Client only shows small part of the server screen

[lmvdr]

Hi

I’ve been using NoMachine (free version) for several years. However, recently (I’m unsure if it’s correlated with an update) the client app only shows the upper left quarter of the server.
I’m currently using the most frequent version on macOS (server) and Windows (client) and have tried all possible display/resolution settings (e.g. scale to window, fullscreen) and it didn’t change at all or fix the issue.

For the sake of demonstration I’ve attached a picture where this can be seen. Please ignore that I’ve remote deskopted (no, that’s not a word) my own macOS desktop (aka looping the macOS screen). The same situation can be seen if I connect via my Windows and iOS clients.

Can you please help me with this situation?

Thank you!

Attachments:

1. 

   Mittel-Bildschirmfoto-2025-04-26-um-15.00.47.jpeg
   

[bucu]

Hi,
could you tell us the display size you see in Display -> Change settings tab in the bottom part? Is it any different than the one shown is system settings?
Can you confirm that the window part visible in the session is moving when you move the window on the server machine?
Have you noticed approximately when the problem has started? Was it maybe after a system update?
One thing you can try to change is editing /Applications/NoMachine.app/Contents/Frameworks/etc/node.cfg on server machine and adding DisplayServerExtraOptions "-nosckgrab" to the end. Then restart NoMachine with sudo /etc/NX/nxserver --restart and see if anything has changed.

[lmvdr]

Thanks bucu. I was able by deleting the config files and by properly restarting the nxserver. Thanks so much!

[bucu]

Could you clarify what made the problem go away? Was it adding the -nosckgrab key or deleting node.cfg file? If it was the latter do you remember what changes have you done to that file in the past?

[lmvdr]

I had to switch to another machine (Mac as server-backend) anyway. I’ve did a clean-install of NoMachine and it worked as expected.

I’m sorry that I’m not able to trouble-shoot this for others. Hope that it doesn’t occur for others 🙂

[lmvdr]

Hello again,

I am still encountering the persistent issue with screen scaling when using NoMachine to connect from a Windows 11 client to a macOS server. I have seen a similar topic in the forum before, which I initially followed, but did not continue participating in because the problem temporarily disappeared for 2–3 sessions after switching to a new Mac. However, the issue has now returned and remains unresolved.

System Setup

• Server: macOS (currently Sonoma, but the issue also occurred under Ventura)

• Client: Windows 11 (latest updates installed)

• NoMachine version: Latest stable versions on both ends

  Problem Description

  Every time I connect from my Windows client to the macOS server, the display scaling is incorrect. The screen appears zoomed in or stretched, and the macOS UI elements (windows, menus, etc.) are not proportionally rendered. This makes it extremely difficult to interact with the remote macOS system effectively.

  I have tried adjusting the display settings in the NoMachine session (resizing remote screen, scaling options, fullscreen/windowed mode, etc.), but none of them have permanently resolved the issue. It feels as though NoMachine is misinterpreting the resolution or DPI settings between the two operating systems.

  Here is a screenshot that shows the issue on my Windows client after connecting to the macOS server:

  Additional Notes

  • It is not tied to a specific macOS version or hardware configuration, as it persists across different Macs.

  • Temporarily, it was working fine on a newly set-up Mac, but the scaling problem returned after a few sessions.

  • The NoMachine server status shows everything is running normally, so there are no obvious errors.

    Could this be related to HiDPI settings, resolution mismatches, or a bug in how NoMachine handles macOS display output on Windows systems?

    I would appreciate any advice, configuration suggestions, or confirmation whether this is a known issue being tracked.

    Thanks in advance for your support!

Attachments:

1. 

   No-Machine-Issue-Scaling.jpeg
   

[Bilbotine]

Hi lmvdr,

We are aware of the problem and are actively working on a resolution.

In the meantime, could you please confirm whether your Mac is equipped with an Intel processor?

[lmvdr]

Thank you. I really appreciate the swift feedback and the fix of the bug identified.

All of my issues (previous Macbook Air on M2 and current Macbook Air on M4) were identified on Apple Silicon.

[Bilbotine]

Hi lmvdr,

Thank you for the additional info.

We could provide you a package with a possible fix, if you are willing to try it?

If you agree, please send us an email to forum[at]nomachine[dot]com, making sure to reference the topic as the subject of the email, and we’ll send a link to the package, as soon as it’s ready.

[lmvdr]

Thanks! I’ve just sent the eMail.

[Author]

Posts