To make your computer screen brighter, raise the brightness slider in your computer’s display settings or increase brightness with your external monitor’s buttons. You can also use a screen brightness key if your keyboard has one. The Windows steps use Windows 11 menus.
The short version
- Windows: Select the taskbar’s Network icon and drag Brightness right.
- Mac: Open Control Center and drag Brightness right.
- Chromebook: Select the time at the bottom right and raise the brightness slider.
- External monitor: Use the monitor’s buttons or joystick to increase brightness.
- Repeated dimming: Check automatic brightness and battery saving controls for your device.
| Brightness control | Where to find it | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Windows quick slider | Taskbar Network icon, then Brightness | Displays exposing Windows brightness control |
| Windows display settings | On Windows 11, Settings > System > Display | Supported built-in screens |
| Lenovo keyboard shortcut | F6 or Fn + Home, depending on the model | Applicable Lenovo keyboards |
| Mac quick slider | Menu bar Control Center | Supported displays, including without brightness keys |
| Mac display settings | System Settings > Displays | Built-in and compatible external displays |
| Mac keyboard shortcut | Increase Brightness, with Fn if required | MacBook and compatible Apple keyboards |
| Chromebook quick slider | Select the time at the bottom right | Keyboard or tablet mode |
| Chromebook keyboard shortcut | Increase screen brightness | Keyboards with the screen brightness key |
| Chromebook display settings | Settings > Device > Displays | Manual brightness and supported sensor controls |
| Monitor buttons or joystick | The monitor’s own brightness menu | External screens with independent controls |
| Twinkle Tray | App icon in the Windows system tray | Most laptops and DDC/CI-compatible monitors |
| MonitorControl | App icon in the Mac menu bar | Compatible displays and connections |
| GNOME brightness control | System menu at the right of the top bar | Hardware exposing a brightness interface |
| KDE Plasma brightness control | Brightness and Color applet | Per-display adjustment in Plasma 6.2 and later |
Increase brightness on Windows
Select the Network icon on the taskbar, then drag Brightness right. This control applies principally to built-in screens that expose brightness adjustment to Windows. If your external monitor has no slider here, use its physical controls.
For the full display controls, on Windows 11 open Start > Settings > System > Display and increase Brightness. This route also requires a supported built-in display.
A keyboard shortcut can be faster, but the keys depend on your computer. Applicable Lenovo ThinkPad, ideapad and ThinkCentre keyboards may use F6 or Fn + Home to increase screen brightness. Check your model’s manual for its combination, and use the Windows slider on a supported display if the keyboard control does not work.
Make your Mac screen brighter
Open Control Center from the menu bar and drag Brightness right. Alternatively, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Displays and increase Brightness. These controls work with built-in and compatible external displays.
On a MacBook or compatible Apple keyboard, press Increase Brightness. If your keyboard uses standard function keys, hold Fn while pressing Increase Brightness. Screen brightness keys are separate from the controls you use to turn off your keyboard backlight.
For an external display compatible with Apple’s brightness shortcuts, press Control + Brightness Up. If your monitor does not respond to those controls, adjust it with its own buttons or joystick. Its brightness menu and button placement depend on the model.
Adjust your Chromebook display
Select the time at the bottom right, then drag the brightness slider right in quick settings. This route also works when your Chromebook is in tablet mode. On a Chromebook keyboard with the screen brightness key, press Increase screen brightness instead.
For additional controls, open Settings > Device > Displays and increase Display brightness. On hardware with a supported light sensor, turn on Automatically adjust display brightness for sensor-controlled adjustment. Turn it off when you want to retain a manually chosen level.
Use your external monitor controls
Use your external monitor’s buttons or joystick when your computer’s slider does not control it. On a Dell P2222H, press the rear joystick, select Brightness/Contrast in the Menu Launcher, and raise the brightness slider. Other models use different layouts.
On Samsung monitors with JOG picture controls, move the JOG button up to access picture adjustments. Select Brightness and raise its slider. Compatible Samsung models also offer High-Brightness among their picture modes, while Custom lets you make manual adjustments. These presets are model-specific and can change image accuracy.
For Windows 11 sliders that control compatible monitors, download Twinkle Tray using its official Microsoft Store or GitHub links. Open its system tray icon and raise the desired monitor’s slider, or adjust linked displays together. It works with most laptops and DDC/CI-compatible monitors, but HDR control is not supported universally. If it cannot control your monitor, use the monitor’s physical controls.
For compatible Mac displays and connections, download MonitorControl from the repository’s Releases area, choosing a release compatible with your macOS version. Open its menu bar icon and raise the monitor slider. macOS 27 requires version 4.4.0 or newer. Some HDMI connections and DisplayLink devices support only software dimming, so use the monitor’s physical controls when you need to adjust hardware brightness.
Raise brightness on Linux
On a GNOME desktop, open the system menu at the right of the top bar and increase the brightness slider. You can also press your laptop’s Brightness Up key, marked with a sun symbol, holding Fn if required. These controls depend on the hardware exposing a brightness interface. For an external monitor, its own controls provide another route.
On KDE Plasma 6.2 or later, open Brightness and Color and raise the slider for the display you want to adjust. You can also scroll over the applet’s tray icon to change brightness. Plasma uses hardware brightness where supported and offers software adjustment for other configurations.
Stop the screen from dimming again
If your Windows screen changes brightness as the content changes, on Windows 11 open Settings > System > Display > Brightness. On PCs with content adaptive brightness control, set Change brightness based on content to Off, then increase Brightness.
For dimming during energy saving, on Windows 11 open Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy saver. On installations exposing this option, turn off Lower screen brightness when using energy saver.
On supported laptops running AMD Software Adrenalin Edition, Vari-Bright can also affect brightness to save power. Open AMD Software, search for Display, and select Display Settings. Disable Vari-Bright or choose a less power-saving level.
On a Mac with an ambient-light sensor, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Displays. Turn off Automatically adjust brightness if automatic adjustment is causing unwanted dimming, then set Brightness manually. On Mac laptops exposing the battery option, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Battery > Options and turn off Slightly dim the display on battery.
On Chromebooks with Battery Saver, that feature can dim your screen too. Click Turn off in its notification, or open the Power page in Settings and turn off Battery Saver. Connecting the charger also turns it off automatically.
In GNOME, open Activities, type Power, and open Power. Under Power Saving Options, turn off Dim Screen; on systems with an integrated light sensor, turn off Automatic Screen Brightness to retain manual control. If dimming continues, select Balanced instead of Power Saver. GNOME says Power Saver dims the screen even when ordinary dimming is disabled.
Adjust apps that look dark with HDR
When HDR is enabled and ordinary apps look too dark, adjust the content brightness balance. On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display, select your HDR display, and move the settings window onto that screen. Open HDR, then adjust SDR content brightness for an external HDR display or HDR content brightness for a supported built-in HDR display.
Restart the affected app if its appearance does not change. If individual SDR apps remain darker than other apps on an external HDR screen, Microsoft recommends lowering SDR content brightness and then raising the monitor’s physical brightness control. For that same inconsistency on a built-in HDR screen, lower HDR content brightness.
Check filters and dark appearance settings
A warm color filter or dark interface changes how your screen looks, but changing either has a different effect from increasing panel brightness. On Windows 11, open Settings > System > Display and turn off Night light to remove its warm cast. On a Chromebook, select the time, open Settings > Device > Displays, and turn off Night Light.
To choose a lighter Windows interface, on Windows 11 open Settings > Personalization > Colors and set Choose your mode to Light. Participating apps follow this appearance setting, though apps may override the system theme. On a Mac, open System Settings > Appearance and select Light.
If only webpages look dark and you have Dark Reader installed, open the extension and increase Brightness under Filter Settings. You can also switch the extension Off. These changes affect webpage rendering rather than your screen’s hardware brightness.
With f.lux running on Windows, enable its hotkeys in Options, then press Alt + Page Up to reduce software dimming. In f.lux version 4, press Alt + End to disable it for one hour. Removing that dimming restores brightness reduced by f.lux without exceeding your display’s hardware maximum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you adjust Mac brightness in smaller steps?
Press Option + Shift + Brightness Up for smaller increments. For a compatible external display, press Control + Option + Shift + Brightness Up.
Can you change screen brightness from a MacBook Pro Touch Bar?
On a Touch Bar MacBook Pro running a compatible macOS release, touch the display brightness button in the Control Strip and slide right. Expand the Control Strip if you need to reveal its brightness buttons.
Why are brightness controls disabled in an Apple reference mode?
Apple says some reference modes disable brightness adjustment on MacBook Pro models with Liquid Retina XDR, Studio Display, Studio Display XDR and Pro Display XDR. Open the Apple menu > System Settings > Displays, select your display, open Preset, and choose its general-use Apple preset. The preset name varies by display. Then adjust brightness.
What should you do when an Apple XDR display shows a limited brightness warning?
On a MacBook Pro with Liquid Retina XDR or an Apple Pro Display XDR experiencing thermal brightness limitation, choose the Apple menu > Sleep. Let the display cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then press a key to wake your Mac.