The xrandr utility provides this functionality. To see a list of supported resolutions that xrandr can switch to, execute the xrandr command.
A list of resolutions will be displayed:
SZ: Pixels Physical Refresh
0 1600 x 1200 ( 363mm x 272mm ) 75
*1 1280 x 1024 ( 363mm x 272mm ) *85
2 1024 x 768 ( 363mm x 272mm ) 85
3 800 x 600 ( 363mm x 272mm ) 85
4 640 x 480 ( 363mm x 272mm ) 85
Current rotation - normal
Current reflection - none
Rotations possible - normal
Reflections possible - none
The current resolution is indicated by an asterisk ('*'). For this system, the current resolution is 1280x1024.
To change the resolution, execute xrandr -s 0 where 0 is the number of the desired resolution.
For example, xrandr -s 3 would change the resolution on this system to 800x600). The listed resolutions will not necessarily be the same across systems, meaning xrandr -s 2 on one system may not display the same resolution as it would on a different system.
