How To Change Screen Size On The Amazon Firestick

The Amazon Firestick may be small but it packs quite a punch. It is capable of a lot considering it’s just a little larger than a thumb drive. One of the things it is capable of is automatically changing screen size depending on what device it is connected to. You can adjust this manually , which is a good job because this feature occasionally goes awry. This tutorial will show you how to change screen size on the Amazon Firestick. It will also show you how to fix it when the Firestick is stuck in zoom which is another common occurrence.

When you first connect your Amazon Firestick to your TV, it will detect the screen format and set itself accordingly. The TV will then interpret the signal and size up according to the screen size. This doesn’t always work, hence this tutorial.

Manually adjust screen size on the Amazon Firestick

There is the option to adjust the screen size within the Firestick setting menu. That’s what we’ll use here.

1. Press and hold the Home button or use the menu to access Settings.
   
2. Select Display & Sound and Display.
   
3. Select Calibrate Display and use the gray arrows to set the display to the edges of your screen. The direction buttons on your remote will move the corresponding arrow.
   
4. Select Accept when the screen size has been correctly adjusted.
   

The idea in Step 3 is to move each gray arrow so it hits the edge of your screen. The Firestick will then scale the display to match that size. You should never really need this if you’re using a standard size TV as it should detect it but this is how you do it if yours doesn’t.

If you’re using the Firestick Basic Edition or the newer Firestick with Alexa, you may see several screen options instead of the arrows in Step 3. Simply select the screen size from the list and it will be implemented.

Screen Magnifier problems on the Firestick

If automatic adjustment doesn’t work for you, it may be the Screen Magnifier causing issues. While an excellent accessibility function, it doesn’t always work properly and can cause problems. The first is that it can interrupt automatic scaling and the other is that it can get stuck zoomed in.

Turn Screen Magnifier off on the Firestick

If you don’t need Screen Magnifier, turning it off can make everything work properly again. If your screen is permanently zoomed in, there is a separate fix for that.

1. Select Settings from the Firestick menu.
   
2. Select Accessibility and turn Screen Magnifier off.
   

This should stop the setting interfering with automatic detection on the Firestick. If you reset the Firestick for any reason, the correct screen size should now be used automatically.

Screen zoomed in on the Firestick

The other common occurrence with the Firestick is when Screen Magnifier is turned on and it arbitrarily zooms in and stays there. This is very common apparently although it hasn’t happened to me. As the screen is zoomed, using the menus is very difficult. You need to use a shortcut instead.

If your screen is stuck on zoom, use your Firestick remote. Press and hold Back and Fast Forward for around five seconds to disable Screen Magnifier. This should reset your screen back to normal. If it doesn’t, try pressing Menu and Rewind. This is the combination to zoom out.

If that doesn’t work, it’s worth performing a quick check to make sure it’s your Firestick that isn’t working rather than your TV. We are often quick to blame the Firestick has it does have its peculiarities but it might not be it’s fault.

Is there an orange border around the screen? If there is, the fault is likely with the Firestick. If there isn’t, it could be something else. Kodi and other media centers have their own zoom function. TVs also have their own zoom functions. It’s worth checking to see if either of those are interfering with the Firestick settings.

If it is definitely your Firestick, there is only one other fix. A factory reset. Not something to be done lightly but it is the only known way to fix screen zoomed in. Remember that you will lose all your settings if you do this so don’t just jump in!

Do you know of any other ways to calibrate the Firestick screen? Ways to escape zoom when it becomes stuck? Tell us about it below if you do!