The effect of bright computer screens on the brain is underestimated by many. Sitting at a computer in the dark suppresses the production of melatonin, which gives the body a kind of signal to sleep. This subsequently leads to sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue. This happens due to the excessive amount of light that comes from computer monitors, laptops or phone and tablet displays. That is why it is advisable to reduce the brightness of the displays by at least half in the evening and at night. If you use a laptop or phone, this step will also help save battery power. In this article we will tell you how to reduce the brightness of your computer monitor and laptop.
How to change laptop display brightness?
Every laptop is different, so adjusting screen brightness and contrast may differ from the steps in this article. Please note that the brightness level may be limited by your power settings. Method 1 - Adjusting Brightness Using Keys
Most laptops support changing the brightness level using a function key in combination with another key. For example, by pressing and holding the function key (abbreviated "Fn") and the up arrow or down arrow key, you can increase or decrease the brightness of the screen. The key used to adjust brightness along with “Fn” may differ depending on the specific laptop model, but the symbol remains the same everywhere - the sun icon.
Method 2 - adjusting brightness through the control panel
You can also adjust the brightness through the control panel, in the display settings. To do this, do the following:
Method 3 – Changing brightness through your video card driver software
If you have one of the popular video adapters installed (Nvidia, AMD or Intel), you can change the brightness, contrast, and gamma settings in the driver's own configuration window.
For NVIDIA graphics adapters
For AMD graphics adapters
AMD/ATI video drivers also have the ability to change display brightness, contrast, and gamma, although access to the settings panel for these values may differ between driver versions. For example, in version “Catalyst 10.2”, to enable brightness adjustment, you need to go to the “Color” menu. You can open the program by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting “Catalyst Control Center” from the context menu.
For Intel Graphics
Method 4 – If the above methods do not work
If the keyboard shortcut with the function key does not work, and you have made the appropriate adjustments in Power Options, then most likely your computer has problems with the video card drivers. This usually happens after updating the driver. In this case, we recommend either rolling back to a previous version of the driver or performing a clean installation. A clean installation involves completely removing the current driver from the OS (including additional software) and installing a new driver.
If none of the options helped, then most likely the problem is either in the operating system itself or in the hardware.
How to change the brightness of a desktop PC monitor?
If you have a desktop computer, then the above methods also apply to it, but it is much more convenient to use the functionality of the monitor itself to calibrate the brightness parameters. Almost all monitors have physical or touch control buttons. Usually there are 4-5 of them: power button, menu, auto-tuning, left and right arrows.
Of course, depending on the model, their number may differ. For example, new Samsung monitors use a 5-way joystick.
To adjust brightness, press the Menu button and go to Brightness and Contrast settings. To set the desired value, use the left or right arrow keys.
If you have a different control scheme, please refer to your monitor's instructions that came with it.
- In a room where the sun shines, it is better to close the curtains a little and set the brightness to 15-30%. Here, of course, everything is individual, but you should not set more than a third of the maximum brightness level. If, however, the sun shines directly on the display, then set the maximum level.
- If your work is related to design or photography, then you should remember that when you reduce the brightness, colors may be distorted.
- Try to install the lighting so that its light does not fall directly on the monitor. This can cause glare and discomfort when working.
Setting up the display of information on the computer plays an important role. These parameters are responsible for the comfort when working with Today we will talk about how to reduce the brightness of the screen on a computer. The answer to such a question can be useful to everyone. For example, an amateur gamer or laptop owner. The task set before us has many simple solutions, but not everyone knows how to use them. The instructions below will help shed light on adjusting image brightness in the operating system in a particular case.
In games
Often, users think about “playing” with image brightness while launching various virtual toys. In particular, horror films. In them, brightness is responsible for the atmosphere of the gameplay.
Usually, when launching a particular toy, users are asked to set the previously mentioned parameter. Before starting a gaming session, the brightness adjustment screen appears on the display. Just move the slider in one direction or another and then confirm the changes.
If you need to reduce the brightness of your laptop monitor while gaming, you can use the application options. To cope with the task, you need:
- Enter the toy.
- Open "Options".
- Go to the "Screen" section.
- Set image display parameters in the "Brightness" section.
- Click on the "Save" button.
That's all. Typically, this option helps to customize the display of a particular toy. A significant drawback is that the user will have to set their own image brightness parameters in each application.
Keyboard to help
How to reduce screen brightness on a computer? Users have the opportunity to choose an algorithm of actions. Next, we will consider universal techniques. They will help you change the settings for displaying all information on your computer.
For example, you can cope with the task using the keyboard. The technique is most often used on laptops.
What should I do to activate it? To adjust the brightness of your computer screen, you will have to:
- Press the Fn button.
- While holding down the key, press F5 or F6. In the first case, the brightness will decrease, in the second, it will increase.
- Once the desired result is achieved, release the keys.
Optionally, the F5 and F6 buttons will be responsible for the display brightness parameters. Just take a closer look at the top panel of the keyboard. There will definitely be buttons with the image of the sun. They are responsible for brightness. More detailed information will have to be clarified regarding each keyboard or laptop.
Important: monitors also have specialized buttons. They can be used in the same way as a keyboard on a laptop.
Power supply
How to reduce or increase screen brightness on a laptop? For example, you can use the power options. The "Brightness" parameter will definitely be located here.
To enter the corresponding menu, you need to:
- Open the "Control Panel" in any known way. For example, through the "Start" menu item.
- Go to the "Hardware and Sound" section.
- Click on the "Power Options" item.
To do this, you will have to move the slider at the bottom of the window to the right or left. Once the desired result is achieved, you can close the active service. How to reduce screen brightness on a computer?
Fast passage
The following trick allows you to quickly go into the power settings and adjust the brightness of the image in the operating system. Usually this method relevant for laptops.
The algorithm of actions will be as follows:
- Hover your cursor over the battery image. It is located to the left of the clock, in the PC tray.
- Right-click.
- Click on "Power settings".
You can now adjust the display brightness and close the corresponding window. Fast, simple and very convenient!
Important: As an alternative method, it is suggested to select the "Adjust brightness" option. You can find it in the same place as “Power settings”. Now it’s clear how to reduce the screen brightness on a computer or laptop.
Adjusting the brightness of a laptop monitor is done to improve text perception and provide more realistic color reproduction. A laptop is a portable device and can run on a charged battery. If you use it outdoors in bright sunlight or in a brightly lit room, you will need to reduce the brightness of the display.
The brightness of the laptop screen directly determines the time it takes to battery life, in this regard, brightness adjustment using OS Windows is done through “Control Panel” – “Power Options”. software, or through “Control Panel” - “Screen”: there will be an additional tab from which you can launch the interface for setting all display parameters provided by the manufacturer.
In addition, some models of full-size laptops provide brightness adjustment with special buttons, which are located next to the main keyboard and do not have other functions. If your model is equipped with additional buttons, you can find out about their purpose from the instructions for the laptop. Using one of the methods to reduce the brightness of a laptop, you can quickly create comfortable conditions
for work.
The higher the brightness, the less battery life the laptop will run on. Therefore, many users are interested in how to reduce the brightness on a laptop. If you are also interested in this issue, we recommend that you read this article.
How to reduce screen brightness on a laptop in Windows 7 The Windows 7 operating system is equipped with very convenient tool which is called " Windows Mobility Center " By using of this instrument
you can quickly change all the main parameters that affect the autonomy of the laptop. For example, here you can either reduce the screen brightness, lower the speaker volume, turn off wireless modules, and also change the laptop operating mode. which is called " In order to open "
"You need to right-click on the battery icon on the taskbar and select the desired item in the menu that appears (screenshot below). which is called " After the window appears "
", you can reduce the volume using a special slider.
You can also reduce the brightness in the laptop's power settings. To do this, open the “Control Panel” and go to the “System and Security - Power Options - Set to turn off the display” section. Here you can adjust the brightness of your laptop screen when running on battery or mains power.
It should be noted that all power settings are tied to the power plan (by default there are three power plans: balanced, energy saving and high performance). However, reducing the brightness for one power plan will not affect others.
If you have an operating system, then you can reduce the screen brightness in another way. To do this, right-click on the desktop and select “Display Settings” from the menu that opens.
After this, the “Settings” window will appear in front of you, opened in the “System - Screen” section. In this window, you can reduce the screen brightness using a special slider.
A universal way to reduce screen brightness
You can also reduce the screen brightness on your laptop using the keyboard. This method Works on most laptops, regardless of Windows version. Find the key with the brightness reduction icon on your laptop keyboard. Typically this key is the down arrow. By pressing this key together with the Fn key, you can reduce the brightness by one level.
By holding down these two keys for a while, you can reduce the laptop brightness to minimum.
With correctly selected brightness, contrast and other parameters, the user will be able to for a long time comfortably spend time at your PC. Let's figure out how to increase screen brightness on Windows 10 different ways.
You can adjust the desired brightness level of the image on your computer or laptop screen in the following ways:
- standard Windows 10 settings;
- third party means;
- video card settings;
- via hotkeys;
- through monitor settings.
Depending on whether you are using a desktop computer or a laptop, you will have access to the adaptive adjustment function, which we will also talk about in more detail.
Setting up using standard tools
Laptop computers provide the use of hot keys, with which you can quickly configure certain parameters. For example, with one click you can completely mute the sound or turn off the built-in microphone. The same goes for brightness adjustment.
By default, Microsoft OS includes an auto-adjustment feature for laptops. Disable automatic brightness adjustment and configure the energy plan as follows:
- Open Control Panel.
- Next, go to the “Hardware and Sound” subsection.
- Now open the “Power Options” subsection.
- Opposite the name of the power supply scheme, click on the settings button.
- Here you need to go to Extra options nutrition.
- In the list, find the item “Screen” - “Enable adaptive brightness control” and set it to the “Off” position, then close the window and save the changes.
Now you need to increase the brightness level for all power plans. Select one of them and click on the button marked in the screenshot:
Drag the slider to the right position for the computer to work when disconnected from the network and do the same with the setting for the laptop to work when connected to charger. After that, click on “Save Changes”.
Now you know how to disable adaptive settings and how to change brightness on a laptop running Windows 10 (x32-bit or x64-bit) of any version. Unfortunately, you will not find such parameters on a desktop computer, so you will have to use other methods.
Third party program
If the Microsoft operating system does not allow you to change the image settings on a desktop PC, then use a third-party utility iBrtightness Tray or Display Tuner. You can find them yourself at free access in the Internet.
Let's look at an application example. After launch, you will see the following window with sliders:
With its help, you can adjust not only the brightness (1), but also all other parameters - contrast (2), colors (3).
The second tab “Geometry” contains settings for changing the position of the image on the monitor.
Also, using the Display Tuner, you can adjust the sound level of audio tracks and video playback.
In the “Profile” tab you can create your profile and save it. After this, the image settings will not change automatically. To enable a profile, you can use hotkeys (they can be changed).
How to adjust settings through the video card driver
Depending on what video card you use, you have access to: following tools, allowing you to manually increase or decrease brightness:
- AMD Control Panel for video cards from AMD;
- "NVIDIA Control Panel" for NVIDIA graphics accelerators;
- "Intel Graphics Options" for integrated Intel graphics cards.
All presented tools are installed along with the driver and differ little from each other in interface and control. Let's look at the settings using an example of how to work with the NVIDIA Control Panel:
- Right-click on the desktop to access the NVIDIA Control Panel through the context menu.
- With this tool, you can change the settings separately for video playback in the player and for the entire display. In the Video section, select the first tab (1). Now select "With NVIDIA Settings" to unlock access to the sliders (2). With their help, you can lower or increase brightness, contrast, saturation and hue exclusively for the image in the video player. To return to automatic mode, switch the option to “With video player settings” (3).
Now you need to disable automatic selection of parameters for the display itself. To do this you need to do the following:
- Open the “Display” tab and go to the marked subsection.
- Now select the second option to unlock changing values manually. Brightness, contrast and gamma are also available here. Try decreasing or adding one of the values and watch how the picture on the screen changes. You can also change the presented parameters for an individual color channel (RGB).
- To save all changes, click on “Apply” and close the window.
In this way, you can increase or decrease the brightness through the capabilities of the video card and driver. If the parameters change and auto-brightness turns on automatically, then the problem is a driver malfunction. To update it you need:
- Open "Device Manager" through search or in any other way.
- Next, go to the “Video adapters” subsection and select your video card.
- Right-click on it and click on “Update Driver”.
- To avoid putting in a lot of effort, you can choose automatic updates (1). If you downloaded the driver distribution package from the official website in advance, then select “Search for drivers on this computer” (2).
- Specify the folder with the driver and click “Next”.
- After installation, be sure to restart your computer.
Hot keys on a laptop and buttons on a monitor
It remains to look at the last method of reducing or increasing brightness, which relates more to the hardware method than specifically to Windows 10.
Laptops have separate system keys (in most cases Fn), which, in combination with others, allow you to make settings to darken or lighten the image on the screen (as well as change the sound level, lock the keyboard, turn off the screen, and so on). You can find the required combination in the documentation for your device or on the official website.
What should I do if these keys do not work? Most likely, you do not have official software from the manufacturer installed. This happens when you reinstall it yourself. operating system. Find the software package on the manufacturer's website and install it.
For a desktop PC, you do not need special software or a driver - the brightness will be reduced or increased using mechanical keys on the monitor body. Changing parameters is independent of the OS.
Bottom line
We figured out how to change the low or high level brightness in a variety of ways that differ depending on your device. Each of the methods has been tested in practice. If you are unable to change the display settings using one of the methods, then move on to another.
Video
If you have any difficulties, please read visual instructions in the video. It covers all the methods from this article.