Skyrim works with ultrawide monitors, but it's not plug-and-play. You'll need to install some mods for the best experience. This is complicated somewhat by the November 2021 update (the Anniversary Edition), which broke some mods. I've tested all of these mods myself, so you shouldn't have any problems. However, keep in mind that some of this stuff is currently in flux, especially since a new patch in late 2023.

If you haven't installed a mod manager yet, you should do so now. It's very easy, and there are detailed guides, both on Steam and YouTube. Vortex[www.nexusmods.com] is popular and easy-to-use, but you could install whatever you want.

Before we get to the fun stuff, a brief technical detour: 21:9 is a marketing term. There are no monitors with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Most ultrawide monitors are a little bit off from this. 2560x1080 is actually 64:27, 3440x1440 is 43:18, and 3840x1600 is 24:10. This shouldn't matter. I only mention this in case you try to edit the menus yourself or debug some esoteric graphical glitch.

First, we need to set the game to use the correct resolution. Unfortunately, this can't be done through the game's launcher. You'll need to either manually edit the game's configuration files or use Bethini.[www.nexusmods.com] Bethini is a useful utility, so that's what I recommend.


This image shows a sample configuration of Bethini set to 3440x1440. The important part here is the resolution, not the other stuff; don't worry if your options are set differently than mine. While you're here, you could optionally allow Bethini to optimize the settings in your .ini files, but you don't have to.

If you'd rather not install Bethini, you can edit the .ini files by hand. Load Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini in a text editor. You can use Notepad if you don't have anything better installed. Under [Display], set your resolution by changing iSize H and iSize W.

For a 3440x1440 display:

iSize H=1440
iSize W=3440

For a 2560x1080 display:

iSize H=1080
iSize W=2560

For other resolutions, just use the appropriate numbers. Note: if you're using Mod Organizer 2, these steps are different. I suggest you just use Bethini in that case.

Now it's time to add mods that will fix the user interface. Technically, the game will run in ultrawide without any mods, but some menus won't display correctly. If you just want to get the game up and running, follow the Simple Version below. Braver users can install some more complex mods for a better experience by following the instructions in the Advanced Version, which was previously the default.

This is a barebones solution that doesn't require a script extender and uses only one mod. Complete Widescreen Fix[www.nexusmods.com] will fix Skyrim's menus to work at 21:9. Go to the Files tab and download the last file, which is labeled "Complete Widescreen Fix for Vanilla - 2560x1080". Make sure you download this version -- the others won't work! It doesn't matter that it's labeled 2560x1080. It'll work with any 21:9 monitor. Click on "mod manager download" and watch as Vortex does all the work for you. If you instead selected "manual download", import the mod into Vortex by clicking on "install from file" from Vortex's "mods" tab. The instructions are basically the same for any other modern mod manager.

You're now done! You can go play the game in ultrawide. Optionally, install "Better Dialogue Control", "Better Messagebox Control", and "Flashing Savegame Fix" from the Optional Files. These are minor UI fixes that have no downside. There are some other optional files that will increase compatibility with other mods that you may have installed, but you don't need to install any of them.

These instructions are not compatible with the "simple version" above. If you followed them, please load your mod manager and either disable or uninstall Complete Widescreen Fix for Vanilla. Then follow the instructions below.

If you're ready to install some more complex mods, you'll need a prerequisite for many of them: the script extender. Vortex can do this for you. See this page[wiki.nexusmods.com] for details.

If you're like me and prefer to do it manually, download SKSE64.[skse.silverlock.org] You want the version for the 1.6.x runtime. On the download page, this is currently labeled "Current Anniversary Edition build 2.2.3 (game version 1.6.640)". Follow the instructions to install this -- basically, unzip the contents of this archive into your Skyrim directory.


Open in 7zip,[www.7-zip.org] and select the files.


Extract to wherever you have Skyrim installed.

Now add it to your mod manager. Instructions are linked above for Vortex. Or, if you're using another mod manager, check its help files.

SkyUI[www.nexusmods.com] is a popular user interface mod. We're going to install the latest version, 5.2SE. Go to the files tab, preferably click on "mod manager download", and watch as Vortex does all the work for you. If you instead clicked on "manual download", import the zip file into Vortex by clicking on "install from file" from Vortex's "mods" tab. The instructions are basically the same for any other modern mod manager.

Complete Widescreen Fix[www.nexusmods.com] will fix SkyUI's menus to work at 21:9. Go to the files tab, and download Complete Widescreen Fix for SkyUI 5.2 SE Alpha - 2560x1080. It doesn't matter that this says 2560x1080; it will work on any 21:9 aspect ratio. Make sure you download the one that says it's for SkyUI 5.2! Do not download the other versions -- they won't work!

Optional: now download the "Better Dialogue Control", "Better Messagebox Control", and "Flashing Savegame Fix" from the Optional Files. These are minor UI fixes that have no downside. Look through the other optional files, too, to see if any of those files interest you.

MoreHUD[www.nexusmods.com] is completely optional. Look at the screenshots and see if it's something that you want, but there are no downsides. Go to the files tab and download the version for AE. It doesn't matter if you have Anniversary Edition DLC installed. The "light master" version won't take up a plugin slot, which is useful if you're using lots of mods. If you only have a few mods, it doesn't really matter which one you download, but pay attention to the installation instructions in the sticky post from the "posts" tab if you download the "light master" version.

To make this work properly, you'll need to download and install Address Library for SKSE Plugins.[www.nexusmods.com] Choose the download labeled "All in one (Anniversary Edition)". Once again, it doesn't matter if you have Anniversary Edition DLC installed.

Finally, you'll also need to download and install the X64 version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable[docs.microsoft.com] if you don't already have it.

Don't like my choices? Complete Widescreen Fix looks to me to be the best choice for most people. However, there are alternatives:

• TruBy9 UltraWide - SkyrimSE[www.nexusmods.com]: this mod does not support SkyUI, was abandoned in 2017, and is marked as not working with the Anniversary Edition. That said, some people have said they got it working. If you don't want to go through the bother of installing SkyUI and the script extender, you could try this.
  
• ULTRAWIDE UI FIX (32 to 9 aspect ratio)[www.nexusmods.com]: this mod supports SkyUI at 32:9, but the author says he has not tested it on the Anniversary Edition. If you have a 32:9 aspect ratio, you could try this mod and let us know how it works.
  
• Clear UI[www.nexusmods.com]: this mod is more complex than the ones I chose for this guide, and it says there are minor issues with its ultrawide support. If you're a power user who loves to tweak stuff, you might prefer this mod.
  
• Dear Diary - Paper SkyUI Menus Replacer SE[www.nexusmods.com]: some people report that it works fine with the Anniversary Edition. It seems like it's being actively developed and has many features, but it's got a stylistic interface that might not appeal to everyone.
  
• Depending on your monitor's features, you might have a few hardware-based options, such as downscaling a 4K signal or displaying a 16:9 image with a reverse-letterbox effect.