How to fix a laptop screen that is too dim or brightness controls are missing

Hardware & Peripherals KB-396

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to fix a laptop screen that is too dim or brightness controls are missing. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

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Common Causes

It can be frustrating when your laptop screen becomes too dim to work with, or when the brightness slider completely disappears from your settings. This is often caused by a software glitch, an outdated graphics driver, or an accidental change in power settings. Follow the steps below to restore your display visibility.

Quick Fix Steps

Before diving into deeper system settings, try these immediate solutions:

Function Keys: Look for the sun icons on your keyboard (usually F1 through F12). Press these, or hold the Fn key while pressing them, to manually adjust the brightness.
Restart Your Device: A simple reboot can often reset the display driver and bring back missing controls.
Check Power Mode: Ensure your laptop is plugged into power. Some devices aggressively dim the screen when the battery is low to conserve energy.

Detailed Instructions for Windows

If the quick fixes didn't work and your brightness slider is missing from the Action Center or Settings, follow these steps.

Method 1: Adjusting via Windows Settings

Click the Start button and select Settings (gear icon).
Navigate to System > Display.
Under the Brightness & colour section, attempt to move the Brightness slider.
If the slider is missing here, proceed to the driver troubleshooting section.

Method 2: Updating the Display Driver

A corrupted or outdated graphics driver is the most common reason for missing brightness controls.

Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
Expand the Display adapters section.
Right-click your graphics card (e.g., Intel HD Graphics, NVIDIA, or AMD Radeon) and select Update driver.
Choose Search automatically for drivers and follow the prompts.
Restart your laptop once the update is complete.

Method 3: Re-enabling the Monitor

In Device Manager, expand the Monitors section.
Right-click Generic PnP Monitor.
If you see an option to Enable device, click it. If it is already enabled, select Uninstall device and then restart your computer; Windows will automatically reinstall the monitor driver upon reboot.

If you are using an external monitor, please note that laptop brightness keys usually only control the built-in screen. You will need to use the physical buttons on the monitor itself to adjust brightness.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Adaptive Brightness and Night Light

Windows may be automatically dimming your screen based on the lighting in your room or the time of day.

Adaptive Brightness: In Settings > System > Display, look for a checkbox that says Change brightness automatically when lighting changes and uncheck it to take full manual control.
Night Light: If your screen looks "warm" or orange rather than dim, check if Night light is toggled on in the Display settings.

If your screen is completely black but the laptop is powered on (you can hear fans or see keyboard lights), this may be a hardware failure of the backlight or LCD panel. In this case, software fixes will not work.

Related Hardware Guides

If you are experiencing other peripheral issues, you may find these articles helpful:

If none of the above steps have resolved the issue, please Open a Ticket so our technical team can analyse the problem further.

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