diff --git a/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc b/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
index 40cca527b..49ca8aa86 100644
--- a/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
+++ b/src/klayout_main/klayout_main/klayout.cc
@@ -302,6 +302,7 @@ klayout_main_cont (int &argc, char **argv)
     if (non_ui_mode) {
       app.reset (new lay::NonGuiApplication (argc, argv));
     } else {
+      lay::GuiApplication::initialize ();
       app.reset (new lay::GuiApplication (argc, argv));
       lay::enable_signal_handler_gui (true);
     }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
index fe517860e..5aee10b73 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.cc
@@ -1434,12 +1434,6 @@ GuiApplication::GuiApplication (int &argc, char **argv)
   setStyle (new lay::BackgroundAwareTreeStyle (0));
 
   setWindowIcon (QIcon (QString::fromUtf8 (":/logo.png")));
-#if QT_VERSION >= 0x040500
-  setAttribute (Qt::AA_DontShowIconsInMenus, false);
-#endif
-#if QT_VERSION >= 0x050000
-  setAttribute (Qt::AA_UseHighDpiPixmaps, true);
-#endif
 }
 
 GuiApplication::~GuiApplication ()
@@ -1453,6 +1447,20 @@ GuiApplication::~GuiApplication ()
   shutdown ();
 }
 
+void
+GuiApplication::initialize ()
+{
+#if QT_VERSION >= 0x040500
+  QCoreApplication::setAttribute (Qt::AA_DontShowIconsInMenus, false);
+#endif
+#if QT_VERSION >= 0x050000
+  QCoreApplication::setAttribute (Qt::AA_UseHighDpiPixmaps, true);
+#endif
+#if QT_VERSION >= 0x050600
+  QCoreApplication::setAttribute (Qt::AA_EnableHighDpiScaling, true);
+#endif
+}
+
 bool
 GuiApplication::notify (QObject *receiver, QEvent *e)
 {
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
index e5794cefd..6b42e1318 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layApplication.h
@@ -390,6 +390,13 @@ public:
 
   QApplication *qapp_gui () { return this; }
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Does some pre-initialization
+   *
+   *  Must be called before the GuiApplication object is created
+   */
+  static void initialize ();
+
   /**
    *  @brief Reimplementation of notify from QApplication
    */