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July 27th, 2025 19:19
Frustrated: Fonts get blurry when moving mouse or keyboard arrows
Have a new Inspiron 16 Plus DB16250 connected to thunderbolt 4 pro smart dock and a ASUS PB278Q older (about 2012) monitor. Everything worked perfectly fine with my Latitude E6510 which I replaced. Now, randomly there is a brief blip on the monitor and I get this fuzzy text thing when I move the mouse or use arrows on the keyboard. The fonts get fuzzy for a second, then goes back to normal when I stop moving the mouse. When I work, I never have the laptop open, I only use the external display. After an event, if I unplug the laptop from the dock and plug it back in, the fonts clear up. Rebooting also resolves this. It only affects certain apps, like browsers, office, pdf's. It does not affect other types of installed apps, nor does it make file system folders appear blurry. I've installed every driver / firmware possible from Dell and Intel for both the laptop and the dock. It has Intel Arc graphics. I've replaced cables and have tried various combinations of Display Port and HDMI, both from the Dock and directly connected to the laptop, not even using the dock. Nothing makes any difference. Attaching a video of me moving the mouse and two screenshots, notice the work "Calendar" on the desktop does not get fuzzy. I do have the dock and monitor plugged into a surge protector.
DELL-Jesse L
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July 28th, 2025 07:31
Blurry fonts when moving the mouse or keyboard arrows is often related to display settings, specifically scaling and DPI. Adjusting the scaling to 100% or tuning ClearType text can improve font clarity. Additionally, ensure your video drivers are up-to-date and that your monitor's resolution is set to its native setting.
Detailed Explanation:
Scaling and DPI:
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High DPI (dots per inch) settings on high-resolution displays can sometimes cause older programs to appear blurry. Check your display settings and try setting the scaling to 100% or experimenting with other scaling options.
ClearType Text:
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ClearType is a feature designed to make text appear smoother on LCD screens. You can adjust ClearType settings to optimize font rendering for your specific display.
Video Drivers:
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Outdated or incompatible video drivers can also cause blurry fonts. Ensure your video drivers are updated to the latest version.
Monitor Resolution:
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Make sure your monitor is set to its native resolution. This is usually the highest resolution it supports and provides the best clarity.
Hardware Acceleration:
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In some cases, disabling hardware graphics acceleration in applications like Word can improve font clarity.
Safe Mode:
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Booting into Safe Mode with Networking can help isolate whether a background program is causing the issue.
Troubleshooting Steps:
1. Check Display Settings:
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Right-click on your desktop and select "Display settings". Adjust the scaling and resolution as needed.
2. Adjust ClearType:
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Search for "ClearType" in the Windows search bar and follow the instructions to tune ClearType text.
3. Update Video Drivers:
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Go to Device Manager, find your display adapter, right-click, and select "Update driver".
4. Disable Hardware Acceleration:
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If you are experiencing blurry text in a specific application, like Word, check the application's settings for an option to disable hardware graphics acceleration.
5. Boot into Safe Mode:
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If the issue persists, boot into Safe Mode with Networking to see if third-party software is interfering.
To receive assistance from Dell chat support, they need to verify the warranty status and ownership. Then you must troubleshoot with them. Click the "Get Help Now" icon on the right to start a live chat session. If already out of warranty, click here for the Dell out of warranty offering.
Cregg
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July 28th, 2025 21:49
@DELL-Jesse L Thanks, I've done everything you mentioned. Note; this occurs randomly. Not always blurry and cannot reproduce at will. Also, not a single app, but apps that run in web browsers are the ones affected the most. For example Notepad is not affected, but Office is. Also, when I open up the laptop it resolves the fuzzy fonts. Something is losing sync between the laptop and the monitor. Happens after a very brief blip of darkness.