Brightness issues on your computer are usually associated with display drivers, and other power settings, which you may or may not be aware of.

Brighness adjustment may be blocked by automatic sensors

  • Adjusting the brightness of your computer is not working in Windows 10 if there is an issue with the display driver.

  • When the Windows brightness is not changing, check the power options settings.

  • If you have issues with the display settings for your system, you can try to modify a registry.

  • When your laptop brightness can’t be adjusted, make sure to have your drivers up to date.

  • Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).

  • Click Start Scan to find Windows 10 issues that could be causing PC problems.

  • Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance

  • Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

If Windows won’t let you adjust brightness on your PC or laptop, these are the first two areas to check for besides trying the usual common fixes such as restarting your computer or updating Windows.

What brightness issues are encountered in Windows 10?

  • Windows 10 brightness not working after update – While keeping your OS up to date is always a good idea, it’s not uncommon for updates to trigger malfunctions and system errors. If problematic updates are causing display issues, you might want to revert them.
  • Windows 10 brightness not working after sleep
  • Laptop brightness is not working – You can apply the below solutions for any type of laptop, such as Asus VivoBook/ZenBook, HP, Lenovo, or Dell when the brightness is not working. However, keep in mind that every model of laptop is different.
  • Brightness option may not be available at all

Many complain about the Windows 10 brightness slider not working, but there is more to it.

While the Windows brightness slider can be missing or behave erratically, you can just as well deal with brightness keys, buttons, or even display settings that won’t allow you to adjust the brightness level on your screen.

What can I do if Windows brightness is not working?

1. Update the display adapter drivers using Device Manager

  • Right-click Start and click Device Manager.
  • Expand Display Adapters.
  • Right-click on the Display Adapter listed and click on Update Driver Software.
  • Select the option to automatically search for the updated driver software.
  • Restart the computer after it’s updated and verified.

You can also try and get the latest drivers from your computer’s manufacturer’s website and download and install the latest display and chipset drivers.

Install the appropriate drivers missing from your laptop that can cause the brightness adjustment problem. If this does not work, we recommend trying a 3rd party driver updater such as DriverFix.

2. Disable the automatic brightness level

  • Click the Start button and select Settings.
  • Now, click on System.
  • Select Display from the left pane, then uncheck the box for Change brightness automatically when lighting changes.

3. Use a third-party tool to update display drivers on Windows 10

DriverFix is one of our top recommendations when it comes to updater software. It is very lightweight and easy to use.

DriverFix

Find and update all outdated drivers on your computer safely and quickly.

The tool will show exactly what drivers need updating. You’ll have the option to update several drivers at once, if needed, or choose the Update button next to each driver.

It is designed to do the whole driver downloading and installing job instead of you. This is the best way to avoid permanent damage to your PC by getting the right driver versions.

Along with updating, DriverFix can also detect whether you have damaged drivers on your PC and automatically fix them.

4. Enable the PnP Monitor driver

  • Right-click on Start and select Device Manager.
  • Click Monitors.
  • Right-click on Generic PnP monitor to see if it is enabled.
  • If not enabled, click Enabled device. If it is enabled, disable it.
  • Click on the Action tab at the top menu of Device Manager.
  • Select Scan for Hardware Changes.
  • Run the scan.

PnP stands for plug-and-play hardware devices, that work without having to install a driver. You consider it the generic driver for the display that will automatically get installed by Windows.

5. Update the registry to fix the brightness not working issue

  • Right-click on the Start icon and type RegEdit.
  • Click on it to open.
  • Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  • Select System.
  • Go to ControlSet001.
  • Click Control.
  • Select the below registry and set FeatureTestControl DWORD’s value data to: 0000ffff: Class{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}000

If you’re still unable to adjust the brightness on your laptop, try updating the registry. Back up the registry before you modify it, then restore it if a problem occurs.

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This solution contains steps that are part of modifying the registry. Please note that serious problems may occur if you do this incorrectly. Ensure you follow these steps correctly, and carefully.

6. Enable Adaptive Brightness to fix Windows 10 brightness not working

The Adaptive Brightness feature was removed from Windows 10 starting with version 1809 so this solution won’t work unless you haven’t upgraded your OS.

  1. Go to the Windows search bar and type Control Panel.

  2. Select Power Options.

  3. Click the Change plan settings link next to your current power plan.

  4. Select Change advanced power settings.

  5. In the new window click Display to open up the listings under it.

  6. Find and click each of the following: Display brightness, Dimmed display brightness, and Enable adaptive brightness.

  7. Change each of these to the desired settings.

  8. Click Apply and then OK to save the changes.

On the contrary, if this option is already enabled and you wish to get rid of it, we have a few tricks for when the Adaptive Brightness won’t turn off.

If your screen is faulty, updating your drivers won’t solve the problem. However, you should be able to solve the Windows 10 brightness not working issue if there is no hardware failure involved.

Make sure to try out our tips and let us know if your screen is ready to shine again.

  • displayFix Driver issues

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