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

Why Change Screen Brightness?

Screen brightness has a direct effect on how your eyes feel. A bright screen in a dark room is harsh and tiring. A dim screen in a bright room makes you squint, and that causes eye strain too.

A good rule is to match the screen to the room. Turn it down in the evening or in a dim space, and turn it up in daylight so the text stays readable.

What Happens When You Change Brightness?

The brightness slider controls how much light the screen gives off. Moving it up makes the screen output more light. Moving it down reduces that output. Room lighting and your own preference decide the right setting, so there is no single correct level.

The backlight is one of the biggest power draws, so dimming the screen can noticeably extend your time away from the charger.

Quick Way: Adjust Brightness from the Taskbar

Laptops benefit most from this taskbar shortcut. You can change brightness in a couple of clicks without opening Settings. Many laptops also have dedicated brightness keys on the keyboard, often on the function row. You may need to hold Fn while pressing them.

Step 1Open Quick Settings

Follow these steps to open the Quick Settings panel:

1. Look at the right side of the taskbar 🖥️, near the clock.
2. Click the Wi-Fi 📶, sound, or battery icons. They sit together, and clicking any of them opens the panel. You can also press Win+A.
3. Check that a panel with tiles and sliders has appeared above the taskbar 🖥️.

You do not need administrator rights for this. A standard user account can change display brightness. If the slider is missing, the cause is almost always your hardware, not your account type.

Step 2Find the Brightness Slider

Look for the brightness slider in the Quick Settings panel. It usually has a sun icon next to it, and it sits just above or beside the volume slider.

If you do not see it, check the following:

• Desktop computers with external monitors often have no brightness slider. Windows cannot control most external monitors from the taskbar, so use the Settings app or the monitor’s own buttons.
• The panel may be showing only a few tiles. If you see a pencil icon, click it to check whether the brightness control was removed from the panel. You can add it back from there.

Step 3Adjust the Brightness

1. Click the circular control (the handle) on the brightness slider and hold the mouse button down.
2. Drag it left to dim the screen, or right to brighten it.
3. Release the mouse button when the display looks right.

The screen should change as you drag. To undo the change, drag the slider back to where it was. Nothing is saved permanently, so you can adjust it again whenever you like.

Detailed Way: Adjust Brightness in Windows Settings

If the taskbar slider is missing, use the Windows Settings app instead. Even there, an external monitor on a desktop PC may not show a slider. That is covered further down.

Step 1Open Windows Settings

1. Click the Start button (the Windows logo) on the taskbar 🖥️.
2. Select the gear icon for Settings.
3. Check that the Settings ⚙️ window opens.

The faster way is to press Win+I on the keyboard. That opens Settings straight away.

Step 2Go to Display Settings

1. Choose System from the left-hand menu in the Settings ⚙️ app.
2. Click Display.

The Display page should now open on the right. Brightness and color options are near the top.

Step 3Find the Brightness Slider

The brightness slider in the Settings app works the same way as the one on the taskbar. If it is missing from your taskbar, you can find it here. Open the Start menu, open Settings, then click System followed by Display.

If you use a desktop computer with an external monitor, you will probably not see this slider. Desktop screens use physical buttons on the monitor instead. Windows normally controls brightness only on built-in displays, such as laptop screens and some all-in-one PCs.

Use the buttons or on-screen menu built into the monitor. Look for a menu or a sun icon on the front, side, or back of the screen.

Step 4Adjust the Brightness

1. Click the display slider and drag it left or right with your mouse.
2. Drag it left to make the screen dimmer, or right to make it brighter.
3. Release the mouse button when it looks comfortable.

If your desktop PC lacks this slider because you use an external screen, use the physical buttons on your monitor to change the light level instead.

Adjusting brightness on such setups requires the physical buttons located 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 change Windows 11 screen brightness from the Quick Settings panel on the taskbar or from the Windows Settings app. Setting the display to suit the room reduces eye strain and makes the screen more comfortable to use. On a laptop it also helps your battery last longer. If you have a desktop with an external monitor, use the buttons on the monitor.