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Clevertouch & interactive screensMedium2 min read

Blurry text or flickering picture on an interactive screen

Please note: this is independent guidance. Vision Tech is not affiliated with Clevertouch. Menus and features differ between models and software versions, so check your screen's own manual or on-screen help, and speak to your school IT team or supplier before changing admin-locked settings, updating firmware or doing a factory reset.

Text that looks soft, fuzzy or too small, or a picture that shimmers and flickers, is annoying on a big screen. These problems are usually caused by the resolution, the cable or the scaling, rather than a faulty screen.

Blurry text: check resolution

Many modern interactive screens have a 4K display, which is 3840 by 2160 pixels. If your laptop sends a lower resolution, such as 1920 by 1080, the picture is stretched and text can look soft.

  1. On Windows, right-click the desktop and choose Display settings.
  2. Look for Display resolution and choose the option marked recommended, or the highest available.
  3. On a Mac, open System Settings, go to Displays, and select the matching resolution.
  4. If everything is now tiny, increase the scale slightly to 150 percent or more until text is comfortable.

Some older screens are 1920 by 1080, and sending a higher resolution to them will not help. Check the model if you are not sure.

Check the cable and port

Use a good quality HDMI cable that supports 4K, and push it in firmly. Cheap or long cables can cause blur, sparkles or dropouts at high resolutions. Try a different cable if you can.

Flicker or shimmering

  • Try another HDMI cable or input.
  • Lower the refresh rate in your laptop's advanced display settings, for example from 60 Hz to 30 Hz if 4K is struggling.
  • Check nothing is pressing on the cable or pulling it sideways.
  • Try another laptop to see if the problem is the laptop or the panel.

Check the built-in picture too

Switch to the panel's own home screen. If that looks clear, the problem lies with the laptop connection rather than the panel.

Brightness and eye care

If the screen looks dull or yellow, check the brightness and any eye-care modes in the display settings.

When to get more help

Ask IT if the home screen itself is blurry, flicker appears in all inputs, or lines and patches appear on the screen. Take a photo or short video to show them.

Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.

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