How To Fix Persistent Screen Dimming Issues on Windows 10 and Newer

How to Fix Windows 11 & 10 Screen Dimming

So, your laptop keeps playing hide and seek with its brightness, dimming out of nowhere. Honestly, it’s kind of annoying when you’re deep into work or Netflix, and suddenly your screen’s darker than the inside of a cave. Usually, this is due to auto-brightness sneaking in or settings that are turned on but don’t really need to be. Sometimes it’s a driver issue, or even hardware problems. Whatever it is, there are a few tricks that can help you tame that dimming bug — and get your screen brightness behaving like it’s supposed to.

Why does my screen keep dimming?

It’s a mix of software sneaks and sometimes hardware hiccups. Usually, it’s because Windows has some auto-adjust features turned on, trying to optimize what it thinks is good for your battery or eyes. But if your device is acting up—like dimming even when you’re plugged in or not in a bright room—it could be a driver issue, a setting gone rogue, or an actual hardware fault. On some setups, this fix is quick, might need a restart, others might take a couple of tweaks here and there. Either way, not knowing what’s causing it makes it extra frustrating, but yeah, you can fix it.

Methods to Stop the Screen from Dimming in Windows 11 & 10

Disable Adaptive Brightness — Because Windows Likes to Play With Your Light

This is probably the most common culprit. Windows has these sensors that detect ambient light and automatically change your brightness—kind of weird, but it’s supposed to help save battery and reduce eye strain. The problem is, on some machines, it gets triggered even when it shouldn’t, making your screen go dark when you don’t want it to. Disabling auto-brightness lets you keep control.

Open Control Panel — The quickest way is to search for it from the Start menu.
Navigate to Hardware and Sound.
Click on Power Options.
Next to your selected power plan, hit Change plan settings.
Click Change advanced power settings.
Expand the Display section.
Find Enable adaptive brightness and turn it off for both On battery and Plugged in.
Hit OK and repeat for any other power plans you switch between.

This helps because you’re telling Windows to stop adjusting brightness on its own. Sometimes, just turning this off causes the dimming to stop happening unexpectedly. On some laptops, this may need a quick reboot for the setting to take hold.

Turn Off Night Light — That Peaceful Warmer Screen Might Be the Nemesis

Night Light (or Night Shift in macOS) adjusts the color temperature to warmer tones to help with sleep, but sometimes it also dims the screen or changes brightness without your say. If this is enabled, it might be why your screen keeps changing brightness level.

Press Win + i to open Settings.
Go to System > Display.
Click on Night light from the right pane.
Hit Turn off now. If you see the Schedule night light toggle on, switch it off too.

This will immediately stop Windows from changing the display color temperature and brightness under the Night Light setting. Sometimes, night light schedules automatically kick in, so toggling it off does the trick.

Update Graphics Drivers — Because Outdated Drivers Are Like Old Socks

If your drivers are outdated or buggy, your display might act weird—dimming or flickering. Updating your graphics drivers could fix this mess, especially if newer driver updates are out there that address display bugs. Yeah, driver issues aren’t the sexiest fix, but they often do the job.

Open Device Manager.
Expand Display adapters.
Right-click your graphics card (integrated or dedicated) and select Update driver.
Choose Search automatically for drivers.

On some machines, this update might be a little finicky or require multiple restarts. If Windows says you’ve got the latest driver, but the problem persists, check the GPU manufacturer’s website (like Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA) for the latest drivers—sometimes, Windows doesn’t have the newest ones yet.

Recalibrate Your Display Colors — Because Sometimes, It’s About How Colors Are Thrown

Windows has an in-built calibration tool that can help you optimize how your display shows colors. Weirdly, this can also help with dimming issues if your display’s color profile was messed up. Too bright or too dull? Calibrating might set things straight.

Search for calibration in the Start menu.
Click on Calibrate display color in the search results.
Move the window to your main screen (if you’re using multiple monitors).
Follow the on-screen instructions to adjust brightness, contrast, and color balance. It’s simple but kinda cool how much it can improve the picture.

Run Power Troubleshooter — Windows’s Handy Fixer

For some, the dimming could be tied to power settings or fluctuations. Windows has built-in troubleshooters for that, which might catch issues you didn’t even realize were bugs.

Open Control Panel.
Set the view to Small icons using the drop-down at the top right.
Select Troubleshooting.
Click on View all in the left pane.
Run the Power troubleshooter and apply any fixes it suggests.
Reboot your machine to see if it sticks.

Check Power Settings & Hardware Connections — Because Sometimes It’s Physical

If your laptop’s power source isn’t stable, or if the power socket/cable/connections are faulty, the system might be throttling or dimming due to power issues. Make sure everything’s plugged in securely, and try using a different outlet or power strip if available.

Verify your charger and cord aren’t damaged.
Ensure the socket isn’t damaged or flickering — a shaky connection could cause power dips that affect the display brightness.
If using an extension board, disconnect it temporarily or try another one to rule out surges or voltage drops.

Change Screen Resolution — Because a weird resolution can throw things off

If your resolution is set incorrectly, Windows might try to compensate by adjusting brightness too much, especially with apps or system features that try to optimize display.

Open Settings (Win + i).
Navigate to System > Display.
Click on the Display resolution dropdown.
Select the resolution marked as Recommended.
Reboot once you change it.

Last Resort: Tweak the Windows Registry — Because Windows loves to make things complicated

This is only if everything else fails and you’re comfortable editing system files. It involves changing a registry key that controls how brightness is handled when plugged in.

Open Command Prompt (search for cmd) and run: powercfg /L to list all power plans.
Copy the GUID with the * next to it — that’s your active plan.
Now, open Registry Editor by searching for regedit.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\User\PowerSchemes.
Find the folder with your GUID, then drill down to: 7516b95f-f776-4464-8c53-06167f40cc99.
Look for ACSettingsIndex. Double-click it and change its decimal value to something between 0 and 100 (like 50 for half brightness).
Click OK, reboot, and see if that stops the auto-dimming weirdness.

Because, of course, Windows has to make it as complicated as possible.

Finish Up & What Else to Keep in Mind

If none of the above worked, hardware might be the culprit. A failing battery, graphics card, or even loose connections inside the laptop can cause brightening or dimming issues. It might be time to visit a repair shop or contact support if you suspect hardware failure.

Summary

Disable adaptive brightness in Power Options.
Turn off Night Light if it’s on.
Update your graphics drivers.
Calibrate your display colors.
Use the Windows power troubleshooter.
Check hardware connections and power supply.
Change the resolution to recommended.
As a last resort, tweak registry settings.

Wrap-up

Honestly, fixing this can be a mix of software tweaks and checking your hardware. Sometimes it’s just a setting you forgot about or a driver needing an update. Other times, it’s physical hardware needs a look. Hopefully, these steps help you get rid of the random dimming and keep your screen bright when you want it to be. Just keep in mind — Windows can be a little unpredictable with these auto settings, but once you disable the culprit features, things usually settle down. Fingers crossed this helps—and good luck!