v1.2.7

About this version

This service release contains fixes for some of the issues found in the previous v1.2.6 version.

• Fixed: Third party external display HDR upscaling does not activate - #715
• Fixed: Some settings are not enabled until an other setting is changed on that specific pref pane - #716
• Fixed: Brightness OSD is not visible on dummy screen when it is being mirrored to a real screen (regression) - #655
• Fixed: If native media keys used during display configuration, keys might get stuck afterwards - #725

As a refresher, the previous version introduced some major changes:

• BetterDummy is now BetterDisplay
• Native smooth resolution scaling - have a flexible scaled resolution slider on Apple Silicon even without a dummy!
• XDR/HDR upscaling - unlock the full brightness of your Apple XDR or third party HDR displays!
• Custom resolutions - create any number of native custom HiDPI resolutions on Apple Silicon! Redefine the native and default resolutions!
• Brightness control - control the brightness of your internal and external displays - all methods (native, DDC, colortable, overlay) supported. Also change color temperature, gamma, gain, contrast, color gain. Supports DDC audio volume control.

Click here for a detailed changelog of v1.2.x versions

Changes in v1.2.7

• Fixed: Third-party external display HDR upscaling does not get activated - #715
• Fixed: Some settings are not enabled until an other setting is changed on that specific pref pane - #716
• Fixed: Brightness OSD is not visible on dummy screen when it is being mirrored to a real screen (regression) - #655
• Fixed: If native media keys used during display configuration, keys might get stuck afterwards - #725

Changes in v1.2.6

• Less intrusive alternative for the permissions problem alert dialog - #699
• Emphasize the display header under Displays - #704
• Display reconfiguarion app menu icon - #703
• Fixed: Newly connected display with smooth scaling enabled is not detected properly - 694
• Fixed: Ambient light sensor induced XDR macOS battery drain issue - #702

Changes in v1.2.5c-beta

• Fixed: Some text in settings is cut off - #683
• Fixed: Display configuration is editable for DisplayLink connected displays (which don't support this feature) - #681
• Fixed: Keyboard brightness control does not work when hardware control is disabled in the latest beta - #679
• Fixed: With combined brightness, when the brightness is decresed to zero externally for Apple displays, external controls can't recover the brightness - #687
• Fixed: The resolution list in simple mode should show only resolutions for the current refresh rate - #686
• Fixed: (Suggestion) Reverse resolution list in submenu to show high resolutions first - #684
• Fixed: Resolution slider always falls short of fully reaching the end even at 100% - #685
• Fixed: Resolution slider changes to Low resolution when the max value was set once - #682

Changes in v1.2.5b-beta

• Added option Reset color table on neutral settings + explanation - #644
• Added cool option to show hw/sw subsliders when combined brightness is enabled
• Fixed: menu blocks cannot be collapsed and some other display or dummy related settings cannot be changed - #666
• Fixed: resolution slider is missing issues - #665
• Fixed: corrupt system configuration when the display is in a rotated during the procedure - #665
• Fixed: brightness OSD is not visible on dummy screen when it is being mirrored to a real screen - #655

Changes in v1.2.5a-beta

• App rebranding (in progress) - #641
• Added feature to manage display system configuration - #645
• Added feature to allow smooth resolution slider for displays - requires Pro - #645
• Added feature to override various display data (display name, native resolution, default resolution) - #645
• Added feature to add custom scaled resolutions to native displays - #645
• Add option to have only resolutions in the resolution slider that matches/approximates native aspect ratio - #658
• Added option to show resolution slider as percentage for smoothly-scaled displays - #660
• Added support for M2 Macbook Air - #656
• Added support for macOS 13 Ventura - #664
• Added a way to show some technical info about the displays for troubleshooting - #650
• Fixed: v1.2.4 and v1.1.24 regression in terms of handing display UUIDs - #662

Changes in v1.2.4-beta

• Added option to show slider labels - #630
• Added an option under Preferences/General to enable/disable all brightness related display control functionality - #628
• Added option to disengage from F14/F15 keys - #629
• Create a Displays tab for various display related settings - #603
• Preferences tab should be reorganized to look consistent (scrolling type) - #621 opened 5 days ago by waydabber
• Startup in safe mode should not restore previous brightness and color adjustment settings - #620
• A proper prompt to gain Accessibility Privilege for media key control upon startup - #613
• Streaming status should be shown in app menu just like mirroring - #619
• Update combined brightness slider/keyboard control state for Apple screens when brightness is changed outside of the app - #602
• Fixed: "Make fine scale default" for brightness control is at a wrong place in Preferences - #626
• Fixed: XDR upscale should not be activated on EDR capable non-XDR Apple displays - #622
• Fixed: Brightness keyboard shortcuts should not affect dummy screens directly but only non-dummy mirror or stream target displays - #616
• Fixed: DDC Volume slider does not zero on mute + app forgets mute state after restart - #605
• Fixed: Combined brightness sub-hw-zero-dimming and XDR upscale switching points should always correspond to a full OSD chiclet - #618
• Fixed: Full screen stream can be resized by clicking on the top/bottom/left/right border of the stream target screen - #617
• Fixed: Oversaturation when changing between combined and not combined color controls for upscaled Apple XDR displays - #614
• Fixed: Night Shift should be turned back off when it was turned off by activating HDR mode from app-menu - #606
• Fixed: Custom keyboard shortcuts don't work when app Menu is open - #596
• Fixed: Resolution menu/slider is a wreck for some real displays in Monterey 12.4 - #601 opened 11 days ago by waydabber
• Fixed: Resolution issue with app-created dummies optimized for the new 14" and 16" macbook pro screens and some other displays - #581

Changes in v1.2.3-beta

• Added various options to manage brightness control methods - #599
• Combined keyboard control of hardware (Apple, DDC) brightness, software dimming and XDR/HDR upscale - #589
• Combined hardware brightness, software dimming, XDR/HDR upscale slider - #588
• Additional options to define keyboard control target screen - #587
• Advanced options for native keyboard control for brightness and audio - #586
• Implement Apple native key support for brightness and volume - #583
• Added fine scale brightness/volume control for custom keyboard shortcuts - #585
• Brightness and color control smooth transitions - #547
• Implement DDC Mute control for external displays - #582
• Implement DDC Volume control for external displays - #580
• Implement DDC brightness control for external displays - #515
• Implement Apple brightness control - #516
• Make the contents of general Tools menu block configurable - #571
• Option to match menu icon with main display icon - #593
• Fixed: Display name suffixes might get messed up with multiple displays of same name - #594
• Fixed: Slider graphics and text colors are somewhat off with some backgrounds - #572

Changes in v1.2.2-beta

• Added color temperature adjustment slider (especially useful for TVs that are incompatible with Night Shift) - #555
• Added contrast control - #566
• Add gain option to squeeze out some more nits or improve brightness when watching a dark movie - #561
• Added R/G/B tint (gamma) control for... I don't know - why not? - #560
• HDR/XDR brightness upscale setting is now remembered permanently, don't need to toggle it all the time - #557
• Added Night Shift controls to the menu (so you don't have to look for that deeply hidden nightshift slider anymore in System Preferences) - #548
• Added keyboard shortcut options for Night Shift and color temperature - #556
• Added option to auto-disable Night Shift when reference HDR mode is enabled on an external display in the app menu - #554
• Added option to reset all color adjustments - #564
• Restore last applied brightness/color adjustments upon reconnect/restart - #563
• Redesign the bottom part of the menu - #567
• Fixed: App keeps forgetting I have a license - update Paddle SDK to 4.3.0 - #558
• Fixed: After resetting the app in Preferences no items appear under the display in the menu - #565
• Fixed: Dimming overlay (Sidecar, Dummy, AirPlay, DisplayLink) not resized properly on resolution change - #551
• Fixed: Enabling HDR/XDR Upscale makes brightness slider disappear - #568
• Fixed: Max dummy resolution gets limited when switching to portrait mode - #559

Changes in v1.2.1-beta

• Updated menu appearance, persistent collapsible display/dummy menu blocks - #546
• Gamma correction slider (you can enable it under Preferences/Appearance) - #525
• Overlay dimming for virtual displays, Sidecar/AirPlay and DisplayLink - #513
• System OSD shown for keyboard shortcut induced brightness changes
• Custom keyboard shortcut for brightness, gamma, HDR upscale and adjustments reset - #521
  Note: Apple keyboard native keys support not added yet!
• Updated Appearance and Keyboard shortcuts tab - #536
• Config...

v1.2.6

About this version

The app has a new name. Say hello to BetterDisplay!

• It's not just the about name, the app has some cool new features as well (see below)!
• Those who upgrade from BetterDummy via the built-in updater will see the app icon changed but the app name will remain unchanged in the Applications folder. All existing features work the same!
• The app works with your existing Pro license, no need to purchase a new license!
• Of course the existing free features and many of the new features are available completely free!

Some of the exciting new features compared to the previous stable version:

• BetterDummy is now BetterDisplay!
• Native smooth resolution scaling - have a flexible scaled resolution slider on Apple Silicon even without a dummy! *
• Custom resolutions - create any number of native custom HiDPI resolutions on Apple Silicon! Redefine the native and default resolutions!
• Brightness control - control the brightness of your internal and external displays - all methods (native, DDC, colortable, overlay) supported!
• XDR/HDR upscaling - unlock the full brightness of your Apple XDR or third party HDR displays! *
• Change the audio volume of your external display via DDC.
• Use native Apple keyboard brightness/volume key support with native OSD.
• Color temperature, gamma, gain, contrast and color control. *
• Various improvements and bug-fixes (see detailed changelog).

Some or all aspect of the features marked with an asterisk (*) require a Pro license.

Note to beta users: the app is marked as stable so after upgrading to this, you'll not receive further beta updates unless Receive beta updates is enabled under Settings/General.

Click here for a detailed changelog of v1.2.x versions

Changes in v1.2.6

• Less intrusive alternative for the permissions problem alert dialog - #699
• Emphasize the display header under Displays - #704
• Display reconfiguarion app menu icon - #703
• Fixed: Newly connected display with smooth scaling enabled is not detected properly - 694
• Fixed: Ambient light sensor induced XDR macOS battery drain issue - #702

Changes in v1.2.5a/b/c

• rev. c - Fixed: Some text in settings is cut off - #683
• rev. c - Fixed: Display configuration is editable for DisplayLink connected displays (which don't support this feature) - #681
• rev. c - Fixed: Keyboard brightness control does not work when hardware control is disabled in the latest beta - #679
• rev. c - Fixed: With combined brightness, when the brightness is decresed to zero externally for Apple displays, external controls can't recover the brightness - #687
• rev. c - Fixed: The resolution list in simple mode should show only resolutions for the current refresh rate - #686
• rev. c - Fixed: (Suggestion) Reverse resolution list in submenu to show high resolutions first - #684
• rev. c - Fixed: Resolution slider always falls short of fully reaching the end even at 100% - #685
• rev. c - Fixed: Resolution slider changes to Low resolution when the max value was set once - #682
• rev. b - Added option Reset color table on neutral settings + explanation - #644
• rev. b - Added cool option to show hw/sw subsliders when combined brightness is enabled
• rev. b - Fixed: menu blocks cannot be collapsed and some other display or dummy related settings cannot be changed - #666
• rev. b - Fixed: resolution slider is missing issues - #665
• rev. b - Fixed: corrupt system configuration when the display is in a rotated during the procedure - #665
• rev. b - Fixed: brightness OSD is not visible on dummy screen when it is being mirrored to a real screen - #655
• App rebranding (in progress) - #641
• Added feature to manage display system configuration - #645
• Added feature to allow smooth resolution slider for displays - requires Pro - #645
• Added feature to override various display data (display name, native resolution, default resolution) - #645
• Added feature to add custom scaled resolutions to native displays - #645
• Add option to have only resolutions in the resolution slider that matches/approximates native aspect ratio - #658
• Added option to show resolution slider as percentage for smoothly-scaled displays - #660
• Added support for M2 Macbook Air - #656
• Added support for macOS 13 Ventura - #664
• Added a way to show some technical info about the displays for troubleshooting - #650
• Fixed: v1.2.4 and v1.1.24 regression in terms of handing display UUIDs - #662

Changes in v1.2.4

• Added option to show slider labels - #630
• Added an option under Preferences/General to enable/disable all brightness related display control functionality - #628
• Added option to disengage from F14/F15 keys - #629
• Create a Displays tab for various display related settings - #603
• Preferences tab should be reorganized to look consistent (scrolling type) - #621 opened 5 days ago by waydabber
• Startup in safe mode should not restore previous brightness and color adjustment settings - #620
• A proper prompt to gain Accessibility Privilege for media key control upon startup - #613
• Streaming status should be shown in app menu just like mirroring - #619
• Update combined brightness slider/keyboard control state for Apple screens when brightness is changed outside of the app - #602
• Fixed: "Make fine scale default" for brightness control is at a wrong place in Preferences - #626
• Fixed: XDR upscale should not be activated on EDR capable non-XDR Apple displays - #622
• Fixed: Brightness keyboard shortcuts should not affect dummy screens directly but only non-dummy mirror or stream target displays - #616
• Fixed: DDC Volume slider does not zero on mute + app forgets mute state after restart - #605
• Fixed: Combined brightness sub-hw-zero-dimming and XDR upscale switching points should always correspond to a full OSD chiclet - #618
• Fixed: Full screen stream can be resized by clicking on the top/bottom/left/right border of the stream target screen - #617
• Fixed: Oversaturation when changing between combined and not combined color controls for upscaled Apple XDR displays - #614
• Fixed: Night Shift should be turned back off when it was turned off by activating HDR mode from app-menu - #606
• Fixed: Custom keyboard shortcuts don't work when app Menu is open - #596
• Fixed: Resolution menu/slider is a wreck for some real displays in Monterey 12.4 - #601 opened 11 days ago by waydabber
• Fixed: Resolution issue with app-created dummies optimized for the new 14" and 16" macbook pro screens and some other displays - #581

Changes in v1.2.3

• Added various options to manage brightness control methods - #599
• Combined keyboard control of hardware (Apple, DDC) brightness, software dimming and XDR/HDR upscale - #589
• Combined hardware brightness, software dimming, XDR/HDR upscale slider - #588
• Additional options to define keyboard control target screen - #587
• Advanced options for native keyboard control for brightness and audio - #586
• Implement Apple native key support for brightness and volume - #583
• Added fine scale brightness/volume control for custom keyboard shortcuts - #585
• Brightness and color control smooth transitions - #547
• Implement DDC Mute control for external displays - #582
• Implement DDC Volume control for external displays - #580
• Implement DDC brightness control for external displays - #515
• Implement Apple brightness control - #516
• Make the contents of general Tools menu block configurable - #571
• Option to match menu icon with main display icon - #593
• Fixed: Display name suffixes might get messed up with multiple displays of same name - #594
• Fixed: Slider graphics and text colors are somewhat off with some backgrounds - #572

Changes in v1.2.2

• Added color temperature adjustment slider (especially useful for TVs that are incompatible with Night Shift) - #555
• Added contrast control - #566
• Add gain option to squeeze out some more nits or improve brightness when watching a dark movie - #561
• Added R/G/B tint (gamma) control for... I don't know - why not? - #560
• HDR/XDR brightness upscale setting is now remembered permanently, don't need to toggle it all the time - #557
• Added Night Shift controls to the menu (so you don't have to look for that deeply hidden nightshift slider anymore in System Preferences) - #548
• Added keyboard shortcut options for Night Shift and color temperature - #556
• Added option to auto-disable Night Shift when reference HDR mode is enabled on an external display in the app menu - #554
• Added option to reset all color adjustments - #564
• Restore last applied brightness/color adjustments upon reconnect/restart - #563
• Redesign the bottom part of the menu - #567
• Fixed: App keeps forgetting I have a license - update Paddle SDK to 4.3.0 - #558
• Fixed: After resetting the app in Preferences no items appear under the display in the menu - #565
• Fixed: Dimming overlay (Sidecar, Dummy, AirPlay, DisplayLink) not resized properly on resolution change - #551
• Fixed: Enabling HDR/XDR Upscale makes brightness slider disappear - #568
• Fixed: Max dummy resolution gets limited when switching to portrait mode - #559

Changes in v1.2.1

• Updated menu appearance, persistent collapsible display/dummy menu blocks - #546
• Gamma correction slider (you can enable it under Preferences/Appearance) - #525
• Overlay dimming for virtual displays, Sidecar/AirPlay and DisplayLink - #513
• System OSD shown for keyboard shortcut induced brightness changes
• Custom keyboard shortcut for brightness, gamma, HDR upscale and adjustments...

v1.2.5

About this version

Finally! Native smooth scaling and HiDPI for your displays on Apple Silicon

At last, what many of you've been waiting for! There is now an option in the app to enable a smooth HiDPI resolution scaling on Apple Silicon for internal displays and natively connected external displays. This means you do not have to create a dummy and mirror it to your main screen simply to have flexible HiDPI resolutions and a resolution slider.

• This also fixes a host of issues for those who simply want flexible resolutions - high refresh rate, Apple TV/HDCP content, sleep issues.
• The smooth resolution scaling feature also works with the notch for the new MBPs and the new MBA.
• Please note that the smooth resolution scale is a Pro feature and it might still have bugs so if it does not work on your setup, please let me know (on the Discord channel or open an Issue). The feature was tested on Apple Silicon.
• While at it, I also added some other nifty features - you can now override you real display's name, native resolution, default resolution and also add your own custom scaled HiDPI resolutions on Apple Silicon. These are available for free for the benefit of all.
• When correctly set up, you should see a super flexible resolution scaling slider (if resolution slider is not disabled) for your affected displays in the app menu (just like if they were dummies - but they are not!).
• To enable the feature, simply navigate to the Displays section in Preferences, enable the Edit and manage the system configuration of this display feature first under a suitable display, and then enable the Allow smooth resolution scale option just below it as it appears. If you did this for all the relevant displays, click on the Apply System Display Configuration button at the bottom of the screen, enter your admin password and then reboot:
• Please note that the smooth scaling feature works on macOS Monterey 12.4 or 12.5 beta and also macOS 13 Ventura and the upper limit of the flexible resolutions is the pixel-doubled native resolution of the display (so for a 1440p display it maxes out at 1440p HiDPI). The feature works only for natively connected (USB-C/DisplayPort, HDMI) and internal displays. For Sidecar, DisplayLink or if you want higher-than-native resolutions (for extra screen real estate) you still need dummy mirroring for flexible scaling on Apple Silicon.

Say hello to BetterDisplay!

An other major news is the fact that the app is being rebranded from BetterDummy to BetterDisplay. This process is not 100% completed (see the progress here), but this build has a new app icon, menu bar icon and the labels inside the app now reflect this upcoming change.

• For those who use the built-in updater to update, the app will retain the name BetterDummy in the Application folders to avoid (or foster?) confusion. :)

Detailed change log

Changes in v1.2.5a/b/c

• rev. c - Fixed: Some text in settings is cut off - #683
• rev. c - Fixed: Display configuration is editable for DisplayLink connected displays (which don't support this feature) - #681
• rev. c - Fixed: Keyboard brightness control does not work when hardware control is disabled in the latest beta - #679
• rev. c - Fixed: With combined brightness, when the brightness is decresed to zero externally for Apple displays, external controls can't recover the brightness - #687
• rev. c - Fixed: The resolution list in simple mode should show only resolutions for the current refresh rate - #686
• rev. c - Fixed: (Suggestion) Reverse resolution list in submenu to show high resolutions first - #684
• rev. c - Fixed: Resolution slider always falls short of fully reaching the end even at 100% - #685
• rev. c - Fixed: Resolution slider changes to Low resolution when the max value was set once - #682
• rev. b - Added option Reset color table on neutral settings + explanation - #644
• rev. b - Added cool option to show hw/sw subsliders when combined brightness is enabled
• rev. b - Fixed: menu blocks cannot be collapsed and some other display or dummy related settings cannot be changed - #666
• rev. b - Fixed: resolution slider is missing issues - #665
• rev. b - Fixed: corrupt system configuration when the display is in a rotated during the procedure - #665
• rev. b - Fixed: brightness OSD is not visible on dummy screen when it is being mirrored to a real screen - #655
• App rebranding (in progress) - #641
• Added feature to manage display system configuration - #645
• Added feature to allow smooth resolution slider for displays - requires Pro - #645
• Added feature to override various display data (display name, native resolution, default resolution) - #645
• Added feature to add custom scaled resolutions to native displays - #645
• Add option to have only resolutions in the resolution slider that matches/approximates native aspect ratio - #658
• Added option to show resolution slider as percentage for smoothly-scaled displays - #660
• Added support for M2 Macbook Air - #656
• Added support for macOS 13 Ventura - #664
• Added a way to show some technical info about the displays for troubleshooting - #650
• Fixed: v1.2.4 and v1.1.24 regression in terms of handing display UUIDs - #662

Changes in v1.2.4

• Added option to show slider labels - #630
• Added an option under Preferences/General to enable/disable all brightness related display control functionality - #628
• Added option to disengage from F14/F15 keys - #629
• Create a Displays tab for various display related settings - #603
• Preferences tab should be reorganized to look consistent (scrolling type) - #621 opened 5 days ago by waydabber
• Startup in safe mode should not restore previous brightness and color adjustment settings - #620
• A proper prompt to gain Accessibility Privilege for media key control upon startup - #613
• Streaming status should be shown in app menu just like mirroring - #619
• Update combined brightness slider/keyboard control state for Apple screens when brightness is changed outside of the app - #602
• Fixed: "Make fine scale default" for brightness control is at a wrong place in Preferences - #626
• Fixed: XDR upscale should not be activated on EDR capable non-XDR Apple displays - #622
• Fixed: Brightness keyboard shortcuts should not affect dummy screens directly but only non-dummy mirror or stream target displays - #616
• Fixed: DDC Volume slider does not zero on mute + app forgets mute state after restart - #605
• Fixed: Combined brightness sub-hw-zero-dimming and XDR upscale switching points should always correspond to a full OSD chiclet - #618
• Fixed: Full screen stream can be resized by clicking on the top/bottom/left/right border of the stream target screen - #617
• Fixed: Oversaturation when changing between combined and not combined color controls for upscaled Apple XDR displays - #614
• Fixed: Night Shift should be turned back off when it was turned off by activating HDR mode from app-menu - #606
• Fixed: Custom keyboard shortcuts don't work when app Menu is open - #596
• Fixed: Resolution menu/slider is a wreck for some real displays in Monterey 12.4 - #601 opened 11 days ago by waydabber
• Fixed: Resolution issue with app-created dummies optimized for the new 14" and 16" macbook pro screens and some other displays - #581

Changes in v1.2.3

• Added various options to manage brightness control methods - #599
• Combined keyboard control of hardware (Apple, DDC) brightness, software dimming and XDR/HDR upscale - #589
• Combined hardware brightness, software dimming, XDR/HDR upscale slider - #588
• Additional options to define keyboard control target screen - #587
• Advanced options for native keyboard control for brightness and audio - #586
• Implement Apple native key support for brightness and volume - #583
• Added fine scale brightness/volume control for custom keyboard shortcuts - #585
• Brightness and color control smooth transitions - #547
• Implement DDC Mute control for external displays - #582
• Implement DDC Volume control for external displays - #580
• Implement DDC brightness control for external displays - #515
• Implement Apple brightness control - #516
• Make the contents of general Tools menu block configurable - #571
• Option to match menu icon with main display icon - #593
• Fixed: Display name suffixes might get messed up with multiple displays of same name - #594
• Fixed: Slider graphics and text colors are somewhat off with some backgrounds - #572

Changes in v1.2.2

• Added color temperature adjustment slider (especially useful for TVs that are incompatible with Night Shift) - #555
• Added contrast control - #566
• Add gain option to squeeze out some more nits or improve brightness when watching a dark movie - #561
• Added R/G/B tint (gamma) control for... I don't know - why not? - #560
• HDR/XDR brightness upscale setting is now remembered permanently, don't need to toggle it all the time - #557
• Added Night Shift controls to the menu (so you don't have to look for that deeply hidden nightshift slider anymore in System Preferences) - #548
• Added keyboard shortcut options for Night Shift and color temperature - #556
• Added option to auto-disable Night Shift when reference HDR mode is enabled on an external...

v1.1.24

About this version

This stable version is mostly about bug fixes - it contains all relevant fixes from the latest v1.2.x beta version (which is still under development). Some new functionality and an updated appearance was also carried over from the v1.2.x version. The new advanced display control features (brightness, color control, hardware management, XDR/HDR brightness upscaling (beyond 100% brightness), DDC control, display volume control) are not present in this version - if you want to use these, please download the latest v1.2.x beta build.

Changes in v1.1.24 (compared to the previous stable version v1.1.12)

• Added Night Shift slider/control to Tools menu - #548
• Added keyboard shortcut for Night Shift - #556
• Added option to auto-disable Night Shift when enabling HDR - #554
• Added option to show submenu toggles at main menu level - #531
• Added option to match menu icon with main display icon - #593
• Improved slider graphics and text colors - #572
• Introduced new configurable Tools menu block - #567, #571
• Improved menu usability + collapsible menu blocks - #546
• Streaming status is shown in app menu (like mirroring) - #619
• Reorganized Preferences tab - #621, #536
• Option to add slider labels - #630
• Fixed: Resolution issue with app-created dummies optimized for the new 14" and 16" macbook pro screens and some other displays - #581
• Fixed: Resolution menu/slider fake resolutions appear in macOS Monterey v12.4 - #601
• Fixed: Custom keyboard shortcuts not working when menu is open - #596
• Fixed: Full screen stream unexpected resizing issue - #617
• Fixed: Limited max dummy resolution limit in portrait mode - #559
• Fixed: Display name suffixes might get messed up with multiple displays of same name - #594
• Fixed: After resetting the app in Preferences no items appear under the display in the menu - #565
• Fixed: App keeps forgetting I have a license - update Paddle SDK to 4.3.0 - #558
• Fixed: Refresh Rate list does not properly show non-whole natural number Refresh Rates - #541
• Fixed: Resolution slider not updated correctly upon mode change in some circumstances - #534
• Fixed: Trial counter does not seem to update in Preferences - #533
• Fixed: In some instances resolution sliders go missing - #532

Click here for a detailed change log from v1.0.13 to v1.1.12...

Changes in v1.1.12

• Fixed menu icon hiding - #507
• Fixed slider text adjustment - #508

Changes in v1.1.12-rc

• Customizable menu layout - #481
• Added nice menu item icons to all menu items (only when enabled in Preferences) - #500
• Option to use alternative display identification instead of UUID for DisplayLink - #503
• Added back default portrait options to the New Dummy menu - #501
• Various bug fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.11-beta

• Add keyboard shortcuts to control the app - #11
• Add safe mode during startup (by pressing Shift) - #475
• Add Refresh Rate submenu to real displays - #480
• Add low resolution switch to real displays as well - #486
• Add a HDR toggle to the menu for (HDR capable) real displays - #479
• Option to hide full screen stream temporarily - #488
• Option to pause/freeze PIP window or full screen stream - #473
• Option to hide mouse cursor for PIP window and full screen stream - #493
• New dummy for display should default to current resolution, or allow to change default resolution via setting - #438
• Rename the option 'Filp Aspect Ratio' back to 'Portrait' for better discoverability - #472
• Fixed: Mouse is not visible in streamed real screens - #489
• Fixed: Resolution slider should stick to current refresh rate - #482
• Fixed: Changing mirror sleep settings do not register - #478
• Fixed: Resolution slider omits native (highest) resolution - #494
• Installer is now in DMG format for easier use

Changes in v1.1.10-beta

• Paddle integration - #368
• Fixed: Switching inputs causes dummy to become pixelated - #443
• Fixed: Native and Default resolutions are not indicated in the resolution menu sometimes - #458
• Fixed: Resolution slider text is hard to read in dark mode - #442
• Add move display adjacent to the corner of an other display in the move menu - #453

Changes in v1.1.0-beta9

• Mirror sets show up as grouped in the menu - #416
• Main menu icons are optional - #426
• Display/dummy menu headers have icons - #427
• Option to reconnect all dummies - #424
• Show variable refresh rates in resolution menu - #422
• Change how reconnect after wake works - #425
• Prompt about missing Screen Recording permissions upon full screen streaming. - #437
• Inline resolution text in slider
• Fixed resolution slider's rightmost setting not registering - #440
• Fixed high memory usage issue - #434
• Various other fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.0-beta8

• Real display rotation (for supported displays) - #397
• Ability to resize dummy (redefine aspect ratio or resolution) - #418
• Various internal changes required for future features - #410, #417, #421
• Various stability and other improvements.
• Might have introduced new bugs, sorry about that.
• Fixed mirrored dummy sleep workaround not working properly in previous beta.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta7

• Create dummies with custom aspect ratios or resolutions - #84
• Added feature to assist moving displays around - #385
• Auto-configure and mirror or stream a dummy suited for display - #405
• Full screen streaming is now more resilient - #400
• Support off-center full-screen streaming (suitable for TVs used in close-up) - #196
• Ability to preserve aspect ratio with full screen streaming - #396
• Beta versions will receive beta updates no matter what - beta opt-out setting will apply on first stable update - #395
• More detailed info about the display under in the Configuration submenu
• Various bug fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.0-beta6

• You can now rename dummies - #159
• Option to change if a display/dummy is main or extended - #380
• More info about dummies and displays - #373
• Added mirroring menu for real displays - #379
• Mirroring menu distinguishes between mirror targets and sources - #378
• Experimental option to prohibit the mouse from entering a display when it is covered with a full screen stream - #367
• Fixed iPad Air 2020 aspect ratio problem - #375
• Several bugs have been fixed (probably some new introduced)

Changes in v1.1.0-beta5

• Fixed beta channel update issue (previous betas won't receive auto updates, sorry about that)
• Various other bug fixes

Changes in v1.1.0-beta4

• Fixed full screen streaming target display best resolution scaling
• Solved conflict when multiple screens was streamed to the same target display
• Fixed full screen streaming resolution mismatch and display identification confusion
• Display resolutions are now updated in the menu properly when changed outside of the app

Changes in v1.1.0-beta3

• Resolution selector for non-dummy displays as well - #87
• Enhanced resolution selector menu for displays (helps understanding EDID issues) - #356
• Add a hint to the menu if mirroring might be misconfigured - #357
• Picture in Picture mode for non-dummy screens as well - #259
• Some general refactoring.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta2

• Proper Preferences pane instead of the Settings menu. - #94
• Option to enable sub-720p resolutions. - #265
• Quick was to disconnect and reconnect a dummy. - #313
• Dummy default colorspace is sRGB instead of Generic RGB. - #331
• Expiration date is pushed off by an other month.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta1

• Removal of the 10 minute tryout period and the need to manually start the tryout every time the app starts.
• Removal of the pre-release version header from the top of the menu (man that was annoying :)).
• Added an expiration date for the app (checked during app startup against the current system date).

Changes in v1.1.0-alpha2

• Lots of bug fixes.
• Lots of brand new bugs. :)
• Added some new features (see below).
• Improved clarity for full screen stream.
• Removed time limit (except for the Pro features)

Changes in v1.1.0-alpha1

• More logical menu layout
• A more intuitive resolution slider instead of resolution list
• Quick toggle for Low Resolution mode
• Indicate displays matching aspect ratios in the create new dummy menu
• Connecting a newly created dummy is now optional
• Automate display rearrangement for first time dummy connect (with option to disable)
• Use an entire desktop as a Window
• PIP window priority setting
• PIP window rotation
• PIP window freeform aspect-ratio
• PIP window title-less mode
• Stream your dummy contents to a display as an alternative of mirroring
• Full screen stream rotation
• Quick toggle for portrait mode
• Support for portrait orientation of all aspect ratios
• Portrait Sidecar & built-in screen support with full screen streaming
• Automation of display rearrangement when changing to/from portrait dummy orientation
• Dummy automatically follows orientation of associated display
• Automate the process of mirror creation for a display
• Enforce mirroring for dummies associated with displays

Known Issues

• See the standard known issue list

v1.1.12

About this version

• This version includes licensing for Pro features with an in-app check-out system.
• By purchasing a Pro license for $15 (includes VAT, sales tax, payment fees etc.) you support the development. Thank you for this!
• There is a trial period for 14 days. If you don't purchase, you can still keep using the app for free after the trial without the Pro features. :)
• For more information check out this discussion!

To the backers of the open-source project

• I'd like to thank you for backing the open source project in the past by providing you with a Pro coupon code.
• As Open Collective won't let me reach out you directly, please contact me at Discord by sending me private message with a screenshot of the confirmation you received when you donated. I'll respond with a code (some patience might be needed). Thank you!

List of major new features in v1.1.10 compared to v1.0.x

Note: Items marked with an asterix (*) are available in BetterDummy Pro

General

• More logical and customizable menu layout
• Menu item icons (configurable)
• Proper Preferences pane
• Keyboard shortcuts *

Dummy creation and management

• A more intuitive resolution slider instead of resolution list
• Quick toggle for Low Resolution mode
• Option to disconnect and reconnect on lock
• Indicate displays matching aspect ratios in the create new dummy menu
• Connecting a newly created dummy is now optional
• Automate display rearrangement for first time dummy connect (with option to disable)
• Option to enable sub-720p resolutions
• Quick way to disconnect and reconnect a dummy
• You can now rename dummies *
• Added information about dummies
• Create dummies with custom aspect ratios or resolutions *
• Auto-configure dummy, mirroring and streaming suited for a display *
• Ability to move connected dummies in the display coordinate space
• You can now resize dummies *

Real (non-dummy) display management

• Show real and other virtual displays as well in the menu
• Resolution selector for real (non-dummy) displays as well
• Configure mirroring for real displays
• Configure full screen streaming for real displays *
• Picture in Picture for real displays *
• Setting main/extended status
• Option to reconnect all dummies
• Added information about displays
• Ability to move displays in the display coordinate space
• Display rotation
• Quickly enable/disable HDR mode (for supported displays)
• Change refresh rate from menu
• Quickly change between low and HiDPI resolution

Picture-in-Picture (PIP) window

• Show an entire desktop in a window *
• Works both for real and dummy displays *
• PIP window priority setting *
• PIP window rotation *
• PIP window freeform aspect-ratio *
• PIP window title-less mode *
• Picture in Picture mode for real displays *
• Pause PIP stream *

Full-screen streaming

• Stream your dummy contents to a display as an alternative of mirroring *
• Works both for real and dummy displays *
• Full screen stream rotation *
• Automatically set native mode for full screen stream target display (with an option to disable it) *
• Improved clarity *
• Support for off-center streaming (suitable for TVs used in displays in close proximity for example) *
• Fixed or stretched aspect ratio *
• Full screen streaming for real displays *
• Temporarily hide full screen stream *
• Pause full screen stream *

Portrait mode

• Quick toggle for portrait mode
• Support for portrait orientation of all aspect ratios
• Portrait Sidecar & built-in screen support with full screen streaming *
• Automation of display rearrangement when changing to/from portrait dummy orientation *
• Dummy automatically follows orientation of associated display *

Mirroring

• Automate the process of mirror creation for a display *
• Enforce mirroring for dummies associated with displays *
• Add some mirroring info + a hint to the menu if mirroring might be misconfigured
• Mirrored items appear combined in the menu

Click here for a detailed change log from v1.0.13 to v1.1.12...

Changes in v1.1.12

• Fixed menu icon hiding - #507
• Fixed slider text adjustment - #508

Changes in v1.1.12-rc

• Customizable menu layout - #481
• Added nice menu item icons to all menu items (only when enabled in Preferences) - #500
• Option to use alternative display identification instead of UUID for DisplayLink - #503
• Added back default portrait options to the New Dummy menu - #501
• Various bug fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.11-beta

• Add keyboard shortcuts to control the app - #11
• Add safe mode during startup (by pressing Shift) - #475
• Add Refresh Rate submenu to real displays - #480
• Add low resolution switch to real displays as well - #486
• Add a HDR toggle to the menu for (HDR capable) real displays - #479
• Option to hide full screen stream temporarily - #488
• Option to pause/freeze PIP window or full screen stream - #473
• Option to hide mouse cursor for PIP window and full screen stream - #493
• New dummy for display should default to current resolution, or allow to change default resolution via setting - #438
• Rename the option 'Filp Aspect Ratio' back to 'Portrait' for better discoverability - #472
• Fixed: Mouse is not visible in streamed real screens - #489
• Fixed: Resolution slider should stick to current refresh rate - #482
• Fixed: Changing mirror sleep settings do not register - #478
• Fixed: Resolution slider omits native (highest) resolution - #494
• Installer is now in DMG format for easier use

Changes in v1.1.10-beta

• Paddle integration - #368
• Fixed: Switching inputs causes dummy to become pixelated - #443
• Fixed: Native and Default resolutions are not indicated in the resolution menu sometimes - #458
• Fixed: Resolution slider text is hard to read in dark mode - #442
• Add move display adjacent to the corner of an other display in the move menu - #453

Changes in v1.1.0-beta9

• Mirror sets show up as grouped in the menu - #416
• Main menu icons are optional - #426
• Display/dummy menu headers have icons - #427
• Option to reconnect all dummies - #424
• Show variable refresh rates in resolution menu - #422
• Change how reconnect after wake works - #425
• Prompt about missing Screen Recording permissions upon full screen streaming. - #437
• Inline resolution text in slider
• Fixed resolution slider's rightmost setting not registering - #440
• Fixed high memory usage issue - #434
• Various other fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.0-beta8

• Real display rotation (for supported displays) - #397
• Ability to resize dummy (redefine aspect ratio or resolution) - #418
• Various internal changes required for future features - #410, #417, #421
• Various stability and other improvements.
• Might have introduced new bugs, sorry about that.
• Fixed mirrored dummy sleep workaround not working properly in previous beta.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta7

• Create dummies with custom aspect ratios or resolutions - #84
• Added feature to assist moving displays around - #385
• Auto-configure and mirror or stream a dummy suited for display - #405
• Full screen streaming is now more resilient - #400
• Support off-center full-screen streaming (suitable for TVs used in close-up) - #196
• Ability to preserve aspect ratio with full screen streaming - #396
• Beta versions will receive beta updates no matter what - beta opt-out setting will apply on first stable update - #395
• More detailed info about the display under in the Configuration submenu
• Various bug fixes and improvements

Changes in v1.1.0-beta6

• You can now rename dummies - #159
• Option to change if a display/dummy is main or extended - #380
• More info about dummies and displays - #373
• Added mirroring menu for real displays - #379
• Mirroring menu distinguishes between mirror targets and sources - #378
• Experimental option to prohibit the mouse from entering a display when it is covered with a full screen stream - #367
• Fixed iPad Air 2020 aspect ratio problem - #375
• Several bugs have been fixed (probably some new introduced)

Changes in v1.1.0-beta5

• Fixed beta channel update issue (previous betas won't receive auto updates, sorry about that)
• Various other bug fixes

Changes in v1.1.0-beta4

• Fixed full screen streaming target display best resolution scaling
• Solved conflict when multiple screens was streamed to the same target display
• Fixed full screen streaming resolution mismatch and display identification confusion
• Display resolutions are now updated in the menu properly when changed outside of the app

Changes in v1.1.0-beta3

• Resolution selector for non-dummy displays as well - #87
• Enhanced resolution selector menu for displays (helps understanding EDID issues) - #356
• Add a hint to the menu if mirroring might be misconfigured - #357
• Picture in Picture mode for non-dummy screens as well - #259
• Some general refactoring.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta2

• Proper Preferences pane instead of the Settings menu. - #94
• Option to enable sub-720p resolutions. - #265
• Quick was to disconnect and reconnect a dummy. - #313
• Dummy default colorspace is sRGB instead of Generic RGB. - #331
• Expiration date is pushed off by an other month.

Changes in v1.1.0-beta1

• Removal of the 10 minute tryout period and the need to manually start the tryout every time the app starts.
• Removal of the pre-release version header from the top of the menu (man that was annoying :)).
• Added an expiration date for the app (checked during app startup against the current system date).

Changes in v1.1.0-alpha2

• Lots of bug fixes.
• Lo...

Internal Pre-Release

About Internal Pre-Release Builds

Internal pre-release builds are alpha versions intended for testing, debugging and localization validation purposes, not considered ready to be used in production environments.

The latest pre-release versions usually include unreleased features tagged as internal pre-release.

Internal builds (from app version v3.x) auto-update to newer ones until a proper pre-release or stable release comes by. To keep receiving internal builds even when a stable version was downloaded, enable Receive pre-release updates and then Receive internal pre-release updates under Settings > Application > Updates.

v1.0.13

Notes

• This is the open source version of the app. Source code for this version is now fully available in the opensource branch on the app's GitHub page.
• This is a minor bugfix release.

Changes

• Fixed currently selected resolution not being reflected in the menu (issue 246)
• Added "Use display serial number for association" setting (issue 211)
• Some cosmetic changes for UI consistency

v1.0.12

Changes

• Various cosmetic changes, slightly redesigned menubar icon, reorganized menu for easier access.
• Better support for association with virtual displays (like Sidecar, DisplayLink etc) - note: you need to reassociate the display in v1.0.12 for these devices!
• Fixed update issue related to sandboxing. Users of v1.0.10 and v1.0.11 will not be able to update though. :(
• Some under-the-hood changes and bug fixes.

Notes

• The built-in app update fails due to a sandboxing issue when updating from versions 1.0.10 and v1.0.11. If you are on these versions you'll need to download the update manually! Really sorry about this!
• If you have any issues with this release (besides the list of known issues), please let me know!

v1.0.10

Changes

• Added option to enable up to 16K resolutions under Settings (this might benefit 5K double-wide and ultrawide users to allow for higher resolution HiDPI).
• Added options to connect/disconnect/discard/disassociate all dummies at once.
• Added option to associate a dummy with a real display - association result in the dummy auto connecting/disconnecting whenever the associated display is present or removed from the configuration.
• Added in-menu resolution selector for connected dummies.
• Added option to enable low-resolution options in menu resolution selector.
• Added option to hide the menubar icon.
• Enabled full sandboxing.

If you find the app useful, please consider donating. I am truly thankful for all the support, every little bit counts.

Don't forget to star the GitHub project and spread the word!

If you have any issues with this release, please let me know!

v1.0.9

Changes

• Added some additional aspect ratios (notably support for newer iPads).
• Added application reset.
• Added option to enable/disable the workaround for macOS virtual display sleep bug that affects some setups. *
• Fixed crash on sleep affecting some with v1.0.8.

Don't forget to Star the GitHub project! :)

If you have any issues with this release, please let me know!

* Virtual Displays mirrored to an other displays tend to break sleep on some setups (the screen just freezes). The problem is unrelated to BetterDummy and seems to be a bug in macOS - on affected setups it can be replicated without BD, simply by attempting to mirror a Sidecar display (or an other virtual screen of similar kind) and initiate sleep. A Bug Report has been submitted to Apple regarding this but the timetable of a proper fix is highly uncertain. The app implements a workaround for the issue, but since on some configs the workaround itself caused issues, an option was now added to disable it.