To change the brightness of a built-in Windows display, open Settings > System > Display and move the Brightness slider; you can also use the brightness control in taskbar quick settings when it is available. To change the colors Windows uses for text and interface elements, open Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes in Windows 11. These are different controls: brightness changes screen luminance, while a contrast theme changes interface colors.
How do I adjust brightness on a built-in Windows screen?
In Windows 11 or Windows 10, select the network, sound, or battery area on the taskbar to open quick settings (called Action Center in some earlier Windows 10 versions), then move the brightness slider. Or open Settings > System > Display and adjust Brightness there. The slider is for supported built-in displays; an external monitor may not expose its brightness control to Windows.
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If you use more than one screen, check the display selection at the top of Display settings before changing a setting. The available controls can differ by display and hardware.
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How do I change contrast for readability?
Windows 11
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes.
- Choose a theme and select Apply.
- To customize it, select Edit and adjust colors such as text, background, and hyperlinks, then apply the changes.
Windows 10
Open Settings > Ease of Access > High contrast, choose a theme, and apply it. The keyboard shortcut Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen toggles high contrast mode.
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Contrast themes affect Windows and many apps, but they do not increase the physical brightness of the screen. For ordinary brightness, use the display controls instead.
Why does my screen change brightness by itself?
Ambient-light adjustment
Some PCs have a sensor that can adjust brightness when room lighting changes. If the option is available, open Settings > System > Display > Brightness and enable the setting to adjust brightness automatically when lighting changes. This is hardware-dependent, and you can still adjust brightness manually.
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Content-adaptive brightness and contrast
Microsoft notes that some Windows 11 PCs can adjust brightness and contrast based on content shown on the built-in screen. In Settings > System > Display > Brightness, the control may offer Off, Always, or On Battery Only. Choose Off if you want a steadier appearance. Disabling content adaptation may reduce battery life, and automatic changes may be unsuitable for color-sensitive work.
Night light changes color temperature
Night light warms screen colors rather than serving as a brightness or contrast control. Find it at Settings > System > Display > Night light, where you can adjust its strength and set a schedule, including sunset-to-sunrise or custom hours. If its control is unavailable or grayed out, a display-driver update may help. Some drivers, including DisplayLink and Basic Display, do not support Night light.
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How do I adjust brightness on an external monitor?
Use the monitor’s physical buttons or built-in menu to change its brightness and contrast. Windows may not show a brightness slider for a desktop connected to an external display; that does not by itself mean the monitor is faulty. If you have several displays, select the external monitor in Settings > System > Display to see which Windows controls apply to it.
How should I balance brightness and contrast with HDR?
On a supported HDR display, open Settings > System > Display > HDR to find controls for SDR and HDR content brightness. These are separate from the everyday brightness control, and their effect varies between built-in and external displays.
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On built-in HDR screens, raising overall brightness can make contrast appear weaker by lifting dark pixels. Lowering it can make contrast appear stronger but conceal detail in dark scenes. Adjust gradually and check both bright and dark content rather than judging the setting from one image.
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- You are using an external monitor: adjust brightness with its hardware controls; Windows may not provide a slider.
- You are using a built-in screen: check the selected display in Settings > System > Display. If its brightness control is missing or unresponsive, check whether the display driver needs updating.
- Night light is unavailable: check for a display-driver update and whether your driver supports the feature.
- Colors or contrast look wrong after changing accessibility settings: return to Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes (Windows 11) or Settings > Ease of Access > High contrast (Windows 10) and choose or edit a theme.
If you want to calibrate color rather than just adjust brightness or accessibility contrast, search Windows Settings for calibrate display color and follow the calibration workflow.
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Which Windows version should you follow?
The paths above cover Windows 11 and Windows 10, though labels and locations can vary slightly between releases and devices. Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025, so these Windows 10 instructions are for people still using that version; Windows 11 is the current focus for supported Windows PCs. See Microsoft’s Windows 10 support and display guidance.
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