Is your monitor too bright? So much so that it’s hurting your eyes and causing you miss any pesky hidden enemies hiding around corners? Turning down your monitor’s brightness is easy and can be a quick simple fix to many unwanted problems.
Don’t know where to start? Then this is the guide for you.
We’ve created this blog post all about monitor brightness with the aim of answering every question you’ve ever had, including why you need to decrease your brightness, a step-by-step guide on changing the brightness in Windows, and we even explain how to turn brightness down on a Philips monitor, along with other popular brands.
Why Would I Need to Turn Down My Monitor’s Brightness?
There are multiple reasons why you might need (or want) to turn your monitor’s brightness. The most important of which is to reduce eye strain. Looking at a bright screen for extended periods of time can cause significant discomfort, strain, and fatigue. Especially if you’re sitting in a room that isn’t particularly well lit. Turning down the brightness is an easy fix and helps to improve your set-up’s overall ergonomics as well as ensuring you stay comfortable for longer.
Reducing eye strain isn’t the only reason why you might need to turn down your monitor’s brightness. We’ve rounded up all the others below.
- Improved focus – Adjusting the brightness of your monitor to suit the surrounding light can help to improve your focus, which can only be a plus for those long work days.
- Better sleep – We’ve all heard this before but reducing screen brightness (and screen time) before bed can improve your circadian rhythm, resulting in better sleep.
- More energy efficient – Decreasing the brightness on your monitor can help to reduce power consumption, resulting in a more energy-efficient set-up.
- Battery life (laptops only) – A high brightness will notably eat up a lot of your battery. Therefore, adjusting it to a lower setting can help to conserve more of your battery. Perfect for when you’re working or gaming on-the-go!
How to Turn Down Monitor Brightness
There isn’t one solution that fixes all as it all depends on the type of monitor and manufacturer. However, both Windows 10 and 11 feature built-in settings that allow you to configure the brightness.
Windows 10
In Windows 10, head into the action center on the right side of your taskbar. Here you’ll be able to use the slider to adjust your brightness up or down. If you can’t see the slider, click the Notes section.
You may be able to allow Windows to automatically adjust your screen brightness depending on your current lighting conditions. For example, if you are sitting in a dark room, Windows will ramp up your brightness and vice versa.
To find out if your PC supports this, select Settings > System > Display. Under the Brightness tab, look for a setting labelled ‘Change brightness automatically when lighting changes’ and check the box.
Windows 11
Alternatively in Windows 11, you can choose to adjust your monitor brightness either manually, based on lighting conditions, or based on content.
To configure brightness manually, select the Network icon on the right side of your taskbar and move the slider up and down to increase or decrease the brightness. You can also go into Settings > System > Display.
Similar to Windows 10, you may be able to allow your monitor to automatically adjust your brightness based on your room’s lighting conditions. The steps are the same for Windows 10, go into Settings > System > Display. Choose Brightness and look for the setting called ‘Change brightness automatically when lighting changes’ and select the tick box.
What’s more, in Windows 11 you can also configure your monitor’s brightness automatically based on content that’s displayed on screen. For example, if you’re exploring a particularly dark area of a game such as a cave, your monitor will increase the brightness and decrease it once you leave this dark spot.
To do this go into Settings > System > Display > Brightness > then select the Change brightness based on content.
- Off – Adaptive brightness is turned off and won’t be changed automatically. May result in a shorter battery life when using a laptop.
- Always – Adaptive brightness is always turned on. When using a laptop, being plugged into mains or using battery won’t have any effect.
- On Battery Only – When using a laptop, adaptive brightness will only be used when your device is on battery power.
We’ve also broken it down further by popular brands below.
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on a Philips Monitor?
To change the brightness on a Philips monitor, you’ll need to use the On-Screen Display (OSD) buttons on the back of your monitor.
To do this press the Menu button. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the Brightness tab and then adjust the brightness with the arrow keys. Pressing OK will save your desired changes.
Philips 27M1F5500p 27” Gaming Monitor
- 27’’ gaming monitor
- 2560 x 1440 resolution
- IPS panel
- 240Hz refresh rate
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on an MSI Monitor?
To adjust the brightness of your MSI monitor, you’ll also need to use the OSD buttons. First press the Menu button and use the arrow keys to select the Brightness tab. Here you’ll need to use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the brightness to suit your needs.
MSI MAG 274QRFW 27” Gaming Monitor
- 27’’ gaming monitor
- 2560 x 1440 resolution
- IPS panel
- 180Hz refresh rate
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on an ASUS Monitor?
On an ASUS monitor, using the OSD buttons and joystick, open up the OSD Menu and go into ‘Image Settings’. Here, navigate to Brightness and use the joystick on the back of your ASUS monitor to adjust the brightness.
ASUS ROG Strix X632UQ 32” Gaming Monitor
- 32’’ gaming monitor
- 3840 x 2160 resolution
- IPS panel
- 160Hz refresh rate
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on an LG Monitor?
On the back of your LG monitor, you’ll have a joystick. Use this to open the OSD Menu and select Settings. In the Simple Settings tab, use the joystick to increase and decrease your monitor brightness until it perfectly suits your individual preferences.
LG 32GR93U-B 32” Gaming Monitor
- 32’’ gaming monitor
- 3840 x 2160
- IPS panel
- 144Hz refresh rate
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on a Gigabyte Monitor?
If you have a Gigabyte monitor, locate the buttons on the back of your screen and press the back right one to open the OSD menu. Here, go into Settings > Picture and use the OSD buttons to adjust the brightness slider.
Gigabyte GS27Q-X Gaming Monitor
- 27’’ gaming monitor
- 2560 x 1440 resolution
- IPS panel
- 240Hz refresh rate
How Do I Turn Down the Brightness on a Samsung Monitor?
Samsung monitors will feature either OSD buttons or a joystick on the back of the display which you can use to configure the brightness levels. Open the OSD menu and in the Picture tab, navigate to Brightness. Here you’ll be able to increase and decrease the brightness levels.
Samsung G60SD 27” Gaming Monitor
- 27’’ gaming monitor
- 2560 x 1440 resolution
- OLED panel
- 360Hz refresh rate
Learn More About Your Gaming Monitor
How Did You Change Your Monitor Brightness?
How did you change your monitor’s brightness? What method did you use? Let us know in the comments below.
- 7 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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