mirroring, Display Rotation, Display Overscan into one single utility.
Other useful features include saving desktop layout, ie positions of the icons on the desktop and positions of the windows of all open applications, and restore them automatically when the resolution is changed or when you plug or unplug an external monitor.
You can disable or deactivate a monitor without having to physically unplug it, allowing you to use a laptop in clamshell mode with external monitor, keyboard and mouse
Specialized features allow you to link your monitor settings with system events: Key shortcut pressed, Apple Scripts, Application launched.
Advanced features lets you create and enable new resolutions for your monitor, HDTV, Plasma or LCD screen or Video Projector. This advanced feature is very powerful for users requesting complete control over their display resolution.

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