C# windows Form Project, in laptop touch screen form shrinks and moves when reloads

Question

C# windows Form Project, in laptop touch screen form shrinks and moves when reloads

Gennady Gurin 186

I have Windows Form Project targeting old net framework 4.8, In my project I have to reload a form on certain conditions, so on my PC computer everything working normally but when testing on laptop touch screen the form shrinks and moves when reloading.

Upon searching I had to add line: in my Program.cs file

here: Application.SetHighDpiMode(HighDpiMode.PerMonitorV2);

However, it is undefined. So, upon searching I had to add

lines into my app.config file and create app.manifest file as well.

Anyway, all those files in working directory.

And still is underfired, not sure what to do next?

Anyone responds, thanks in advance.

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Nguyen Dam (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 595 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello @Gennady Gurin , and thank you for reaching out.

For your main issue, "reload" could mean a few different things, so it's difficult to tell what you've tried so far. For example, you may be calling Refresh(), or creating a new instance of the form. If it's the latter, that would likely explain why the size and position are reset, and reusing the existing form instead should help. If that isn't what you're doing, could you please share the snippet that performs the "reload"? That would enable me to support you better.

Regarding the other point you mentioned, this may not be related to your actual issue, and it could be taking you down a different path. Application.SetHighDpiMode(HighDpiMode.PerMonitorV2) is undefined because it isn't available in .NET Framework 4.8, but in newer .NET versions of Windows Forms.

As for app.config and app.manifest, if you added DPI-awareness settings there, for example by following High DPI support in Windows Forms, those settings would enable DPI awareness for the project itself but wouldn't make Application.SetHighDpiMode(HighDpiMode.PerMonitorV2) available. If you'd still like to confirm those settings are in effect, you can check the DPI awareness column in the Details tab of Task Manager while your app is running.

If you found my response helpful or informative, I would greatly appreciate it if you could follow this guide for your confirmation. Thank you.

Gennady Gurin 186 Reputation points

2026-10-06T02:44:30.29+00:00

See this link:

https://www.google.com/search?q=C%23+windows+form+Application.SetHighDpiMode%28HighDpiMode.PerMonitorV2%29%2C+net+frameform+4.8&sca_esv=0685ec434f4b2503&biw=1912&bih=914&sxsrf=APpeQnvODp_5_3WL2CH3iOp113UKd5Cysg%3A1790040421667&ei=ZdmxarGgKJP-ptQPou7owAY&ved=2ahUKEwjx5t2bhIGXAxUTv4kEHSI3GmgQ4dUDegQIBhAM&uact=5&oq=C%23+windows+form+Application.SetHighDpiMode%28HighDpiMode.PerMonitorV2%29%2C+net+frameform+4.8&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiV0MjIHdpbmRvd3MgZm9ybSBBcHBsaWNhdGlvbi5TZXRIaWdoRHBpTW9kZShIaWdoRHBpTW9kZS5QZXJNb25pdG9yVjIpLCBuZXQgZnJhbWVmb3JtIDQuOEjcDlAAWOsEcAB4AJABAJgB6gWgAewKqgEFNS0xLjG4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgCgAgCYAwCSBwCgB_0FsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Also, I found this:

The behavior you are seeing—where the form shifts upward, changes location, and shrinks when reloaded on a touch laptop—is a classic High DPI scaling conflict. Most desktop PCs use standard 100% scaling (96 DPI), but modern touch laptops typically come with high-resolution screens set to 125% or 150% display scaling by default. If your application saves its position and dimensions in raw pixels and reloads them without factoring in this scaling difference, Windows will double-scale or improperly translate those coordinates. Additionally, touch devices often trigger automated shifts to keep forms clear of the on-screen touch keyboard or virtual boundaries.

When I click "NEXT" button on my form, it just uploads new pictures, links into the same form, I think it does not reload, it only loads once the application starts, not sure how to procced, just tested touch screen laptop form shrinks and changes it position ones I click "next" button, which makes acquire new pictures and etc. into the same form.

I took screen shots of app.config and app.manifest files.

Maybe syntax in not correct?

Get back thanks.
Nguyen Dam (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-06T04:49:11.2033333+00:00
Hi @Gennady Gurin ,

Thank you for sharing the additional details.

As mentioned previously, the DPI configuration may not be related to the original issue. To investigate further, I would need the relevant C# code that creates, reloads, or navigates to the affected form, particularly the code used by the “Next” button.

If you still want to continue with the DPI configuration, move the following section outside the <runtime> element in your app.config file:

<System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationConfigurationSection> <add key="EnableWindowsFormsHighDpiAutoResizing" value="false /> <add key="DpiAwareness" value="PerMonitorV2" /> </System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationConfigurationSection>

It did not take effect because it was nested inside the <runtime> element.
You can verify the result by opening Task Manager => Details => adding the DPI Awareness column (if it is not already shown) => checking the DPI Awareness status displayed for your application’s process. System aware or Per-monitor aware means DPI awareness is enabled, while Unaware means it is not. See DPI Awareness Mode if you need more details.

However, even if DPI awareness is enabled successfully, it may not resolve the form shrinking and moving when reloaded. The paragraph you referenced only explains that DPI differences can affect a form’s displayed size across different screens; it does not indicate that DPI configuration would resolve this particular behavior.

Please share the relevant code snippets if possible, as that would allow me to provide more specific guidance.