1920 x 1200 resolution monitor with VGA not detected by Mac OS X 10.7.2

I recently got a Dell 2412m monitor with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200. But in system preferences it only shows 1920 x 1080. I had it connected, beautifully, to my spare linux machine, so that's not the issue.

How can I get the correct resolution on my display?

Specs: Dell 2412m Mac OS X 10.7.2 Connecting with MiniDisplay Port to VGA

You are unlikely to be able use the VGA input to go above 1080p

But just to make sure follow this answer how to view more Resolutions to try with.

MacBook Pro with Retina display (Late 2012) not outputting anything above 1080p

Select the monitor in System Preferences:

System Preferences -> Displays -> Monitor(not Built-in Display) -> Display Tab -> Resolution

Change from 'Best for Display' to 'Scaled' whilst holding the 'alt' key, more resolutions will be listed for you to select,

As noted in the comments, you have to start in the default mode 'Best for Display', and move into 'Scaled' whilst holding the alt/option ⎇ key, not the other way round

For whoever still has the same problem, just unplug and plug again the minidisplay adaptor into your Mac. I had the same problem with a smaller Dell and that does the job. P

OK, I know you guys down voted paolap, however, for whatever reason, that worked for me. When I connect by 1440 x 900 monitor to my macbook pro, it tends to default to a 800 x 600 resolution, and I am not able to change it (or at least change it to what I wanted, even with the use of the alt key). It seems that somehow the order and timing of how things are plugged in and turned on can "magically" cause it to occasionally (1/5 times) default to the correct resolution. My theory is that somewhere, the monitor tries to tell the computer the correct resolution, but if the computer already decides to send a 800 x 600 signal, the monitor just decides to go with it. So somehow unplugging and replugging can sometimes make the computer realize what the correct resolution should be. Edit: I eventually switched to using DVI for the monitor and haven't had a problem since.

Reconnecting sometimes REALLY solves this problem. You should try it.

Check if the right color profile set for the monitor. You can see it on the title of display preference window. If it is not the monitor's model but something different like 'Display',

1. Try an another USB port to connect the monitor. Sometimes simply doing this solves the issue
2. Delete the wrong profile in /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Displays and try to connect again.

I'd been using DELL U2412M with a screen resolution of 1980x1200 via VGA cable with my Macbook Pro(USB-C) + USB-C>VGA adapter for many years without an issue.

But recently I encountered this issue several times. My mac changed the resolution into 1980x1080 when it woke up/I reconnected the monitor.

1. I tried unplug and plug -> didn't work.
2. and tried to set resolution to 1920x1200 but I couldn't find it on the list(which MichaelStoner mentioned) even on the expanded one. There were many, only up to 1920x1080 though.

It seemed that the profile set in the mac somehow got changed. The title of display preference window on it was 'Display' not 'DELL U2412M'. I needed to reset it to solve this.