RealFrameDocs
In a session

Display modes

Fit, 1:1 and Stretch, and which one keeps text sharp.

The far screen rarely matches your window, so something has to give. These are the three answers.

Fitall of it, with barspan to see the rest1:1part of it, sharpStretchfills, squashed
The circle is the tell. Fit and 1:1 keep it round. Stretch does not.
ModeWhat it doesUse it forKey
FitShrinks it all to fit, keeps the shape, adds black barsSeeing everything⌘1
1:1One far pixel per your pixel, no scalingReading code and small text⌘2
StretchFills your window, ignores the shapeA glance at a dashboard⌘3

Scaling always softens fine detail. That is why 1:1 looks sharper: nothing is being resized.

Fullscreen

⌘F, or the toolbar button. Your display mode still decides what happens inside it.

Sharper text, in order

  1. Match the shapes. Resize your window closer to the far screen's shape. That removes a scaling step even in Fit.
  2. Use 1:1. No scaling at all. You pan to see the rest.
  3. Lower the far computer's resolution. Fewer pixels, more data each.
  4. Then think about speed. See picture quality.

On a Retina Mac the picture is already drawn at full pixel density.

Clicks landing in the wrong place

Each mode changes how a point in your window maps to the far screen.

  • Switch modes once and back.
  • In Fit, check you are not clicking a black bar. That is off-screen.
  • If the far computer changed resolution mid-session, reconnect.

More than one monitor

A computer with two screens sends its main one. Picking a different monitor is not available yet. Make the one you want the main one.

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