How to Change Brightness in Windows 11: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Have you ever found your laptop screen too dim to see clearly or too bright for your eyes? Don’t worry — you’re not alone. Adjusting your screen brightness on Windows 11 is essential not only for comfort but also for battery life and eye health.

Whether you’re using a laptop, desktop monitor, or external display, Windows 11 offers multiple ways to control brightness — from Settings and Action Center to keyboard shortcuts, PowerShell commands, and even third-party tools.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you exactly how to change brightness in Windows 11 — manually, automatically, and through advanced options — so you can find what works best for you.

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Why Adjusting Brightness Matters in Windows 11

Brightness is more than just a visual preference — it impacts your eyes, battery, and overall productivity.

Here’s why it matters:

• Eye Comfort: Proper brightness reduces strain during long screen time.

• Battery Efficiency: Lower brightness extends battery life on laptops.

• Color Accuracy: Balanced brightness helps if you edit photos or videos.

• Night Usage: Dimming your display at night helps you sleep better by reducing blue light exposure.

So, whether you’re coding, gaming, or streaming, learning how to adjust brightness in Windows 11 can make a big difference.

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Understanding How Brightness Control Works

Windows 11 offers software-based and hardware-based brightness controls:

• Software Brightness: Adjusts via Windows Settings, Quick Actions, or apps.

• Hardware Brightness: Controlled by your monitor’s built-in buttons or graphics driver.

👉 Note: If you’re using a desktop PC with an external monitor, you might not see a brightness slider in Settings because your monitor controls it directly.

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How to Change Brightness in Windows 11 Using Settings

This is the easiest and most common method.

Step-by-Step:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.

2. In the left sidebar, select System.

3. Click Display from the right pane.

4. Under Brightness & color, use the Brightness slider to increase or decrease screen brightness.

That’s it!
Windows will apply the change instantly.

✅ Tip: If the slider is missing, scroll down and click Advanced display settings to ensure your display supports brightness adjustment.

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Adjusting Brightness from Quick Settings (Action Center)

If you want to change brightness quickly without opening Settings:

1. Click the Quick Settings panel (bottom-right corner of the taskbar where Wi-Fi, sound, and battery icons are).

2. You’ll see a brightness slider next to the volume bar.

3. Drag it left or right to adjust brightness instantly.

💡 Pro Tip: This method is perfect for quick adjustments during video calls, movie watching, or nighttime work.

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How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Change Brightness

Most laptops have built-in function keys for brightness control.

• Look for sun icons (☀️) on the top row of your keyboard.

• Typically, they are F1–F12 keys.

• Press Fn + (Brightness Up/Down key) to adjust brightness.

For example:

• On HP laptops: Fn + F3 / Fn + F4

• On Dell laptops: F11 / F12

• On Lenovo laptops: Fn + F5 / Fn + F6

✅ Tip: If your brightness keys don’t work, update your keyboard or display drivers.

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Changing Brightness in Windows 11 on a Desktop Monitor

If you’re using a desktop PC, Windows might not provide brightness control through software because external monitors handle brightness directly.

Here’s how to change it:

1. Press the Menu button on your monitor.

2. Use the navigation buttons to open Brightness/Contrast settings.

3. Adjust brightness manually.

4. Save and exit.

Alternatively, you can use tools like Monitorian (free from Microsoft Store) to control external monitor brightness via software.

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How to Change Brightness Automatically

Windows 11 lets you automatically adjust brightness based on:

• Battery power

• Ambient light sensor

• Power plans

To enable auto-brightness:

1. Open Settings → System → Display.

2. Expand the Brightness & color section.

3. Check “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” if available.

This feature dynamically adapts brightness to your environment — ideal for laptops and tablets.

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Using Adaptive Brightness (Built-in Sensor)

Some devices have ambient light sensors that automatically control brightness.

To turn on adaptive brightness:

1. Open Settings → System → Display → Brightness & color.

2. Click Display adapter properties → Monitor tab.

3. Choose Enable adaptive brightness (if supported).

You can also manage this via Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options → Edit Plan Settings → Change advanced power settings → Display → Enable adaptive brightness.

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How to Change Brightness with Power Options

Power Options let you customize brightness for battery and plugged-in modes.

1. Open Control Panel → Power Options.

2. Click Change plan settings next to your current plan.

3. Adjust brightness under “Adjust plan brightness” for both On battery and Plugged in.

4. Click Save changes.

This ensures consistent brightness behavior based on your power source.

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How to Change Brightness in Windows 11 Using Command Prompt or PowerShell

Command Prompt Method:

1. Open CMD as Administrator.

2. Type:

   powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_VIDEO BRIGHTNESS 80


   (Change “80” to your desired brightness level between 0–100)

3. Then apply:

   powercfg -setactive SCHEME_CURRENT


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PowerShell Method:

1. Open PowerShell (Admin).

2. Run:

   (Get-WmiObject -Namespace root/WMI -Class WmiMonitorBrightnessMethods).WmiSetBrightness(1,80)


   (Replace 80 with your desired brightness value.)

This is useful for scripting or automating brightness changes at specific times.

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Adjust Brightness Using Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA Control Panel

Your graphics card also controls display brightness.

Intel Graphics:

1. Open Intel Graphics Command Center.

2. Go to Display → Color → Brightness.

3. Adjust the slider.

AMD Radeon:

1. Open AMD Radeon Software.

2. Select Display → Custom Color.

3. Adjust brightness and contrast.

NVIDIA Control Panel:

1. Right-click your desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel.

2. Go to Display → Adjust desktop color settings.

3. Move the Brightness slider.

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How to Fix Brightness Slider Missing in Windows 11

If the brightness slider doesn’t appear in Quick Settings or Display Settings, follow these fixes:

1. Update Display Drivers

1. Right-click Start → Device Manager.

2. Expand Display adapters.

3. Right-click your GPU → Update driver → Search automatically.

2. Reinstall the Monitor Driver

1. In Device Manager, expand Monitors.

2. Right-click your monitor → Uninstall device.

3. Restart your PC.

3. Enable Generic PnP Monitor

If disabled, re-enable it from Device Manager → Monitors → Enable device.

4. Check Windows Update

Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates to ensure your system is up-to-date.

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Best Third-Party Apps to Control Brightness

If you want more flexibility or control, try these tools:

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Troubleshooting Common Brightness Issues

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Conclusion

Changing brightness in Windows 11 is simple once you know where to look. Whether you prefer the Settings app, Quick Settings, or keyboard shortcuts, there’s a method for everyone.

For power users, Command Prompt or PowerShell commands provide deeper control — and for multi-monitor setups, tools like Monitorian are game-changers.

The key takeaway?
Adjust brightness to suit your eyes, environment, and workload — and you’ll improve both comfort and productivity.

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FAQs About Changing Brightness on Windows 11

1. Why can’t I find the brightness slider on my PC?
Your display driver or monitor may not support software-based brightness control. Try updating drivers or using your monitor’s buttons.

2. How do I make brightness adjust automatically?
Enable “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” in Settings → Display → Brightness & color.

3. Why doesn’t my keyboard brightness shortcut work?
It might be disabled in BIOS or outdated drivers. Update your keyboard or chipset drivers.

4. Can I adjust brightness for an external monitor?
Yes, but usually via monitor hardware buttons or software like Monitorian or Twinkle Tray.

5. Does lower brightness improve battery life?
Absolutely. Reducing brightness can extend your laptop’s battery life significantly.

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Summary – Key Takeaways

✅ Final Tip: Keep your brightness balanced — not too dim to strain your eyes and not too bright to waste battery. Adjust it based on your lighting environment for the best experience.