Virtualization technology is essential in today’s IT landscape, allowing users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical host. Hyper-V is a powerful virtualization platform developed by Microsoft, widely used for running virtual machines (VMs) on Windows Server systems. When working with an Ubuntu VM in Hyper-V, one common challenge that users face is the need to adjust the screen resolution for a better user experience. The default screen resolution may not be suitable for your display, making it difficult to work efficiently.
In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to modify the screen resolution for an Ubuntu VM in Hyper-V, ensuring optimal usability and an enhanced visual experience.

Changing Screen Resolution in Hyper-V Ubuntu VM
Here are the step by strep instructions to change the screen resolution of an Ubuntu VM running on Hyper-V platform:
- Login to your system as a sudo or root account.
- Open a shell and edit /etc/default/grub configuration file in a text editor
sudo vim /etc/default/grub
Update the value of GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT variable as below:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash video=hyperv_fb:1366x768"
Here 1366×768 is the screen resolution of the host machine. You need to change this value as per your host machine resolution
- Now run the following command to update the grub configuration.
sudo update-grub
- Also install the linux-image-extra-virtual package that provides the extra drivers which is not included in base kernel.
sudo apt install linux-image-extra-virtual
- Reboot your system and test
Once the system is rebooted, log in to the Ubuntu desktop and change to full screen. You will see the Ubuntu desktop open in full screen.
Now, check the updated screen resolution of Ubuntu running on the Hyper-V platform.

Wrap Up
Throughout this article, we have demonstrated a comprehensive method for modifying the screen resolution of an Ubuntu virtual machine running on Hyper-V. By following these steps, you can ensure that your Ubuntu VM’s display settings are tailored to your preferences, resulting in a more enjoyable and efficient user experience.
6 Comments
Hello!
/etc/default/groub >>>> /etc/default/grub
Thanks
This does not seem to be an issue after updating to the latest Ubuntu studio distribution: 22.04 as of writing this comment. The GUI is the KDE Plasma environment and it is now listing all available resolutions in the Display settings applet.
Thank you, that was so helpful.
does not work for 2560×1440, still no full screen
Thanx for the post. Worked for me. Pity that you need to do this as some other distros you can change the resolution from the settings panel