A lightweight macOS menu bar app for switching display resolutions, with Shortcuts integration. Requires macOS 13+ (Ventura or later).

• Customizable Favorites: Configure your preferred display modes in Settings - comes with 22 default resolutions
• Smart Display: Current mode highlighted in bold blue, click display names to copy them
• Per-Display Submenus: All modes organized by display, filtered by refresh rate (≥60Hz by default)
• Shortcuts Integration: Dual-format support - use Settings format (2560,1440,60,true) or legacy (1920x1080@60)

Tip: System Settings > Displays can also list resolutions (Advanced → "Show resolutions as list").

For users who don't want to build from source:

1. Download the latest version DisplayModeMenu-v0.2.zip

2. Extract the zip file by double-clicking it

3. Move DisplayModeMenu.app to your /Applications folder

4. Allow the unsigned app (since this app is not code-signed):

   Easiest method: Remove quarantine (one-time):

   xattr -cr /Applications/DisplayModeMenu.app

   Then open normally.

   Alternative: Use System Settings

   • Try to open the app normally (double-click)
   • macOS will block it with "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"
   • Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security
   • Scroll down to the Security section
   • Click Open Anyway next to the DisplayModeMenu message
   • Click Open in the confirmation dialog

5. First Launch: The 🖥️ icon will appear in your menu bar

Note: This app is unsigned because it's open-source and not distributed through the Mac App Store. The source code is available for review, and you can build it yourself if preferred.

Requirements:

• macOS 13+ (Ventura or later) for development
• Xcode 14.0+ with Swift 5.7+ support
• macOS Command Line Tools (for make commands): xcode-select --install

Build Instructions:

• Script: run scripts/build_release.sh to build a Release app.
• Make: run make clean release from the repo root.
• Output: the app is written to ../displaymodemenu/build/Release/DisplayModeMenu.app.

Example:

make clean release

• Click the 🖥️ icon in the menu bar
• Favorites section (per display). Example:
  • 3840 x 2160 @ 60
  • 2560 × 1440 @ 60 [HiDPI]
  • 1920 × 1080 @ 60 [HiDPI]
• All Modes: each display has a submenu listing all modes
• Click on the resolution to change the display mode.
• Low resolution modes and minimum refresh rates can be set in the settingsfor the All Modes list
• Current mode(s) will be highlighted in bold, blue font.
• Favourites can be set in the app settings.
• Refresh Displays when displays are added or changed.

The app registers a "Set Display Mode" shortcut with dual-format support.

To create a shortcut that changes your display resolution:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your Mac
2. Click + to create a new shortcut
3. Search for "Set Display Mode" in the actions list
4. Add the action to your shortcut
5. Configure the parameters:
   • Resolution: Enter format like 2560,1440,60,true or 1920x1080@60
   • Display Name: Leave empty for main display, or enter specific display name
6. Name your shortcut (e.g., "Switch to 2560×1440")
7. Optionally assign a keyboard shortcut in the shortcut's info panel

Resolution (required): Supports two formats:

1. Settings Format (recommended for copy/paste):

   • Format: width,height,refreshRate,hiDPI
   • Example: 2560,1440,60,true
   • Copy directly from Settings window favorites

2. Legacy Format (backward compatible):

   • Format: WIDTHxHEIGHT[@REFRESH]
   • Example: 1920x1080@60

Display Name (optional):

• Leave empty for main display (shows as "Main Display" in Shortcuts)
• For multi-display setups, use disambiguated name like DELL U2723QE
• Tip: Click on the display name in the menu to copy it to your clipboard

Single display (Settings format: width,height,refreshRate,hiDPI):

Resolution: 2560,1440,60,true
Display Name: (empty)

Multi-display (Settings format: width,height,refreshRate,hiDPI):

Resolution: 1920,1080,60,true
Display Name: DELL U2723QE

Multi-display (Legacy format: widthxheight@refreshRate):

Resolution: 1920x1080@60
Display Name: DELL U2723QE

Copy/paste workflow:

1. Open Settings window in DisplayModeMenu
2. Copy a favorite resolution line (e.g., 2560,1440,60,true)
3. Create Shortcut with "Set Display Mode" action
4. Paste into Resolution parameter
5. Leave Display Name empty or specify display

Tips:

• For single-display setups, leave Display Name empty
• Tap on the Resolution or Display Name field to see helpful hints about format
• Invalid formats will show an error with examples
• Use Settings format (2560,1440,60,true) to copy directly from the app's Settings window

If you find DisplayModeMenu useful, consider buying me a coffee! ☕️

Or visit: buymeacoffee.com/kenyc

• This project was inspired by displaymode by p00ya (Apache 2.0)
• I vibe coded this implementation with a focus on a menu bar/Shortcuts experience because macOS 26 no longer list 2560x1440 as an default option for my DELL U2723QE.

• Licensed under Apache 2.0. See LICENSE.txt.
• Copyright 2025 Ken Ng.