What Display Settings Can Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) Change?

Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) is an EDID editor for Windows that lets you add or remove resolutions and refresh rates, adjust FreeSync settings, raise the HDMI TMDS clock limit, and manage settings per monitor in multi-display setups. It works with AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards, and with Intel GPUs when the correct driver is installed. It runs on Windows Vista through Windows 11; Windows XP does not support EDID overrides.

Core capability: editing the monitor's EDID

CRU doesn't just apply a software filter on top of Windows display settings. It edits the Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) that the monitor reports to the system — the list of resolutions, refresh rates, and timing details Windows and the GPU driver read when they build the available display modes. That is why CRU can expose modes that the monitor or GPU supports but that never appear in the standard Windows resolution list, and why changes can persist at the driver level rather than only inside one application.

The practical consequence: you are changing what the system believes the display can do, so a mode you add must actually be within the monitor's and cable's capability, or the screen may go blank or show an out-of-range error.

What you can change

Resolutions and refresh rates

• Add custom resolutions that the monitor supports but Windows doesn't list — useful for unusual panel sizes, ultra-wide monitors, or native modes hidden by the default EDID.
• Remove resolutions you don't need, which shortens the mode list and can simplify switching.
• Add or adjust refresh rates, including higher rates for gaming or lower rates to reduce eye strain during long sessions.

FreeSync settings

CRU exposes FreeSync-related entries in the EDID, so you can adjust the variable refresh rate range the display reports. This matters when a monitor's FreeSync range is narrower than the panel can handle, or when you want the driver to treat the display differently.

HDMI TMDS clock limit

The TMDS clock limit governs how much bandwidth the HDMI link is allowed to use. Raising it lets the system attempt higher-resolution or higher-refresh HDMI modes that would otherwise be rejected as exceeding the limit — a common blocker when pushing high-bandwidth modes over HDMI.

Multi-monitor and adapter handling

• Multi-monitor support: CRU lists each connected display separately, so you edit one monitor's EDID without disturbing the others.
• DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters: CRU includes handling for these adapters, which often report incomplete or incorrect EDID and cause missing resolutions or wrong refresh rates.
• Detailed resolutions and HDMI handling: you can work at the level of individual detailed resolution entries rather than only the summary mode list.

What CRU does not do

CRU is not a color calibration tool, a scaling or HDR control panel, or a replacement for the GPU vendor's control panel. It edits the display's reported capabilities; the actual mode is then applied through Windows display settings or the graphics driver. It also depends on a proper graphics driver — the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter driver will not work, and Intel GPUs (including laptops with switchable graphics) need the right driver version: the latest drivers for newer Intel GPUs, the Intel Graphics Driver for Windows [15.45] for 6th-generation (Skylake), and the appropriate driver for 4th/5th-generation (Haswell/Broadwell) parts.

Deciding whether it fits your case

If your situation matches a "Yes" row, CRU is worth trying — the current version listed is v1.5.3 (533 KB), with older versions also available. If you only need a one-off resolution change, check the GPU vendor's control panel first; CRU is the better fit when the mode isn't offered there at all or when the EDID itself is the problem.