Display, font and disappearing checkbox when working with Microsoft Dynamics GP

We've been wanting to consolidate all of the options, settings and information that we have or see work with display, font and disappearing checkbox related to Microsoft Dynamics GP.

This would include viewing Microsoft Dynamics GP on a PC or a tablet such as Surface or iPad.

This is the one-stop-shop for display issues in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

First, we point out that Microsoft Dynamics GP does not have any display settings of its own, it relies on those of the Windows operating system that it is installed onto and more times than not, the display issues are due to a user changing the display settings on their machine to something other than the defaults or recommended settings.

The following settings/steps are what we've seen used to resolve display and font size issues with Microsoft Dynamics GP:

A. Display Settings on a workstation:

On a Windows 10 workstation, if you go into the Display settings, under ‘Scale and layout’, verify that it shows the following, if not, change the settings to be these, and then launch Dynamics GP to see if it changes how the application looks:

--Change the size of text, apps, and other items > 125% (Recommended)
--Display Resolution > 1920 x 1080 (Recommended)

If using Windows 10 with a high-resolution display or 4K monitors on a Windows desktop, the fonts and texts in Windows may be microscopic and you may need to run at 200% scaling, though 175% has worked for users.

B. Dex.ini

In the Dynamics GP directory on the workstations, in the Dex.ini file, make sure the WindowMax= setting is set to TRUE. If it isn’t, change it and save changes, then close and re-launch Microsoft Dynamics GP to see if the display issues change at all.

This can be a potential issue when using two or more monitors with the Microsoft Dynamics GP application.

Also, if a user has more than one monitor and one monitor is high resolution and other monitors are regular resolution, moving Microsoft Dynamics GP windows from one of these monitors to another can cause GP windows to lose lines, have display issues, etc.

C. We have seen where, especially with issues with lines or displays in Microsoft Dynamics GP windows, including issues like missing radio boxes and such, where logging out of and then back into Microsoft Dynamics GP can cause the display issues to correct themselves.

Also, docking and undocking a workstation, with Microsoft Dynamics GP open, can cause display issues within the application to occur.

D. Compatibility Mode / High DPI Scaling override (Windows 10 only)

     1. Right-click on the 'Microsoft Dynamics GP' icon or shortcut being used and go into Properties.

     2. In the GP Properties window, select the 'Compatibility' tab. Under this tab, change the 'Compatibility Mode' option to something like Windows 7, if using on a Windows 10 workstation.

     3. Also, below this setting, click the 'Change high DPI settings' button, then in the window that opens, mark the option ‘Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by: ‘ under 'High DPI scaling override' and set it to ‘System' for the 'Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by:' option, which is marked.

     4. Click Apply and OK to save changes, then launch Microsoft Dynamics GP on this Windows 10 workstation and see if the display/fonts show differently now.

E. Scaling.reg and .manifest file

We've seen this option resolve size issues in Microsoft Dynamics GP to include fields in GP windows that were smaller than normal, as well as a GP login window that was showing smaller than normal.

     1. On this laptop where Microsoft Dynamics GP is installed, save this text to a file called "Scaling.reg" and save changes.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide]
"PreferExternalManifest"=dword:00000001

     2. Once you have created the Scaling.reg file, make a backup of the Windows Registry on the workstation or server, then double-click on this .reg file to import it into the Windows Registry on this machine where Dynamics GP is installed.

     3. Next, download this file named “Dynamics.exe.manifest”, from the following link:
 

        Dynamics.exe.manifest

 
     4. Copy this Dynamics.exe.manifest file to the directory where Microsoft Dynamics GP is installed onto, such as the default C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP##\ directory, on the workstation or server.

     5. Restart this workstation or server where you copied this Dynamics.exe.manifest file onto.

     6. Launch Microsoft Dynamics GP again on this same machine, and have the users verify whether or not the display and/or font issues within Microsoft Dynamics GP now look correct or not.

  **NOTE: We've seen this solution also work with RDWeb and RemoteApp implementations as well as RDS connections.

F. Windows 8.1 DPI Scaling Enhancements
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2013/07/15/windows-8-1-dpi-scaling-enhancements/

G. If using something with Dynamics GP other than RDS, such as RemoteApp, or Citrix, etc., we'd want to remove those in order to test Dynamics GP and see if the display issues still show the same or not.

As you can see from above, all of these settings are on the Windows OS side and not a Microsoft Dynamics GP setting.

Microsoft Dynamics GP is tested with default settings, so if you're seeing display issues, the best start is to revert everything back to the default settings for display, then test the display of the GP application, before making any changes, making notes of what changes are made and any impact. That way you can best get a plan as to how to get the display of Microsoft Dynamics GP looking the way you want it to and as well, you'll have a cheat-sheet for any new machines you may get or need to work on.

***Update - November 3, 2023 - Checkbox and buttons disappear in Dynamics GP***

We've had some questions recently regarding using Microsoft Dynamics GP on Windows Server 2019, that the graphics in Dynamics GP application disappear, meaning borders around buttons, checkboxes, scroll bars and more do not show.

Some users have been able to log out of Dynamics GP and back in, to resolve this display.

We've done some testing on Dynamics GP but have not been able to determine any display issues any different than what we've seen already in prior versions of Dynamics GP/Windows OS, so it doesn't seem that there are any new issues with any combination of using Dynamics GP on a Windows OS. 

More times than not, display issues seen in Microsoft Dynamics GP are due to having a high DPI display with lower resolution monitors, moving the GP application from one monitor to another and also when docking/undocking a workstation when the GP application is opened. 

Older programs may lose UI components when changing screen resolution and may not be designed with high-resolution displays in mind.

1. If a user has a laptop docked with Dynamics GP open and undocks, it may switch to a different screen resolution.
2. Moving Dynamics GP from different views and monitors while you are working may cause this to happen.
3. If you leave Dynamics GP open for a long period of time or have lost connection, you may see changes in the application where buttons disappear. 
4. Windows scaling issues for high-DPI devices 
5. You may also want to check out GP Power Tools as an option for advanced functionality in this area.

Please note that these are general suggestions, and the exact solution might vary depending on the specific program and system configuration. 

Thanks