Why Is My TV Picture Too Big for the Screen and Not Centered?

Size first, then position, then the source

A picture that spills past the edges and one that's shoved to one side feel like the same fault, but they live under different controls. We'd always set the size before touching position, because a wrong picture-size setting can stretch or distort the image on its own, and position is the fix for a picture that still won't fit once the size is right.

Set the picture size to match what you're watching

Know your screen's shape before you start. Aspect ratio is just width compared with height, and most modern TVs are 16:9, while some older sets are 4:3.

1. Open your TV's settings menu and head into the display or picture options.
2. Find the size control. It may be labelled Picture Size, Aspect Ratio, Screen Fit or something close.
3. Select it and work through the choices, watching the screen, until you land on the one that fits best. It can take a few tries.
4. If your TV also has a Zoom option, use it to zoom the picture in or out and watch the edges as you go.

Aim for a size that matches the content in front of you, so a show in a different shape may need a different choice.

If no size option gets the picture to fit, move on to position next. Our guide to a TV that cuts off the edges of the picture goes deeper on cropped edges.

Where the size menu sits on two common TVs

On LG TVs, set the picture size to 16:9 first. If the problem's still there, switch it to Original Ratio.

Menus can look a little different from model to model, so go by the closest match on your screen.

On Samsung TVs, start by selecting the input that looks wrong (the TV signal, an external input or a USB drive), then go to Settings, All Settings, Picture and Picture Size Settings. Choose 16:9 Standard, Custom or 4:3. Which sizes appear depends on the incoming signal, and some signals vary by model and region.

There's also an option on these sets that fits the picture to the screen, though it can be unavailable with some size settings or limited by the current broadcast signal. The size you pick sticks to that one source until you change it, so repeat it on each input that looks off. Size changes work for TV channels, external inputs and USB videos played through the TV's own player, but some streaming apps, Samsung TV Plus among them, can block them.

The whole picture is there but sits off to one side

Once the size is right, a picture that still doesn't fit needs the position control. Look in the display or picture options for something called Position, Screen Position or similar.

Select it and press the arrow keys on your remote to slide the picture until it sits properly on the screen.

On Samsung TVs, position adjustment only shows up when Picture Size is set to Custom, so switch to Custom first. On analog channels, enlarge the picture before you change its position.

Most modern TVs have a position setting, though not every one. If yours doesn't, or moving the picture doesn't help, the source device is the next place to look.

Still too big after size and position? Look at the box or console

When neither control fixes it, the device feeding the TV may be the culprit. Some sources, older game consoles among them, send a signal that doesn't match the TV's aspect ratio.

Go into that device's own settings and adjust them, or swap in a different source device that sends a signal your TV's aspect ratio can handle.

If the input you swap to shows no picture at all, our guide to a TV not recognizing HDMI helps you check the input and cable.

Black bars that are part of the show

Bars down the sides can appear when the source sends a picture recorded in the older 4:3 shape. Stretch it to fill the screen and everything looks wider, with the top and bottom cut off.

Bars above and below show up when the program is wider than widescreen. Stretch that one and you lose the left and right edges instead.

Bars on all four sides are common with cable TV, when standard-definition video is broadcast in an extra-wide format. That windowboxed picture won't adjust to fill the screen because it comes from how the channel sends its content, so leave it be.

A picture that drifts slightly on an OLED

On a Sony OLED TV, a picture that shifts a little over time is Pixel Shift at work. It moves the image after a set time to prevent image retention and help the panel last longer.

Sony recommends keeping Pixel Shift turned on, so leave it alone and judge centering with the size and position settings instead.