Here’s How to Manually Change Your Windows 11 Display Brightness

Why Change Screen Brightness?

You adjust screen brightness to keep your eyes comfortable. Too much brightness can feel harsh, especially in a dark room. If it’s too dim, you might struggle to see your screen clearly. Finding the right level helps you see better and prevents eye strain.

What Happens When You Change Brightness?

When you adjust the brightness slider, you’re changing how much light your screen emits. Make it brighter, and the screen outputs more light. Dim it, and the light output decreases. This makes your screen easier or harder to see, depending on your needs and the lighting around you.

Quick Way: Adjust Brightness from the Taskbar

For many, especially laptop users, this is the quickest method.

Step 1Open Quick Settings

You can manually change your windows 11 brightness by opening Quick Settings, which shows icons for 📶 Wi-Fi, sound, and battery next to the clock on 🖥️ your taskbar.

Note: If your user account has restrictions, it might need administrator privileges—think of it as special permission to make system-wide changes—for this action.

Step 2Find the Brightness Slider

Once Quick Settings is open, look for the slider with a sun icon to control your windows 11 brightness.

Important: If you don’t see a brightness slider, don’t worry. It might not appear on all systems, particularly desktops with external monitors—separate screens connected to your PC. In that case, you can use ⚙️ the Settings app.

Step 3Adjust the Brightness

Click and drag the circle on the slider. Drag it left to dim the screen. Drag it right to brighten it. Adjust it until your screen looks and feels comfortable.

Detailed Way: Adjust Brightness in ⚙️ Windows Settings

If you can’t find the slider 🖥️ on the taskbar, or want to explore more display options, use the ⚙️ Windows Settings app.

Step 1Open ⚙️ Windows Settings

Click the ⊞ Start button (the Windows logo) on 🖥️ your taskbar. Then, click the gear icon for Settings. Alternatively, press Windows key + I on your keyboard at the same time.

Step 2Go to Display Settings

In ⚙️ the Settings app, click on System in the left-hand menu. Then, click on Display.

Step 3Find the Brightness Slider

If the brightness slider isn’t in Quick Settings, you can find it in the main ⚙️ Settings app for windows 11 by going to the Display page.

Important Note for Desktop Users: If you use a desktop computer with an external monitor—a separate screen connected to your PC—you likely won’t see a brightness slider here. External monitors have their own brightness controls. Use those buttons on your monitor.

Step 4Adjust the Brightness

You can adjust the brightness on your windows 11 display by clicking and dragging the slider you found to make the screen dimmer or brighter.

Important: You might not see the Brightness slider on desktop PCs with an external monitor—a separate screen connected to your PC. To change the brightness on one, use the buttons on the monitor itself.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-display-brightness-and-color-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041#category=windows_11

Summary

You can adjust your Windows 11 screen brightness using either the Quick Settings panel 🖥️ on the taskbar or the ⚙️ Windows Settings app. This helps make your screen comfortable to view in any lighting, reducing eye strain and improving your overall experience.