Are you struggling to adjust the screen brightness on your Windows 10 laptop? If so, you’re not alone. Read on to discover some easy solutions to fix this common issue.
Troubleshooting Brightness Issues on Your Laptop
If you’re having trouble adjusting the brightness on your Windows 10 laptop, there are a few things you can try to fix the issue. First, check if the brightness keys on your keyboard are working properly. If they aren’t, you can try using the hotkeys to adjust the brightness instead. To do this, press the Windows key + X, then select Device Manager. Expand the Display adapters section, right-click on your graphics driver, and select Update Driver Software. If this doesn’t work, try rolling back the driver to a previous version. You can also try adjusting the brightness in the Power Options settings by going to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. If none of these solutions work, you may need to reinstall your graphics driver or contact your laptop manufacturer for further assistance.
Update Your Display Driver
To fix laptop brightness not working on Windows 10, the first step is to update your display driver.
1. Press the Windows key + X and select Device Manager from the list.
2. Expand the Display adapters section and right-click on your display driver.
3. Select Update driver from the drop-down menu.
4. Choose the option for Search automatically for updated driver software.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the driver update.
Once the update is complete, restart your laptop and check if the brightness adjustment is working properly. If not, try using the brightness keys or hotkeys on your keyboard to adjust the brightness.
If you’re still having issues, it may be worth checking for any additional updates for your laptop, or reaching out to the manufacturer for support.
This fix should work for laptops from Lenovo, HP, Dell, and other Windows 10 devices. It’s important to keep your display driver up to date, especially if you’re using Windows 11 or other operating systems like Ubuntu, Linux, or Mac.
Update Graphics Drivers
To update your graphics drivers on Windows 10 and fix laptop brightness not working, follow these steps:
1. Press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager.
2. Expand the Display adapters category, right-click on your graphics card, and select Update driver.
3. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.
4. Wait for Windows to search for and install the latest driver for your graphics card.
5. Restart your laptop to apply the changes.
If this doesn’t fix the brightness issue, try adjusting the brightness using the keyboard shortcut on your laptop. If that doesn’t work, check your laptop manufacturer’s website for any specific drivers or software updates related to brightness adjustment.
Note that some laptops may have different procedures for updating graphics drivers, depending on the manufacturer and model. This guide is applicable for Windows 10 on most laptops, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others.
python
import wmi
brightness = 50 # set initial brightness to 50%
# create a WMI object for the display adapter
c = wmi.WMI(namespace='wmi')
methods = c.WmiMonitorBrightnessMethods()[0]
# function to set the brightness level
def set_brightness(level):
methods.WmiSetBrightness(level, 0)
# function to increase the brightness level
def increase_brightness():
global brightness
if brightness < 100:
brightness += 10
set_brightness(brightness)
# function to decrease the brightness level
def decrease_brightness():
global brightness
if brightness > 0:
brightness -= 10
set_brightness(brightness)
# example usage
increase_brightness() # increase brightness by 10%
decrease_brightness() # decrease brightness by 10%
This code uses the WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) library to interact with the display adapter and provides functions to set, increase, and decrease the brightness level. However, this is just a simple example and may not work on all laptops or operating systems.
Manually Update Drivers
To manually update your laptop’s drivers and fix the brightness issue on Windows 10, follow these simple steps:
1. Go to the Start menu and search for “Device Manager.”
2. Click on “Device Manager” to open it.
3. Find the “Display adapters” section and expand it.
4. Right-click on your display adapter and select “Update driver.”
5. Choose the option to “Browse my computer for driver software.”
6. Navigate to the location where you saved the downloaded driver software and select it.
7. Click “Next” to start the installation process.
8. Restart your laptop once the installation is complete.
If you’re using a Lenovo ThinkPad or HP EliteBook, you can also try updating the keyboard shortcut drivers to fix the brightness issue. For Mac and MacBook users, please note that these steps are only applicable for Windows 10 and not for Mac or Linux operating systems.
By following these steps, you can manually update your laptop’s drivers and fix the brightness issue without needing any additional software or tools.
Automatically Update Drivers
To automatically update drivers on Windows 10 and fix laptop brightness issues, follow these steps:
1. Open Device Manager by pressing Windows Key + X and selecting Device Manager from the list.
2. Expand the Display adapters section and right-click on your graphics card.
3. Select Update driver from the context menu.
4. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.
5. Windows will search for the latest driver and install it for you.
If you encounter any issues or the problem persists, try downloading the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website. For Lenovo ThinkPad, HP EliteBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, HP ProBook, Dell and other laptops, navigate to the support page of your device and download the latest graphics driver for your operating system. If you’re using Ubuntu or another Linux distribution, refer to your distribution’s documentation for instructions on updating your graphics driver.
Updating your drivers can help improve the performance and stability of your laptop, so it’s always a good idea to keep them up to date.
Disable Automatic Brightness Level
To disable automatic brightness level on your Windows 10 laptop, follow these steps:
1. Open the Windows Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I.
2. Click on “System” and then “Display.”
3. Scroll down to the “Brightness and color” section and toggle off “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes.”
4. If the option is grayed out, you may need to update your display driver or disable adaptive brightness in your laptop’s BIOS.
5. To update your display driver, visit the website of your laptop’s manufacturer (such as HP, Dell, or Lenovo) and download the latest driver for your specific model.
6. If you’re using a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, you can disable automatic brightness in the “Displays” section of the System Preferences.
By following these steps, you can take control of your laptop’s brightness and ensure it stays at a consistent level.
Enable PnP Monitor Driver
To enable the PnP Monitor Driver and fix laptop brightness not working on Windows 10, follow these steps:
1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
2. Expand the Monitors category.
3. Right-click your monitor and select Update driver.
4. Select Browse my computer for driver software.
5. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
6. Select Generic PnP Monitor and click Next.
7. Click Close when the installation is complete.
This should enable the PnP Monitor Driver and fix any issues with laptop brightness. If you’re still experiencing problems, try updating your graphics card driver and adjusting the power settings. You can also check for any updates to Windows 10 or consider upgrading to Windows 11, if your device is compatible.
Note: These steps may vary slightly depending on the type of laptop you have, such as an HP ProBook, Dell laptop, or Lenovo laptop.
Registry Update to Fix Brightness Issues
To fix brightness issues on your Windows 10 laptop, you can update your registry by following these steps:
1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in “regedit” and press Enter.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\Power\PowerSettings\7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99\8EC4B3A5-6868-48c2-BE75-4F3044BE88A7.
4. Double-click the “Attributes” value and change its data from 1 to 2.
5. Press OK and close the Registry Editor.
6. Go to your Windows settings and click on System > Power & sleep > Additional power settings.
7. Click on “Change plan settings” next to your selected power plan.
8. Click on “Change advanced power settings.”
9. Expand the “Display” option and then the “Display brightness” option.
10. Change the percentage for “On battery” and “Plugged in” to your desired brightness level.
11. Click OK and restart your laptop for the changes to take effect.
Note that this fix may not work for all laptops, as some manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo may have different registry keys.
Use Third-Party Tools to Update Display Drivers
- Update display drivers using third-party tools to fix laptop brightness issues on Windows 10
- Driver Booster is a popular third-party tool that can help you update display drivers quickly and easily
- Snappy Driver Installer is another third-party tool that can help you find and install the latest display drivers for your laptop
- If you’re not comfortable using third-party tools, you can manually update display drivers through Device Manager
- To update display drivers manually, open Device Manager, find your display adapter, right-click on it, and select “Update Driver”
- Choose the option to search automatically for updated driver software
- If Windows doesn’t find an updated driver, you can download and install the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website
- Restart your laptop after updating the display driver to ensure the changes take effect
Getting Your Brightness Back on Windows 10
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Laptop brightness not working after Windows 10 update | Update display driver or use Windows Update to check for available updates |
| Unable to adjust brightness using keyboard shortcuts | Update keyboard driver or use third-party software to remap keyboard keys |
| Screen is too dim or too bright | Adjust brightness levels using the Windows 10 settings or use third-party software to adjust brightness |
| Screen flickers or displays abnormal colors | Check for hardware issues, such as loose connections or damaged display, and update graphics driver |
| Brightness slider is missing from Windows 10 settings | Update graphics driver or use third-party software to adjust brightness |
