Adjusting brightness on a Windows 10 machine seems straightforward — but sometimes it’s not so simple. The slider might be missing, keyboard shortcuts just quit working, or you’re trying to tweak a secondary, external monitor and nothing’s happening. Because Windows has a way of making things pop up and then vanish for no good reason, this can get pretty frustrating. If you’ve hit a wall, no worries — there are a few ways to get your brightness back under control, whether it’s driver issues, hidden settings, or just a weird glitch.
How to Change Brightness on Windows 10
Adjusting Brightness from Action Center
First off, the Action Center is the fastest way to toggle brightness. Click the icon in your taskbar’s bottom-right corner (or press Windows + A), and look for the brightness tile — it might be labeled with a sun icon or something similar. If you see it, just click or tap it, and drag the slider. Usually, that’ll do the trick, giving you instant control over how bright or dim your screen is. The big catch? On some setups, this slider might be missing or greyed out. That’s when it’s time to dig deeper.
On one setup it worked fine, on another… not so much. Windows can be a little unpredictable about whether the brightness slider appears here, especially if your display drivers are outdated or mismatched with your graphics card.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Next up, try those dedicated brightness keys on your keyboard, often with sun icons on F1 / F2 keys or similar. If your laptop has these, you probably just press Fn + F1 or Fn + F2. These shortcuts can be hit-or-miss depending on driver support, but they’re quick and handy. Sometimes, Windows won’t recognize them if the driver software isn’t updated or if there’s a conflict. So, if they’re dead, move to the next method.
Sometimes keyboard shortcuts work after you update your device drivers, so it’s worth double-checking that your hardware manufacturer’s software is current.
Checking Display Settings in the Settings App
If the quick access options aren’t helping, head over to Settings > System > Display. Here, you might see the brightness slider under “Brightness and color.” But, oddly enough, sometimes this is missing or disabled. In that case, the real culprit might be your display driver—try updating it via Device Manager or the manufacturer’s website. To do that:
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters.
- Right-click your graphics device and choose Update driver.
- Opt for “Search automatically for updated driver software.”
This can fix missing sliders or non-responsive brightness controls.
Adjusting Brightness via PowerShell or Command Line
Kind of weird, but if all else fails, some folks have luck with PowerShell commands. You can try to set the brightness directly with a script, especially if you’re comfy with command lines. A popular method is using the WMI interface:
Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\wmi -Class WmiMonitorBrightnessMethods | ForEach-Object { $_. WmiSetBrightness(0, 50) }This sets the brightness to 50%.Adjust the last number for your preferred brightness (0-100).But beware—this isn’t the most user-friendly fix, and it doesn’t always work depending on your hardware and driver support. Still, kind of useful in a pinch.
Updating or Reinstalling Display Drivers
Sometimes, the whole problem boils down to outdated or corrupted drivers. Windows doesn’t always keep these drivers current, and that can mess with the brightness controls.
- Go to Device Manager.
- Right-click Display adapters > select your graphics card.
- Choose Update driver, then “Search automatically.”
If that doesn’t fix it, visit your card manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA or AMD) and grab the latest driver manually. After installing, restart and see if the brightness controls come back.
External Monitors and Brightness
Oh, and if you’re trying to change brightness on an external monitor, Windows controls usually don’t cut it. You’ll need to use the monitor’s buttons or menu system, which can vary from brands. Sometimes, the monitor software (like Dell Display Manager or LG OnScreen Control) helps automate that, but don’t expect Windows alone to do the job on external screens.
Other Tips and Tricks
This fuss can also pop up if your device is in a wrong display profile, or if there’s a system glitch. An extra thing to try — reboot after driver updates or uninstall and reinstall the display driver. Also, check for Windows updates or run Hardware Troubleshooter in case something’s misbehaving in the background.
On some machines, the brightness controls might be weird or inconsistent, especially after big Windows updates or driver changes. Just keep troubleshooting, and don’t forget that sometimes a clean install of display drivers fixes the weirdest issues.
Summary
- Use the Action Center brightness slider if available.
- Try the keyboard sun icons, if present.
- Visit Settings > System > Display for more control.
- Update display drivers if controls are missing or broken.
- For external monitors, use their physical buttons or software.
Wrap-up
Adjusting brightness can seem straightforward, but it’s often a case of Windows playing hard to get. Drivers are usually the main culprit, so updating them often fixes the problem. If you’re feeling adventurous, scripting commands might work too, but they’re not foolproof. Hopefully, this gives some fresh ideas if your brightness controls are acting up. Just remember, little tweaks can sometimes lead to big comfort or battery life gains. Fingers crossed, this stuff helps someone get brighter or darker screens without pulling their hair out.