When SAMSON’s icons look tiny: a Windows display fix

Small icons can make a molecular modeling session harder than it needs to be. On a high-DPI monitor, SAMSON may open and work, yet parts of its interface—especially icons—can appear too small to read or select comfortably. If you are using Windows, there is a per-application compatibility setting worth trying before changing your monitor resolution or other display settings.

The adjustment is made through the properties of the SAMSON executable. It changes how Windows handles high-DPI scaling for SAMSON; it is not a setting inside your molecular structure or project. The key choice in the procedure is System under Scaling performed by.

Set the scaling override

  1. Find the SAMSON executable program in Windows.
  2. Right-click it and open Properties.
  3. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  4. Select Change high DPI settings.
  5. In the lower section of the window, check Override high DPI scaling behavior.
  6. For Scaling performed by, choose System from the list.
  7. Select OK to apply the setting, then close the properties window.
The Compatibility tab in the SAMSON executable properties
Open the executable’s Compatibility tab to find the high-DPI options.
The high-DPI scaling override set to System
Enable the override and select System for the scaling behavior.

Restart SAMSON and check the interface

If SAMSON is already running, restart it after changing the setting. Then check whether the icons are easier to see and use. Restarting matters because an application that is already open may not pick up the updated compatibility behavior until it launches again.

Keep the adjustment focused: the documented procedure is to change the compatibility properties for the SAMSON executable, rather than to alter display settings across Windows. This makes it a practical first check when the particular complaint is small icons in SAMSON on a high-DPI monitor. If the interface is still difficult to use, note exactly what looks too small and consult the troubleshooting page for other platform-specific issues; the high-DPI instructions here apply to Windows.

Quick recap: executable properties → Compatibility → Change high DPI settings → enable Override high DPI scaling behavior → choose System → restart SAMSON.

For more troubleshooting topics, including macOS access permissions and Linux display or graphics dependencies, see the SAMSON troubleshooting documentation.

Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.

Comments are closed.