How to Change Screen Brightness on a Windows 7 Computer

If your Windows 7 computer screen is too bright or too dim, there are several ways to adjust the brightness. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to change the brightness of your Windows 7 laptop computer's screen. If you're using a desktop computer, you can change the brightness on the monitor.

Increase or Decrease Screen Brightness in Windows 7

Click the battery icon in the system tray (near the clock), then select Adjust Screen Brightness to find your computer's brightness controls.
You can also control the brightness using Windows Mobility Center or, on some laptops, a keyboard shortcut.
If the brightness slider is missing, you can restore it by uninstalling and reinstalling the monitor driver.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using the Brightness Slider

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1
Click the Power Options icon. It's the battery-shaped icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
- This will only be available on laptops. For desktop computers, you can control the brightness using the monitor's brightness controls.
- You may first have to click ▲ in the system tray to see the battery icon.
- If you don't see a battery icon, open the Start menu, click Control Panel, then click Display. Then, skip to step 3.^{[1]
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2
Click Adjust screen brightness. This link is near the bottom of the pop-up window. Doing so will open the Power Options menu.
- If you had to open Control Panel, click Power Options here instead.
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3
Click and drag the "Screen Brightness" slider left or right. This slider is at the bottom of the window. Dragging it left will reduce your laptop's screen brightness, while dragging it right will increase the brightness.^{[2]
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- If you don't see the "Screen Brightness" slider at the bottom of the Power Options window, you'll need to restore it before you can adjust your laptop's brightness.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Restoring a Missing Brightness Slider

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If you don't see a slider that controls the brightness, you may need to reinstall the driver. To do so, click the Start menu, type device manager into the search field, and click Device Manager in the search results.
2
Expand the "Monitors" category. Click ► on the left side of the "Monitors" heading.
- You may have to scroll down to find this option.
When you expand "Monitors", you should see a monitor name indented below it; click this monitor to select it.
It's at the top of the Device Manager window.
This option is at the bottom of the Action drop-down menu. Doing so opens your monitor's properties.
It's at the top of the Properties window.
7
Click Uninstall. It's near the bottom-left corner of the window. This uninstalls the driver.^{[3]
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- This only takes a moment. Once the driver has been uninstalled, your Device Manager list will refresh, and you will notice that the "Monitor" category is gone.
It's the square, computer monitor-shaped button at the top of the Device Manager window. Doing so will reinstall the driver you just removed.
Once the Device Manager scans for changes, it will automatically reinstall the basic Microsoft driver for your monitor. This should re-enable the brightness slider.
10
Reboot your computer. This may not be necessary for your changes to take effect, but it won't hurt, and may save you a step later.
- Try to adjust your brightness again once your computer reboots. Click the Power Options button in the system tray to find your restored brightness options.^{[4]
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- If you still don't have a brightness slider, your graphics adapter may not support it. You can try to update the drivers for your graphics adapter.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Windows Mobility Center

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1
Open Windows Mobility Center. An easy way to do this is to click the Start menu, type windows mobility, and click Windows Mobility Center in the search results.
- Windows Mobility Center is not available on Windows 7 Starter Edition.^{[5]
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Dragging the slider to the right increases the screen's brightness, while dragging to the left decreases the brightness.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using the Keyboard

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1
Use the brightness keys on your keyboard. Depending on your laptop keyboard, you may see two keys in the top row (the Function, or F keys) you can use to adjust the brightness. Look for an icon on the keys that might indicate a light getting brighter or lower.
- The F key number will vary–for example, on some laptops, you'll decrease the brightness using the F9 key and increase it using F10. On other laptops, it might be F6 and F7.^{[6]
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- If your laptop doesn't have brightness keys, you'll need to use a different method.
- If you found the brightness keys, but pressing them doesn't change the brightness, continue with this method.
On many laptops, you won't be able to adjust the brightness with the F keys unless you also hold down the Fn key. This key is usually in the lower-left area of the keyboard. If you weren't able to use the brightness keys to change the brightness, you'll need to hold down the Fn key as you press them.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using the Monitor's Brightness Controls (Desktop)

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1
Use the buttons on your monitor to adjust the brightness on desktop computers. Unlike laptops, you won't be able to adjust the brightness from within your Windows 7 settings (or by using your laptop keys). Instead, your brightness controls are built into your monitor. The location of the buttons will vary, but they'll usually be running along the bottom edge of your monitor or on the back panel. Some monitors come with remotes that have brightness controls on them.
- Adjusting the brightness on a monitor can be kind of tedious, depending on the monitor model. Check your monitor's manual (you can Google it if you don't have it anymore) to find specific instructions.

Community Q&A

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Question

I can't find the "Monitor" option, where can I find it?

Zuubytron

Community Answer

You can find it in "control panel." Press the start icon with the flag in the bottom left and then select something called "control panel." Once in there, type, "Display Brightness" on the search bar and it should pull up a setting to change it!

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Question

I was reducing the brightness on the monitor and it went all black. How do I fix it?

Community Answer

First, make sure you didn't turn the brightness all the way down. If that's not the issue, reboot your PC or try to update your graphics driver.

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According to computer and tech specialist Luigi Oppido, increasing screen brightness will drain your computer's battery faster than lower brightness settings.^{[7]
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