DisplayPixels

How to Read Your Results

Full screen is the total pixel count your monitor hardware provides — for example 1920×1080 on a typical Full HD display, or 2560×1440 on a QHD gaming monitor. This number stays the same regardless of browser zoom or window size.

Viewport is the area the browser actually uses to draw web content. It is usually smaller than the full screen because the browser's address bar, bookmarks bar, and operating-system taskbar eat into the available space. Web developers target this number when writing CSS breakpoints and responsive layouts.

Device-pixel-ratio (DPR) tells you how many physical hardware pixels the screen packs into each CSS pixel. A DPR of 2 — common on MacBooks and flagship phones — means the display has four times as many physical pixels as the reported CSS resolution. That is why a MacBook with a 2560×1600 panel reports a viewport of roughly 1440×900 in CSS pixels: each CSS pixel maps to a 2×2 block of real pixels, producing sharper text and images.

Need to go deeper? Check your true pixels-per-inch, monitor refresh rate, or colour-depth and HDR support.

What Is Screen Resolution?

Screen resolution is the total number of pixels a display uses to create an image, expressed as width × height. A 1920×1080 screen (Full HD) has 2,073,600 individual pixels; a 4K screen at 3840×2160 has 8,294,400 — exactly four times as many. More pixels mean finer detail, smoother curves, and crisper text at the same physical screen size.

Resolution is not the same as screen size. A 27-inch monitor and a 15-inch laptop can both be 1920×1080, but the laptop will look sharper because its pixels are packed more tightly — it has a higher pixels-per-inch (PPI) value. For a deep dive, see the complete resolution guide.

Common Screen Resolutions in 2026

According to web-analytics data, 1920×1080 remains the most common desktop resolution worldwide, used by roughly 22% of all desktop visitors as of early 2026. Mobile devices cluster around 360–414 CSS pixels wide with DPR values of 2–3.

What Resolution Should You Choose?

Everyday browsing & office work: 1920×1080 (Full HD) on a 24-inch monitor is the sweet spot — affordable, widely supported, and sharp enough for documents and video calls.

Gaming: 2560×1440 at 144 Hz or higher is the current gamer favourite. It delivers noticeably sharper visuals than 1080p without demanding the extreme GPU power that 4K requires. Pair it with a high refresh rate for the smoothest experience.

Creative & professional work: 4K (3840×2160) or 5K gives photo editors, video producers, and 3D artists the pixel density needed to see fine detail at 1:1 zoom. Wide-gamut colour support (P3 / Adobe RGB) matters just as much as resolution here.

Mobile devices: Most flagship phones in 2026 ship with 1080×2400 (or similar) at DPR 3, providing over 400 PPI. Some flagships go up to 1440p or even 4K, though the extra pixels are mainly noticeable in VR headset use.

For Developers: Detecting Screen Size in JavaScript

If you build websites or web apps, here are the key browser APIs for reading display metrics:

// Full hardware screen
screen.width;   // e.g. 1920
screen.height;  // e.g. 1080

// Browser viewport (CSS pixels)
window.innerWidth;   // e.g. 1440
window.innerHeight;  // e.g. 810

// Device-pixel-ratio
window.devicePixelRatio;  // e.g. 2

// Listen for viewport changes
window.addEventListener('resize', () => {
  console.log(innerWidth, innerHeight);
});

For CSS breakpoints, you can generate a ready-to-paste @media block with our helper tool, or read more about responsive-design best practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between screen resolution and viewport?

Screen resolution is the total pixel grid of your display hardware (e.g. 1920×1080). The viewport is the subset of that space the browser uses to render web pages — it excludes the address bar, system taskbar, and any other chrome. Developers target the viewport when creating responsive designs.

Why is my viewport smaller than my screen?

Browser toolbars, bookmark bars, and the operating-system taskbar all reduce the drawable area. On mobile devices the viewport also depends on whether the address bar is visible or collapsed. To see the difference in real-time, try resizing your browser window and watch the "Viewport" number change above.

What does device-pixel-ratio mean?

DPR is the ratio of physical hardware pixels to CSS pixels. A DPR of 2 means each CSS pixel is rendered by a 2×2 grid of real pixels, producing sharper text and images. High-DPI screens (Retina, AMOLED flagships) typically have a DPR of 2 or 3.

How do I change my screen resolution?

Windows 11/10: Right-click the desktop → Display settings → Display resolution. macOS: System Settings → Displays → choose a scaled option or hold Option and click "Scaled" for the full list. Linux (GNOME): Settings → Displays → Resolution.

What resolution do most people use?

As of early 2026, 1920×1080 remains the single most common desktop resolution at roughly 22% market share, followed by 2560×1440 and 1366×768. On mobile, viewport widths of 360–414 CSS pixels dominate.

Is this tool accurate?

DisplayPixels reads values directly from the browser's JavaScript APIs (screen.width, window.innerWidth, devicePixelRatio). These are the same values that web developers use in code. Accuracy depends on correct display-driver configuration and browser zoom level (100% zoom gives the truest reading).