Revolutionary Hack: Launch Apps in Low Resolution on Your Retina Mac to Boost Performance like Never Before!
As a Mac user, we are always looking for ways to improve our user experience. One of the best features of Mac is the Retina display, which offers stunning colors and sharp text. However, Retina displays can also put a strain on your system’s performance, especially if you are running apps that require a lot of resources. Fortunately, you can boost your Mac’s performance by launching apps in low resolution. Here is how you can do it.
What is Low Resolution?
Low Resolution is a setting that can reduce the number of pixels that an app uses when running on the Retina display. This can help to improve performance by reducing the amount of work that your Mac needs to do to render an app. In other words, it’s a way to make apps look less sharp but run smoother.
How to Enable Low Resolution Mode
- Go to System Preferences
- Click on Displays.
- Hold the Option key and click on the Scaled option at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the resolution you want to use.
Launching Apps in Low Resolution
Once you have enabled Low Resolution, you can launch apps in low resolution by simply right-clicking on the app’s icon and selecting Get Info. In the Get Info window, you will see an option called “Open in Low Resolution.” Check this option and then launch the app as usual. The app will now run in low resolution, which should help to improve its performance.
Benefits of Running Apps in Low Resolution
Improved performance: Low Resolution mode reduces the strain on your Mac’s resources by using fewer pixels, which can help to improve the app’s performance.
Faster load times: Apps that run in low resolution will load faster since they require fewer resources.
Better battery life: Running apps in low resolution can help to conserve your Mac’s battery since it uses less power to render images.
More comfortable viewing: Some users find that running apps in low resolution can be easier on their eyes than running them in high resolution.
Downsides of Running Apps in Low Resolution
Reduced image quality: Running apps in low resolution will make them look less sharp and less vibrant.
Some apps may not work properly: Some apps may not function properly when running in low resolution, especially if they rely heavily on high-resolution graphics.
Conclusion
If you are looking to boost your Mac’s performance and increase battery life, then launching apps in low resolution is definitely worth a try. It’s a simple hack that can make a big difference in how your apps perform. Just remember, there are downsides to this hack, so you should always weigh the benefits against the drawbacks before enabling it.
Most Mac machines that you buy these days come with a retina display that show’s the content on the screen far more sharper and crisper than a normal display. This is because retina displays have higher pixel-per-inch amount, so everything that you see on your screen is really very crisp and without any blurring.
While that is a really good thing for many of the apps on your Mac, there may be some apps on your machine that you would like to launch in low resolution rather than what the retina display offers. There may be several reasons why you want to do this, such as you have an external screen setup and would like an app to launch in low-resolution on that screen, as it is not necessary for it to launch in retina mode.
Running apps in low resolution also puts less workload on the GPU, and this should definitely help you get more life out of the GPU.
Here’s how you can go about launching an app in low resolution on your Mac.
Launch Apps in Low Resolution on a Retina Mac
Mac OS X comes with the feature to help you launch an app in low resolution mode, so you do not need a third-party app to do the job.
Go to wherever the app is located, most likely in the Applications folder.
Right-click on the app that you would like to open in low resolution mode, and select “Get Info” to bring forth the information dialog box for the app.
When the Get Info dialog box opens, you should see an option that says “Open in Low Resolution.”
What you need to do here is checkmark the box next to the option.
Close the Get Info dialog box after you have checkmarked the option.
Now, double-click on the app to launch it. You will immediately notice that it has launched in low resolution, as the images and the text in the app will look less sharp than what they were before.
Here, the first image you see below has been taken with low resolution, and the second one was taken with retina resolution. The difference is clear.
The most clear difference is in the text. Just look at the text in both images and you will notice that the Retina one has crisper text, whereas the other one’s text looks a little blurry. The difference is also visible at the corners of various shapes in the image.
While the mode will not work well for all apps, it will definitely work good for your chosen apps that you think do not require higher resolution.
Conclusion
If you have some apps on your Mac that you believe can work well even without the retina resolution, you can launch them in low resolution so that they are not heavy on the graphics card of your machine.
Mahesh Makvana is a freelance tech writer who’s written thousands of posts about various tech topics on various sites. He specializes in writing about Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android tech posts. He’s been into the field for last eight years and hasn’t spent a single day without tinkering around his devices.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
