I keep forgetting the steps required for this, so thought I should write them up in one easy to remember blog post for myself.
My desktop set-up consists of 2 x 1080 and 1 x 4k display. Making sure that applications are readable is a bit of a farce.
But as long as I ensure that certain applications only ever appear on the correct monitor, means that I can alter the launcher to set the correct DPI scaling.
Case in point is the “thunderbird.desktop” launcher. I only ever use it on the 4k display (central monitor), so I can alter the launcher to pre-set the scaling to two times normal. Making it readable without squinting (I’m nearly 40 you know).
Using “locate thunderbird.desktop” we find that it’s stored at “/usr/share/applications/thunderbird.desktop”. So raised privileges will be needed to edit it.
“sudo nano -w /usr/share/applications/thunderbird.desktop”
Using “ctrl+\” to replace text, search for “Exec=thunderbird” and replace it with “Exec=env GDK_SCALE=2 thunderbird”. Use “ctrl+x” to save and exit the editor.
Now when the Thunderbird launcher icon is clicked, the application will be rendered at twice the normal size. Making the working day a lot less squinty.