The brightness of the screen is an important factor in working on any electronic device. Most modern devices, including laptops, computers and smartphones, allow the user to change brightness to custom levels.
Adjusting screen brightness helps the user avoid eye strain, especially when the user is spending a lot of time in front of the screen, whether it be a Windows 10 computer or a smartphone.
In this article, we will talk about how to change brightness on Windows 10 computers. We will also discuss possible issues we may encounter while changing screen brightness and their solutions.
Table of Contents
Increase or decrease brightness using Action Center
The easiest way to change the brightness of your PC screen is using the action center. Follow these steps:
- Open the Action Center from the system tray or press Windows key + A.
- At the bottom you will find a sun-like symbol and next to it will be the adjustment bar
- Drag it to the left to reduce brightness, or drag it to the right to increase brightness.
The change in brightness is in real-time when using the above method. You will feel the brightness reducing or increasing while you drag the bar.
Change brightness using Windows Settings
You can also adjust the screen brightness in Windows 10 settings. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Windows Settings using the start menu or press Windows key + i
- Go to System and then go to Display.
- Under the section display, at the top you will find the brightness bar.
- Drag it left or right to adjust the brightness and those would be applied.
Adjust brightness using Windows Mobility Center
This is another way by using which you can adjust the brightness of your PC.
Follow these steps:
- Open Windows Mobility Center by pressing Windows key + X and select Mobility Center. You can also open it by going to Run –> mblctr.
- Drag the bar left or right to adjust to a suitable brightness level.
Quickly adjust screen brightness using the laptop keyboard
Most modern laptops come with brightness control keys in the Fn keys. You can look for brightness icons on the function keys from F1 to F12.
Normally, you will need to press the Fn key + the brightness key to make it work. This is the quickest way to reduce or increase brightness.
Automatically Adjust brightness based on power and battery
The laptop screen is one of the most intensive consumer of battery. If you are working with full brightness, the laptop battery life will be a lot less compared to when you are on battery and work with low brightness.
Windows 10 gives the option to automatically lower the screen brightness while in battery saver mode. This will increase the battery life.
- Tap the battery icon on the system tray and open Battery Settings from there. You can also open battery settings using this path:
Windows key + i –> System –> Battery - Scroll down to the battery section to find the option Lower screen brightness while in battery saver
- Check the box next to it if you wish to enable this option. If you do, your screen brightness would be lowered when your battery is down
Pro Tip: PowerPlanSwitcher is a wonderful Windows 10 app to adjust brightness and other power plan settings for different scenarios. Try it and you’ll love it.
Why can’t I change brightness in my PC?
There will be times when you won’t be able to change brightness by using any method listed above.
Sometimes outdated drivers or even an upgrade to graphics drivers can cause this behavior where you can’t change the brightness.
If you recently updated your graphics drivers, you may want to restart the system for changes to take effect. Otherwise, try reverting the drivers to the ones that were working.
- Press Windows key + X and from the menu, open Device Manager
- On the list find Display adapters and expand it
- Right-click on each of the adapters present in this section and click on Update driver
- Select Search automatically for the updated driver software option and let it update
- Restart the computer and try adjusting your brightness now. Hopefully this will fix your problem
Why is my screen dimming or brightening on its own?
This can be an irritating issue and can happen if you have enabled adaptive brightness. Here’s how you can fix it:
- Right-click on the power icon in the system tray and select Power Options.
- Select Change plan settings –> Change Advanced Power Settings.
- When the Advanced settings open, scroll down and find Display. Expand and disable Adaptive brightness
- Click Apply and OK.
Please note that this option is not available on all laptops. If you can’t find this option, your laptop does not support it.
Next: you should calibrate your screen for better brightness, colors and saturation results.
