diff --git a/src/Markup/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.Loader/CompilerExtensions/Transformers/AvaloniaXamlIlControlTemplateTargetTypeMetadataTransformer.cs b/src/Markup/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.Loader/CompilerExtensions/Transformers/AvaloniaXamlIlControlTemplateTargetTypeMetadataTransformer.cs
index f95d086bf6..4d93408ce8 100644
--- a/src/Markup/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.Loader/CompilerExtensions/Transformers/AvaloniaXamlIlControlTemplateTargetTypeMetadataTransformer.cs
+++ b/src/Markup/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.Loader/CompilerExtensions/Transformers/AvaloniaXamlIlControlTemplateTargetTypeMetadataTransformer.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System.Linq;
 using XamlX.Ast;
 using XamlX.Transform;
+using XamlX.Transform.Transformers;
 using XamlX.TypeSystem;
 
 namespace Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.XamlIl.CompilerExtensions.Transformers
@@ -22,26 +23,19 @@ namespace Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.XamlIl.CompilerExtensions.Transformers
             IXamlAstTypeReference targetType;
 
             var templatableBaseType = context.Configuration.TypeSystem.GetType("Avalonia.Controls.Control");
-            
-            if ((tt?.Values.FirstOrDefault() is XamlTypeExtensionNode tn))
-            {
-                targetType = tn.Value;
-            }
-            else
+
+            targetType = tt?.Values.FirstOrDefault() switch
             {
-                var parentScope = context.ParentNodes().OfType<AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode>()
-                    .FirstOrDefault();
-                if (parentScope?.ScopeType == AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode.ScopeTypes.Style)
-                    targetType = parentScope.TargetType;
-                else if (context.ParentNodes().Skip(1).FirstOrDefault() is XamlAstObjectNode directParentNode
-                         && templatableBaseType.IsAssignableFrom(directParentNode.Type.GetClrType()))
-                    targetType = directParentNode.Type;
-                else
-                    targetType = new XamlAstClrTypeReference(node,
-                        templatableBaseType, false);
-            }
-                
-                
+                XamlTypeExtensionNode tn => tn.Value,
+                XamlAstTextNode textNode => TypeReferenceResolver.ResolveType(context, textNode.Text, false, textNode, true),
+                _ when context.ParentNodes()
+                    .OfType<AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode>()
+                    .FirstOrDefault() is { ScopeType: AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode.ScopeTypes.Style } parentScope => parentScope.TargetType,
+                _ when context.ParentNodes().Skip(1).FirstOrDefault() is XamlAstObjectNode directParentNode
+                         && templatableBaseType.IsAssignableFrom(directParentNode.Type.GetClrType()) => directParentNode.Type,
+                _ => new XamlAstClrTypeReference(node,
+                        templatableBaseType, false)
+            };
 
             return new AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode(on, targetType,
                 AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode.ScopeTypes.ControlTemplate);
@@ -59,7 +53,7 @@ namespace Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.XamlIl.CompilerExtensions.Transformers
             ControlTemplate,
             Transitions
         }
-        
+
         public AvaloniaXamlIlTargetTypeMetadataNode(IXamlAstValueNode value, IXamlAstTypeReference targetType,
             ScopeTypes type)
             : base(value, value)
diff --git a/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32Platform.cs b/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32Platform.cs
index 9244da5064..9650c44bef 100644
--- a/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32Platform.cs
+++ b/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32Platform.cs
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ namespace Avalonia.Win32
 
         public Win32Platform()
         {
-            SetDpiAwareness();
             CreateMessageWindow();
             _dispatcher = new Win32DispatcherImpl(_hwnd);
         }
@@ -80,6 +79,9 @@ namespace Avalonia.Win32
         public static void Initialize(Win32PlatformOptions options)
         {
             s_options = options;
+
+            SetDpiAwareness();
+
             var renderTimer = options.ShouldRenderOnUIThread ? new UiThreadRenderTimer(60) : new DefaultRenderTimer(60);
 
             AvaloniaLocator.CurrentMutable
@@ -264,12 +266,31 @@ namespace Avalonia.Win32
             var user32 = LoadLibrary("user32.dll");
             var method = GetProcAddress(user32, nameof(SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext));
 
+            var dpiAwareness = Options.DpiAwareness;
+
             if (method != IntPtr.Zero)
             {
-                if (SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_PER_MONITOR_AWARE_V2) ||
-                    SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_PER_MONITOR_AWARE))
+                if (dpiAwareness == Win32DpiAwareness.Unaware)
                 {
-                    return;
+                    if (SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_UNAWARE))
+                    {
+                        return;
+                    }
+                }
+                else if (dpiAwareness == Win32DpiAwareness.SystemDpiAware)
+                {
+                    if (SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_SYSTEM_AWARE))
+                    {
+                        return;
+                    }
+                }
+                else if (dpiAwareness == Win32DpiAwareness.PerMonitorDpiAware)
+                {
+                    if (SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_PER_MONITOR_AWARE_V2) ||
+                    SetProcessDpiAwarenessContext(DPI_AWARENESS_CONTEXT_PER_MONITOR_AWARE))
+                    {
+                        return;
+                    }
                 }
             }
 
@@ -278,11 +299,20 @@ namespace Avalonia.Win32
 
             if (method != IntPtr.Zero)
             {
-                SetProcessDpiAwareness(PROCESS_DPI_AWARENESS.PROCESS_PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE);
+                var awareness = (dpiAwareness) switch
+                {
+                    Win32DpiAwareness.Unaware => PROCESS_DPI_AWARENESS.PROCESS_DPI_UNAWARE,
+                    Win32DpiAwareness.SystemDpiAware => PROCESS_DPI_AWARENESS.PROCESS_SYSTEM_DPI_AWARE,
+                    Win32DpiAwareness.PerMonitorDpiAware => PROCESS_DPI_AWARENESS.PROCESS_PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE,
+                    _ => PROCESS_DPI_AWARENESS.PROCESS_PER_MONITOR_DPI_AWARE,
+                };
+
+                SetProcessDpiAwareness(awareness);
                 return;
             }
 
-            SetProcessDPIAware();
+            if (dpiAwareness != Win32DpiAwareness.Unaware)
+                SetProcessDPIAware();
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32PlatformOptions.cs b/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32PlatformOptions.cs
index bbb4c37d7e..eac18dc080 100644
--- a/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32PlatformOptions.cs
+++ b/src/Windows/Avalonia.Win32/Win32PlatformOptions.cs
@@ -25,6 +25,27 @@ public enum Win32RenderingMode
     Wgl = 3
 }
 
+/// <summary>
+/// Represents the DPI Awareness for the application.
+/// </summary>
+public enum Win32DpiAwareness
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The application is DPI unaware.
+    /// </summary>
+    Unaware,
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The application is system DPI aware. It will query DPI once and will not adjust to new DPI changes
+    /// </summary>
+    SystemDpiAware,
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The application is per-monitor DPI aware. It adjust its scale factor whenever DPI changes.
+    /// </summary>
+    PerMonitorDpiAware
+}
+
 /// <summary>
 /// Represents the Win32 window composition mode.
 /// </summary>
@@ -137,4 +158,9 @@ public class Win32PlatformOptions
     /// and <see cref="CompositionMode"/> only accepts null or <see cref="Win32CompositionMode.RedirectionSurface"/>.
     /// </summary>
     public IPlatformGraphics? CustomPlatformGraphics { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the application's DPI awareness.
+    /// </summary>
+    public Win32DpiAwareness DpiAwareness { get; set; } = Win32DpiAwareness.PerMonitorDpiAware;
 }
diff --git a/tests/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.UnitTests/Xaml/ControlTemplateTests.cs b/tests/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.UnitTests/Xaml/ControlTemplateTests.cs
index ea2407e18d..e21f6cd276 100644
--- a/tests/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.UnitTests/Xaml/ControlTemplateTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.UnitTests/Xaml/ControlTemplateTests.cs
@@ -286,6 +286,24 @@ namespace Avalonia.Markup.Xaml.UnitTests.Xaml
             Assert.IsType(typeof(ContentPresenter), template.Build(new ContentControl()).Result);
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public void ControlTemplate_With_String_TargetType()
+        {
+            var xaml = @"
+<ControlTemplate xmlns='https://github.com/avaloniaui' 
+                 xmlns:x='http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml'
+                 TargetType='ContentControl'>
+    <ContentPresenter Content='{TemplateBinding Content}' />
+</ControlTemplate>
+";
+            var template = AvaloniaRuntimeXamlLoader.Parse<ControlTemplate>(xaml);
+
+            Assert.Equal(typeof(ContentControl), template.TargetType);
+
+            Assert.IsType(typeof(ContentPresenter), template.Build(new ContentControl()).Result);
+        }
+
+
         [Fact]
         public void ControlTemplate_With_Panel_Children_Are_Added()
         {