Changing the brightness on Windows 11 should be a piece of piss, but occasionally it’s a bit of a hassle. Maybe the slider’s gone walkabout, or the keys aren’t doing diddly. Or worse, you drag the slider and nothing happens — real head-scratcher. Troubleshooting these issues can be a pain because Windows sometimes hides these options or just throws a wobbly with drivers. The aim here is to find a reliable workaround so you can dial in that screen glow without tearing your hair out.
How to Fix Brightness Adjustment Issues on Windows 11
Bright Slider Isn’t Showing Up? Here’s Why & How to Fix It
First off, if your brightness slider’s gone missing from Settings > System > Display, it’s probably a driver hiccup or Windows isn’t picking up your hardware properly. This often happens if your graphics drivers are out of date or playing up. Giving them a refresh can fix it. Sometimes Windows doesn’t properly recognise external monitors or custom drivers, which throws a spanner in the works.
Try this: head to Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu or pressing Win + X and selecting Device Manager. Expand Display adapters. Right-click on your graphics card (Intel, NVIDIA, AMD) and pick Update driver. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software. If Windows finds an update, chuck it on and reboot. Often, this sorts things out and Windows recognises your display properly.
While you’re at it, check out the graphics card manufacturer’s website — like NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience or AMD’s Radeon Software — for any updates or diagnostic tools. For Intel integrated graphics, the Intel Driver & Support Assistant is a good shout. After updating, see if the slider springs back or if the keyboard shortcuts (Fn + Brightness Keys) start behaving.
External Monitors and Brightness Control
If you’re using an external screen, the Windows slider might not cut it. Most monitors have physical buttons or menu options for adjusting brightness. That’s usually the go-to method. Plus, some monitors support DDC/CI commands that can be managed with software like Monitor Controls. But dealing with that can be a bit of a rigmarole.
For instance, I had a setup where the slider didn’t show up until I updated the display driver, then all was sweet. On another, it was just a matter of toggling the brightness option in Windows Mobility settings. Proper juggle, but it works.
Enable Brightness Control via Power Settings
Sometimes Windows switches off manual brightness controls to save power, especially on laptops. Check if the adaptive brightness is turned off. Head to Settings > System > Power & Battery > Additional Power Settings, click on your current plan, then hit Change plan settings. Next, click Change advanced power settings. Find Display and look for Enable adaptive brightness. Disable it and see if that helps.
This setting can turn off the manual slider because Windows is trying to adjust brightness automatically based on ambient light. Turning it off often stops the system from overriding your manual adjustments — annoying but usually effective.
Try Windows Mobility Center or Quick Settings
Another tip: open Windows Mobility Center (press Win + X and choose it) to see if the brightness slider’s there. Same with the quick settings panel — click the network, battery, or volume icon on the taskbar and look for the brightness toggle. Sometimes, these are the only reliable options on certain setups.
In some cases, the quick toggle in the Action Center works better than the Settings menu. It’s a bit odd, but worth a go.
When All Else Fails: Reset Display Settings and Reinstall Drivers
If nothing’s doing the trick, you might want to reset your display settings and drivers. Go to Device Manager, right-click your display adapter, and select Uninstall device. If there’s an option, check “Delete the driver software for this device” before confirming. Reboot — Windows will then reinstall the driver afresh. Sometimes, this resets everything to normal.
And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can run a system file check with commands like DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and sfc /scannow in an Administrator Command Prompt. Not exactly straightforward, but it can help if your system’s acting up across the board.
All in all, fixing brightness issues can feel a bit random — Windows can be a bit temperamental. Usually, a driver update or toggling a few system settings does the trick. Sometimes, you just need to have a bit of patience and try a few different things.