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Please log in with your username or email to continue. Facebook Google wikiHow Account No account yet? Create an account Browse Articles Quizzes & Games All Quizzes Hot Personality Quizzes Dating Simulator Learn Something New Support wikiHow Log in / Sign up Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Last Updated: May 26, 2026 Fact Checked Using the Brightness Keys In Quick Settings In System Settings Changing Brightness Automatically Enabling Night Light Using Monitor Buttons Troubleshooting This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 75,036 times. Are you looking for a quick and easy way to raise or lower the brightness of your screen in Windows? There are several ways to do this, including using special function keys on your keyboard and using the brightness slider in the Quick Settings menu. In this article, we’ll explain how to quickly adjust your brightness in Windows 11 or 10, as well as how to enable automatic brightness adjustments. We’ll also explain what to do if your brightness controls aren’t working. Quick Ways to Adjust Brightness in Windows If you’re using a laptop, you can quickly adjust your brightness by pressing Fn plus the assigned brightness keys . Press Windows key + A to open the Quick Settings menu , then adjust brightness with the slider. You can also adjust the brightness and enable advanced brightness settings by going to Settings > System > Display . If you have an external monitor, you may have to use physical buttons on the monitor itself to change brightness. Using the Brightness Keys 1 Locate the brightness keys on your keyboard. These are typically somewhere in the row of numbered F keys at the top of the keyboard. The exact location varies depending on the manufacturer of your computer. For example, you might need to use keys F11 or F12 to adjust your screen’s brightness. These keys will typically have an image of a sun printed on them. While most laptop keyboards have brightness-adjusting keys, you might not be able to do this on a desktop PC with an external monitor. One key will make your screen brighter, while the other will make it dimmer. Usually, this will be indicated by making the sun icons different sizes, making one filled and one hollow, or including an up or down arrow to show whether the key increases or decreases brightness. While most laptop keyboards have brightness-adjusting keys, you might not be able to do this on a desktop PC with an external monitor. One key will make your screen brighter, while the other will make it dimmer. Usually, this will be indicated by making the sun icons different sizes, making one filled and one hollow, or including an up or down arrow to show whether the key increases or decreases brightness. 2 Hold down Fn while pressing the brightness key. In most cases, you’ll need to press the Fn button (typically located on the bottom left side of your keyboard) while using the appropriate key to adjust the brightness up or down. Some keyboards don’t have an Fn key. In these cases, you can just press the brightness keys without holding down anything else on your keyboard. Some keyboards don’t have an Fn key. In these cases, you can just press the brightness keys without holding down anything else on your keyboard. In Quick Settings 1 Click the system tray on your keyboard. This is the area on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen where you’ll see icons of your battery, speakers, and Wi-Fi connection. Clicking it will open your Quick Settings or Action Center panel. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source In Windows 10, click the icon that looks like a square speech bubble in the taskbar to open the Action Center. You can also quickly open this panel in Windows 11 or 10 by pressing Windows key + A . In Windows 10, click the icon that looks like a square speech bubble in the taskbar to open the Action Center. You can also quickly open this panel in Windows 11 or 10 by pressing Windows key + A . 2 Drag the brightness slider left or right to adjust the brightness. You should see a slider with a sun icon next to it. Click and drag the slider in either direction to make your screen brighter or dimmer. Don’t see the slider? Check out the Troubleshooting section. Don’t see the slider? Check out the Troubleshooting section. In System Settings 1 Press ⊞ Win + I to open Settings. You can also click the Start menu and select Settings (or search for it, if you don’t see it). 2 Click System . It’s in the left-hand menu bar in Windows 11, and in the main window in Windows 10. 3 Select Display . It’s in the right menu pane in Windows 11, and on the left in Windows 10. Click it to open the Display settings menu. 4 Drag the Brightness slider left or right. You should see a “Brightness” slider near the top of the menu. Click and drag the slider left or right to decrease or increase the brightness of your screen. If you don’t see the slider or it’s greyed out, skip to Troubleshooting . [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source If you don’t see the slider or it’s greyed out, skip to Troubleshooting . [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Changing Brightness Automatically 1 Open your Display settings. If you want the brightness of your screen to adjust automatically depending on light levels in your environment (or depending on what kind of content is on your screen), you can enable this feature in Settings. To get started, press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to System > Display . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Not all PCs support these features. Not all PCs support these features. 2 Check the box next to “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes”. If you don’t see it, click the down arrow symbol next to the Brightness slider to expand your options. The screen should now get brighter or dimmer depending on the lighting around you. 3 Turn on content adaptive brightness to adjust lighting based on what’s on the screen. This optional feature allows the computer to automatically adjust brightness and contrast depending on the type of content you’re viewing. For example, the screen may brighten if you’re watching a video with a dark scene in it, then dim when the video gets brighter. This type of adaptive brightness can also help preserve your battery life. To enable it: [4] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Click the down arrow next to the Brightness slider to expand your options. Use the dropdown menu next to “Change brightness based on content” to select an option (such as Off , Always , or On Battery Only ). Content-adaptive brightness isn’t available in Windows 10. Click the down arrow next to the Brightness slider to expand your options. Use the dropdown menu next to “Change brightness based on content” to select an option (such as Off , Always , or On Battery Only ). Content-adaptive brightness isn’t available in Windows 10. Enabling Night Light

1 In the Quick Settings menu (Windows 11) Night Light allows you to reduce blue light from your screen at night. This will help minimize eye strain and make it easier for you to fall asleep after using your computer at night. To quickly enable this setting: [5] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Press Windows key + A to open your Quick Settings/Action Center menu. Toggle on “Night Light”. Press Windows key + A to open your Quick Settings/Action Center menu. Toggle on “Night Light”. 2 In System Settings (Windows 11 or 10) You can also turn on Night Light or adjust your Night Light settings in System Settings. To do so: [6] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Press Windows key + i to open Settings, then go to System > Display . Click the toggle next to “Night light” to turn it on. To adjust your Night Light settings, expand the Night Light section (Windows 11) or click Night light settings (Windows 10). From there, you can: Use the “Strength” slider to adjust the how strong the blue light reduction is. Toggle on “Schedule night light” to set hours when the night light setting comes on automatically. If your Night Light settings are greyed out, jump to Troubleshooting . Press Windows key + i to open Settings, then go to System > Display . Click the toggle next to “Night light” to turn it on. To adjust your Night Light settings, expand the Night Light section (Windows 11) or click Night light settings (Windows 10). From there, you can: Use the “Strength” slider to adjust the how strong the blue light reduction is. Toggle on “Schedule night light” to set hours when the night light setting comes on automatically. Use the “Strength” slider to adjust the how strong the blue light reduction is. Toggle on “Schedule night light” to set hours when the night light setting comes on automatically. If your Night Light settings are greyed out, jump to Troubleshooting . Using Monitor Buttons 1 Adjust brightness with the control buttons on your monitor. If you have an external monitor, you might not be able to control your display brightness using your keyboard or system settings. While the right way to do this varies depending on your monitor’s manufacturer and model, you can usually find control buttons on the monitor itself that allow you to adjust things like brightness and contrast. Some monitors have individual buttons you can use to raise or lower display brightness. If your monitor doesn’t have separate brightness buttons, press the “OSD” or “Menu” button to bring up a control menu. Then, use the navigation buttons or joystick control to navigate to the “Brightness” section of the menu. If you’re not sure where to find these controls on your monitor, consult the user’s manual. Some monitors have individual buttons you can use to raise or lower display brightness. If your monitor doesn’t have separate brightness buttons, press the “OSD” or “Menu” button to bring up a control menu. Then, use the navigation buttons or joystick control to navigate to the “Brightness” section of the menu. If you’re not sure where to find these controls on your monitor, consult the user’s manual. 2 Use a dedicated app if your monitor doesn’t have buttons. Some monitors come with apps that allow you to control screen brightness from your computer without using any physical buttons. If your monitor doesn’t come with its own app, try a third-party display settings app, like Twinkle Tray . Troubleshooting 1 Why can’t I use the brightness slider on my PC? There are several reasons why your brightness slider might be greyed out or missing in System Settings or your Quick Settings/Action Center menu. If you can’t adjust your brightness this way, check the following: Are you using an external monitor? If so, you may need to adjust brightness using using controls on the monitor itself . Are you using an older version of Windows 10? If you can’t see the brightness slider in the Action Center, this might be why. You’ll either need to adjust the brightness in Settings > System > Display or update to a more recent version of Windows. [7] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Are your drivers outdated? An outdated driver can cause your brightness slider to stop working. To update your display drivers, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager . Expand Display adapters and right-click your display device. Select Update driver > Search automatically for updated driver software . Follow the prompts to install a new driver if one is available. [8] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Outdated drivers can also cause issues with the Night Light feature. Are you using an external monitor? If so, you may need to adjust brightness using using controls on the monitor itself . Are you using an older version of Windows 10? If you can’t see the brightness slider in the Action Center, this might be why. You’ll either need to adjust the brightness in Settings > System > Display or update to a more recent version of Windows. [7] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Are your drivers outdated? An outdated driver can cause your brightness slider to stop working. To update your display drivers, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager . Expand Display adapters and right-click your display device. Select Update driver > Search automatically for updated driver software . Follow the prompts to install a new driver if one is available. [8] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Outdated drivers can also cause issues with the Night Light feature. Outdated drivers can also cause issues with the Night Light feature. 2 How can I stop my display from dimming automatically? If your computer screen dims automatically based on lighting conditions or what type of content is on the screen, you can disable those settings using the controls described in this section . You can also change your power management settings to prevent your computer from dimming based on power supply: [9] X Research source Windows 11: Go to Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery saver . Disable any options relating to screen brightness (such as “Lower screen brightness when using battery saver” or “Battery optimization for adaptive brightness”). You can also open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Display and toggle off any options under “Enable adaptive brightness.” Windows 10: Search for power options in the Start menu and select Power & sleep settings > Additional power settings (under Related settings ) > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Expand Display and expand Enable adaptive brightness . Turn off the “On battery” and “Plugged in” options, then click Apply > OK . And if the steps above have been helpful, be sure to download this article as a PDF so you can print, read, or reference it any time. Download PDF for $2.99 Windows 11: Go to Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery saver . Disable any options relating to screen brightness (such as “Lower screen brightness when using battery saver” or “Battery optimization for adaptive brightness”). You can also open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Display and toggle off any options under “Enable adaptive brightness.” Go to Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery saver . Disable any options relating to screen brightness (such as “Lower screen brightness when using battery saver” or “Battery optimization for adaptive brightness”). You can also open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > Display and toggle off any options under “Enable adaptive brightness.” Windows 10: Search for power options in the Start menu and select Power & sleep settings > Additional power settings (under Related settings ) > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Expand Display and expand Enable adaptive brightness . Turn off the “On battery” and “Plugged in” options, then click Apply > OK . Search for power options in the Start menu and select Power & sleep settings > Additional power settings (under Related settings ) > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Expand Display and expand Enable adaptive brightness . Turn off the “On battery” and “Plugged in” options, then click Apply > OK . And if the steps above have been helpful, be sure to download this article as a PDF so you can print, read, or reference it any time. You Might Also Like ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_11 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_11 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_11 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_10 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_10 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_10 ↑ https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/how-to-turn-off-auto-brightness-on-pc About This Article Send fan mail to authors Is this article up to date? 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