BestRes is a lightweight macOS menubar utility that lets you switch display resolutions instantly, without opening System Settings.
What is BestRes?
BestRes is a single-purpose Mac app that lives in your menubar and exposes every resolution your monitor supports — one click away. It solves the specific annoyance of macOS burying display options inside System Settings → Displays, behind an Option-click to reveal non-HiDPI modes. With BestRes, those modes surface immediately in a clean dropdown the moment you need them.
I first reached for it while recording screencasts. Dropping from native resolution to something that looks readable in a browser window used to mean a five-step trip through System Settings every single time. BestRes compressed that to two clicks. I've kept it in my login items ever since.
What does BestRes do best?
BestRes excels at putting the full resolution ladder for your display exactly where you are: the menubar. Every supported resolution — including the HiDPI "Retina" variants and the raw pixel modes macOS normally hides — appears in a concise list sorted by size. You pick one, it switches, done.
It also handles multi-monitor setups gracefully. Each connected display gets its own submenu, so if you're working with a MacBook alongside an external monitor, you can tune both without ever touching the mouse's second screen trip to System Preferences. That alone sets it apart from simply remapping a keyboard shortcut to the built-in display pane.
- Instant access to all resolutions, including modes macOS normally hides
- Multi-display aware — separate resolution lists per screen
- Zero configuration — install, launch, done
- Tiny footprint — barely registers in Activity Monitor
Is BestRes free?
BestRes is free to download directly from the developer's site. There is no subscription, no in-app purchase, and no nag screen. It is the work of a single developer and distributed outside the Mac App Store, so installation requires allowing apps from identified developers in Security & Privacy — a one-time, ten-second step.
Given the genuine time it saves for anyone who regularly juggles presentations, recordings, or dual-monitor workflows, "free" feels like an undercharge.
Who should use BestRes?
Power users who frequently change context are the obvious audience. Screencasters and developers recording demos who need a specific viewport size, designers testing responsive layouts at different pixel densities, and anyone who presents from a MacBook and needs to switch to a projector-friendly resolution quickly will all benefit immediately.
That said, if you touch your display resolution less than once a month, BestRes is probably not worth the menubar real estate. Apps like Bartender or Ice can hide it when idle, but if resolution changes are genuinely rare for you, macOS System Settings is sufficient.
How does BestRes compare to alternatives?
The closest rival is Resolution Changer, a menubar app with a longer history and a slightly busier interface. SwitchResX is the heavy-weight option — it offers custom resolutions, per-app switching, and display profiles, but costs money and installs a kernel extension on older macOS versions, which is a non-trivial trust decision. Display Menu (from the Mac App Store) covers similar ground to BestRes but is sandboxed and sometimes fails to surface non-HiDPI resolutions.
BestRes wins on simplicity and transparency. It does exactly one thing — list and apply resolutions — with no background services, no kernel extensions, and no account required. For most users, that tradeoff is decisive. Only reach for SwitchResX if you need custom timings or automation hooks.
What are the best BestRes alternatives?
If BestRes doesn't fit your workflow, the most credible substitutes are:
- SwitchResX — most powerful, paid, supports custom resolutions and display profiles
- Resolution Changer — free menubar app, similar scope, slightly older design
- Display Menu — App Store sandboxed option, works for most standard resolutions
- System Settings → Displays — always available, always free, always buried four clicks deep
