diff --git a/Sources/tart/Commands/Set.swift b/Sources/tart/Commands/Set.swift
index 384fda8c..6a8b737b 100644
--- a/Sources/tart/Commands/Set.swift
+++ b/Sources/tart/Commands/Set.swift
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ struct Set: AsyncParsableCommand {
   @Option(help: "VM memory size in megabytes")
   var memory: UInt64?
 
-  @Option(help: "VM display resolution in a format of WIDTHxHEIGHT[pt|px]. For example, 1200x800, 1200x800pt or 1920x1080px. Units are treated as hints and default to \"pt\" (points) for macOS VMs and \"px\" (pixels) for Linux VMs when not specified.")
+  @Option(help: "VM display resolution in a format of WIDTHxHEIGHT[pt|px][@PPI]. For example, 1200x800, 1200x800pt, 1920x1080px or 3200x1800px@220. Units are treated as hints and default to \"pt\" (points) for macOS VMs and \"px\" (pixels) for Linux VMs when not specified. The optional @PPI (pixels-per-inch) hint applies to pixel-unit displays and, at a Retina-class value such as 220, makes a macOS guest expose a HiDPI (2x) mode regardless of the host display; it defaults to 72 (non-Retina) when omitted.")
   var display: VMDisplayConfig?
 
   @Flag(inversion: .prefixedNo, help: ArgumentHelp("Whether to automatically reconfigure the VM's display to fit the window"))
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ struct Set: AsyncParsableCommand {
         vmConfig.display.height = display.height
       }
       vmConfig.display.unit = display.unit
+      vmConfig.display.ppi = display.ppi
     }
 
     vmConfig.displayRefit = displayRefit
@@ -91,6 +92,16 @@ extension VMDisplayConfig: ExpressibleByArgument {
   public init(argument: String) {
     var argument = argument
     var unit: Unit? = nil
+    var ppi: Int? = nil
+
+    // Optional "@PPI" pixels-per-inch hint, e.g. "3200x1800px@220". Parsed
+    // before the unit suffix since it always trails the whole spec. Only a
+    // positive value is kept; zero/negative (or non-numeric) is ignored so the
+    // display falls back to the 72 default rather than a broken configuration.
+    if let atIndex = argument.lastIndex(of: "@") {
+      ppi = Int(argument[argument.index(after: atIndex)...]).flatMap { $0 > 0 ? $0 : nil }
+      argument = String(argument[..<atIndex])
+    }
 
     if argument.hasSuffix(Unit.pixel.rawValue) {
       argument = String(argument.dropLast(Unit.pixel.rawValue.count))
@@ -107,6 +118,7 @@ extension VMDisplayConfig: ExpressibleByArgument {
       width: parts[safe: 0] ?? 0,
       height: parts[safe: 1] ?? 0,
       unit: unit,
+      ppi: ppi,
     )
   }
 }
diff --git a/Sources/tart/Platform/Darwin.swift b/Sources/tart/Platform/Darwin.swift
index dcdca09a..1d1fec4c 100644
--- a/Sources/tart/Platform/Darwin.swift
+++ b/Sources/tart/Platform/Darwin.swift
@@ -95,9 +95,11 @@ struct UnsupportedHostOSError: Error, CustomStringConvertible {
         VZMacGraphicsDisplayConfiguration(
           widthInPixels: vmConfig.display.width,
           heightInPixels: vmConfig.display.height,
-          // A reasonable guess according to Apple's documentation[1]
+          // Defaults to 72 — a reasonable guess according to Apple's
+          // documentation[1] — unless a --display "@PPI" hint asks for a
+          // Retina-class density (which yields a HiDPI guest mode).
           // [1]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coregraphics/1456599-cgdisplayscreensize
-          pixelsPerInch: 72
+          pixelsPerInch: vmConfig.display.effectivePixelsPerInch
         )
       ]
 
diff --git a/Sources/tart/VMConfig.swift b/Sources/tart/VMConfig.swift
index c6e9ba9a..e163481c 100644
--- a/Sources/tart/VMConfig.swift
+++ b/Sources/tart/VMConfig.swift
@@ -41,15 +41,32 @@ struct VMDisplayConfig: Codable, Equatable {
   var width: Int = 1024
   var height: Int = 768
   var unit: Unit?
+  var ppi: Int?
+
+  // Pixels-per-inch handed to the guest's pixel-unit framebuffer. Defaults to
+  // 72 (non-Retina) when no positive hint is given, matching
+  // Virtualization.framework's historical assumption; a Retina-class value
+  // (e.g. 220) makes the guest expose a HiDPI (scaling:on) mode regardless of
+  // the host display. A non-positive stored value (e.g. from a hand-edited
+  // config) is treated as unset so it never reaches the display configuration.
+  var effectivePixelsPerInch: Int {
+    if let ppi, ppi > 0 {
+      return ppi
+    }
+    return 72
+  }
 }
 
 extension VMDisplayConfig: CustomStringConvertible {
   var description: String {
+    var result = "\(width)x\(height)"
     if let unit {
-      "\(width)x\(height)\(unit.rawValue)"
-    } else {
-      "\(width)x\(height)"
+      result += unit.rawValue
+    }
+    if let ppi {
+      result += "@\(ppi)"
     }
+    return result
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/Tests/TartTests/VMConfigTests.swift b/Tests/TartTests/VMConfigTests.swift
index 34fb9012..b590a847 100644
--- a/Tests/TartTests/VMConfigTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/TartTests/VMConfigTests.swift
@@ -15,4 +15,61 @@ final class VMConfigTests: XCTestCase {
     vmDisplayConfig = VMDisplayConfig.init(argument: "1234x5678px")
     XCTAssertEqual(VMDisplayConfig(width: 1234, height: 5678, unit: .pixel), vmDisplayConfig)
   }
+
+  func testEffectivePixelsPerInchUsesConfiguredValue() throws {
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(width: 3200, height: 1800, unit: .pixel, ppi: 220)
+    XCTAssertEqual(220, config.effectivePixelsPerInch)
+  }
+
+  func testEffectivePixelsPerInchDefaultsTo72WhenUnset() throws {
+    // Upstream behavior: a pixel display with no PPI hint stays non-Retina (72 PPI).
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(width: 1234, height: 5678, unit: .pixel, ppi: nil)
+    XCTAssertEqual(72, config.effectivePixelsPerInch)
+  }
+
+  func testParsesPixelsPerInchSuffix() throws {
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(argument: "3200x1800px@220")
+    XCTAssertEqual(VMDisplayConfig(width: 3200, height: 1800, unit: .pixel, ppi: 220), config)
+  }
+
+  func testWithoutSuffixHasNilPixelsPerInch() throws {
+    // Backward compatibility: existing "WIDTHxHEIGHT[pt|px]" strings carry no PPI.
+    XCTAssertEqual(
+      VMDisplayConfig(width: 1234, height: 5678, unit: .pixel, ppi: nil),
+      VMDisplayConfig(argument: "1234x5678px"))
+  }
+
+  func testDescriptionRoundTripsPixelsPerInch() throws {
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(width: 3200, height: 1800, unit: .pixel, ppi: 220)
+    XCTAssertEqual("3200x1800px@220", config.description)
+    XCTAssertEqual(config, VMDisplayConfig(argument: config.description))
+  }
+
+  func testParsesPixelsPerInchWithoutExplicitUnit() throws {
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(argument: "3200x1800@220")
+    XCTAssertEqual(VMDisplayConfig(width: 3200, height: 1800, unit: nil, ppi: 220), config)
+  }
+
+  func testMalformedPixelsPerInchDegradesToNil() throws {
+    // A non-numeric PPI is ignored (falls back to the 72 default) rather than
+    // failing the parse — consistent with the parser's lenient dimensions.
+    let config = VMDisplayConfig(argument: "3200x1800px@notanumber")
+    XCTAssertEqual(VMDisplayConfig(width: 3200, height: 1800, unit: .pixel, ppi: nil), config)
+    XCTAssertEqual(72, config.effectivePixelsPerInch)
+  }
+
+  func testRejectsNonPositivePixelsPerInchWhenParsing() throws {
+    // A zero or negative PPI is meaningless and must not persist — it would
+    // otherwise reach VZMacGraphicsDisplayConfiguration and fail to build the
+    // display instead of falling back to the 72 default.
+    XCTAssertNil(VMDisplayConfig(argument: "3200x1800px@0").ppi)
+    XCTAssertNil(VMDisplayConfig(argument: "3200x1800px@-5").ppi)
+  }
+
+  func testEffectivePixelsPerInchIgnoresNonPositiveStoredValue() throws {
+    // Defense for a hand-edited config.json: a stored value <= 0 falls back to
+    // 72 rather than being handed to VZMacGraphicsDisplayConfiguration.
+    XCTAssertEqual(72, VMDisplayConfig(width: 100, height: 100, unit: .pixel, ppi: 0).effectivePixelsPerInch)
+    XCTAssertEqual(72, VMDisplayConfig(width: 100, height: 100, unit: .pixel, ppi: -5).effectivePixelsPerInch)
+  }
 }