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

Why Change Screen Brightness?

Comfortable eyes depend on the right screen brightness. Excessive brightness feels harsh in dark rooms, while dim displays cause eye strain.

What Happens When You Change Brightness?

Moving the brightness slider alters the amount of light the screen emits. Increasing brightness forces the screen to output more light. Dimming reduces this output. Room lighting and personal preference dictate the ideal setting.

Quick Way: Adjust Brightness from the Taskbar

Laptops benefit most from this taskbar shortcut.

Step 1Open Quick Settings

Click the Wi-Fi 📶, sound, or battery icons near the clock on the taskbar 🖥️ to open the Quick Settings panel.

Administrator privileges (special permissions required to make system-wide changes) are necessary. Standard user accounts require these permissions to adjust Windows 11 display brightness.

Step 2Find the Brightness Slider

Locate the brightness slider after opening Quick Settings. A sun icon typically sits nearby. Alternative methods exist if this slider remains hidden.

Desktop computers using external monitors often omit the Windows 11 display brightness slider. Users missing this slider must open the Settings app instead.

Step 3Adjust the Brightness

Click and drag the circular control on the slider. Moving it left dims the screen; moving it right brightens it. Release the mouse button when the display looks right.

Detailed Way: Adjust Brightness in Windows Settings

Taskbar sliders that remain missing require the Windows Settings app for display adjustments.

Step 1Open Windows Settings

Click the Start button (the Windows logo) on the taskbar. Select the gear icon for Settings. Pressing Windows key + I simultaneously on the keyboard opens this menu faster.

Step 2Go to Display Settings

Choose System from the left-hand menu within the Settings app. Click on Display next.

Step 3Find the Brightness Slider

You can find the windows 11 brightness slider inside the main Windows settings app if it is missing from your taskbar. Open the start menu, open settings, and click system followed by display. If you use a desktop computer with an external monitor, you will not see this slider because desktop screens use physical buttons on the monitor instead.

Desktop computers connected to separate external monitors usually lack a brightness slider in this menu. External monitors feature physical buttons for brightness control. Use the buttons built directly into the monitor.

Step 4Adjust the Brightness

You adjust your windows 11 brightness by clicking and dragging the display slider left or right with your mouse. Dragging it left makes your screen dimmer, while dragging it right makes the display brighter. 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

Windows 11 screen brightness adjusts through the Quick Settings panel on the taskbar or the Windows Settings app. Controlling display illumination reduces eye strain and improves viewing comfort in any lighting.