Black borders around the edges of your monitor display can often be resolved by ensuring your graphics settings and drivers are correctly configured. The most common causes relate to either outdated display drivers or incorrect aspect ratio and scaling settings.
Here are the key steps to address black borders on your monitor:
1. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can sometimes cause display issues, including improper scaling that results in black borders. Updating your drivers ensures that your operating system communicates correctly with your graphics card and monitor.
Steps to Update Graphics Drivers (Windows):
- Right-click on the Start button in the taskbar.
- Select Device Manager from the menu.
- In the Device Manager window, expand the Display adapters section.
- Right-click on your graphics card (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce, AMD Radeon, Intel HD Graphics).
- Select Update driver from the context menu.
- Choose "Search automatically for drivers" and follow the on-screen instructions. Alternatively, you can select "Browse my computer for drivers" if you have downloaded the latest driver from the manufacturer's website.
2. Adjust Aspect Ratio and Scaling Settings
Incorrect aspect ratio or display scaling settings on your computer can cause the image to not fill the entire screen, resulting in black borders. These settings are typically managed through your graphics card's control panel.
Common Places to Find These Settings:
- NVIDIA Control Panel: Often found by right-clicking on the desktop. Look for options related to "Display," "Adjust desktop size and position," or "Scaling." Ensure the scaling is set to fill the entire screen or maintain the correct aspect ratio for your monitor's native resolution.
- AMD Adrenalin Software (formerly Catalyst Control Center): Similarly, right-click on the desktop or find it in the system tray. Look for "Display" settings, specifically "Scaling Mode" options (e.g., Full Panel, Preserve Aspect Ratio).
- Intel Graphics Control Panel/Command Center: Accessed via the desktop context menu or system tray. Find display or graphics settings and look for scaling or aspect ratio adjustments.
Practical Tips for Adjusting Settings:
- Set your display resolution to the monitor's native resolution (the recommended resolution for your specific monitor model).
- Experiment with different scaling options (e.g., Full Panel, Aspect Ratio, Centered) to see which one eliminates the border. "Full Panel" or similar options designed to fill the screen are often the solution.
- Ensure the display refresh rate is set correctly for your monitor.
By updating your graphics drivers and adjusting your display's aspect ratio and scaling settings, you can typically remove black borders and achieve a full-screen display.
