How to Fix HDMI Overscan and Stop the Picture Being Cropped

If the edges of your picture disappear when you connect over HDMI, the usual cause is overscan. Overscan means the display, or another device in the chain, enlarges the image slightly so the outer edges fall outside the visible screen. To fix it, set the display to show the incoming signal pixel for pixel. If the display cannot do that, adjust scaling on the source device. If you are using a DSLR or mirrorless camera as a webcam through a capture card, cropping can also come from the camera's video mode or from the capture software. Those causes are separate and have their own fixes, covered below.

What overscan is and why HDMI triggers it

Overscan dates back to analog TVs, which hid the ragged edges of a broadcast picture by enlarging it. Many modern TVs still apply overscan to HDMI inputs by default, especially when they receive video-style resolutions. Computer monitors usually show the full signal. Some graphics drivers try to compensate by shrinking the desktop, which is called underscan. If the TV also stops overscanning, you end up with two corrections stacked together and black borders around the picture.

Step 1: Find where the crop happens

What you see | Likely cause | Where to fix it

Computer desktop on a TV with the taskbar or edges cut off | Display overscan | TV picture size or aspect settings

Desktop shrunk with a black border after you changed a setting | Driver underscan stacked on the display's own correction | Reset computer scaling to neutral

Camera feed cropped in the capture software preview | Source larger than the canvas, or a resolution mismatch | Capture software and capture card settings

Camera image tighter than the photo viewfinder shows | Camera video aspect ratio or video-mode sensor crop | Camera settings

Crop appears only inside the video call app | App framing or effects | The call app's video settings

Step 2: Set the display to show the full signal

• Open the TV or monitor's picture settings and look for a picture size, aspect ratio or screen size option.
• Choose the option that maps the input one-to-one with no zoom. Depending on the brand, it may be labeled Just Scan, Screen Fit, Full Pixel, 1:1, Original or something similar. Check your model's manual for the exact label.
• If the TV lets you name or set the type of an HDMI input, set it to PC or computer. Some TVs disable overscan for inputs marked this way.
• Set the source to output the display's native resolution so the display has no reason to rescale.

Step 3: Adjust scaling on the computer only if the display can't

Graphics control panels usually include an overscan, underscan or desktop size adjustment. AMD's software offers HDMI scaling, NVIDIA's control panel can adjust desktop size and position, and Intel's graphics settings include scaling options. Exact names change between driver versions. On a Mac, the Displays settings show an underscan slider for some connected TVs. This adjustment shrinks and resamples the image, which can soften text, so treat it as a fallback. If you have already fixed overscan on the display itself, set this adjustment back to neutral.

Step 4: Fix cropping from a DSLR or mirrorless camera on a capture card

In a camera-as-webcam setup, the camera sends HDMI out to a capture card, and the computer then sees the card as a webcam. The crop can start in the camera, in the capture card or in the capture software, so check each one in turn.

• Camera overlays: turn off the on-screen information for HDMI output, often called clean HDMI or the HDMI info display setting. On some cameras, overlays shrink or cover the image, and turning them off restores the full frame.
• Video aspect ratio: video is usually 16:9, while many camera sensors are 3:2 or 4:3. In video mode the top and bottom of the photo-mode frame are therefore cut. This is normal behavior, not a fault.
• Video-mode sensor crop: some cameras crop the sensor further at certain resolutions or frame rates, or when electronic stabilization is on. Switch to a mode without the extra crop if your camera has one. Otherwise, use a wider lens or move the camera back.
• Resolution mismatch: set the camera's HDMI output resolution to one the capture card supports. Then set the same resolution in your capture software's device settings.
• Capture software canvas: if the source is larger than the canvas, its edges are cut off. In OBS, match the base canvas resolution to the feed, then right-click the source and choose Transform, then Fit to screen.

Step 5: Check cropping that appears only in the call app

Some call apps reframe or crop the camera feed. They may do this through auto-framing, appearance touch-ups or virtual background effects. If the image is correct in the capture preview but cropped in the call, turn these options off in the app's video settings and compare again. Virtual background effects only change the call feed. They are separate from your physical background and from any edited photo background.

Verify the result

• For a display: show the desktop or a full-screen image with a visible border. All four edges and the corner icons should be visible, with no black bars.
• For a camera: place an object at the edge of the camera's frame. Then confirm it appears in the same position in the camera's screen, the capture software preview and the call app's self-view.
• A working preview proves only that video capture works. If the camera appears in the app's device list, the app has access to it. Neither check tells you how the call will look to others, so make a test call or recording to judge call quality.

Limitations

This guide does not draw on testing of specific models. Menu names, supported resolutions and available options vary by display, camera, capture card and software version. Some displays cannot turn off overscan at certain resolutions, and some cameras cannot output video without a sensor crop. If a setting described here is missing, check the manual for your exact model.