How to Fix a Dimmed Screen: 8 Simple Solutions

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Find out why your screen goes dim and how to solve it

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: December 16, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Common Causes
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• Troubleshooting & Fixes
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• Video
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• Tips

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Is the screen on your TV, laptop, or monitor too dim? Fortunately, there are a few troubleshooting steps that you can get into before you call for a repair. Read on to learn the common causes of a dim screen and ways you can fix it.

Fast Fixes for a Dimmed Screen

• Press the brightness key on your keyboard, and adjust your monitor's settings.
• Turn off Adaptive Brightness and power-saving features.
• Make sure cables attached to an external monitor are completely plugged in.
• Update your graphics drivers and try different cords.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

Common Causes

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1. There are many reasons a screen can go dim. Some of the most common causes of a dimmed screen:

   • Incorrect brightness settings
   • Adaptive Brightness is enabled
   • Power-saving settings have turned down the brightness
   • Loose cables
   • Software glitches
   • Outdated graphics drivers
   • Faulty cords
   • Monitor backlight issues
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Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting & Fixes

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1. 1
   Check your brightness settings. The first step in troubleshooting is pressing the button on your keyboard that increases the screen brightness; a sunburst icon and an up arrow will mark it.

   • You might have to press FN at the same time to use the brightness keys.
   • You can also find settings for brightness in Settings > Display.
   • You can also find this menu (Settings > Display) if you're on a TV.
   • If you're using an external monitor, press the physical buttons on your monitor to find Menu/Settings > Display > Brightness.
2. 2
   Check if you have Adaptive Brightness enabled. This setting allows the software (like that in a tablet or laptop) to increase or decrease the screen's brightness depending on the environmental lighting. For example, the screen will appear brighter when there is a lot of light and darker if there is little light.

   • Windows: Go to Settings > Display > Brightness & Color and look for anything called "Adaptive Brightness" or "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes."
   • Mac: Go to System Settings > Displays and turn off "Automatically adjust brightness."
   • Be aware that turning off this setting on Mac or Windows might negatively impact your battery life.
3. 3
   Check your power-saving features. In many cases, the screen will dim when you're not using it to reserve power. There are many ways to check this feature:

   • Windows PC & Laptops: Right-click the battery-power icon in the taskbar and select "Power and sleep settings." Check the "Screen and sleep" section for options to dim your screen to conserve power. Uncheck "Lower screen brightness when using battery saver" and close the window.
   • Samsung TV: Go to Settings > General > Power and Energy Saving and turn off "Brightness Reduction."
   • Sony TV: Go to "Settings > System > Power and Energy and choose "Off" or "Low".
   • MacBook: Go to System Settings > Battery and check if this is dimming your screen.
4. 4
   Reconnect cables or make sure they are snug. If you're using an external monitor, this step is important! You can skip this step if you're using an internal monitor like those with a laptop, a tablet, or a TV.

   • Loose cables can produce dim images.
5. 5
   Restart the screen. A temporary glitch in your TV, tablet, phone, or laptop can cause the dim images, so simply restarting it can fix the issue.
6. 6
   Update graphics drivers. If the screen requires updated drivers to work, like a computer or laptop screen, you want to keep the graphics card updated to see images clearly.

   • Performing a system update on Windows and Mac will automatically download and install newer drivers if they are available.
7. 7
   Use different cables or change your power source. Damaged cables or faulty power outlets can cause faint images to appear on your screen. If you're plugged into an external monitor that isn't working, try a different cable.

   • You should also plug your dim screen into another power outlet to rule out the small chance that something is wrong with it.
8. 8
   Schedule a repair. If none of these troubleshooting steps solves your dim screen issue on your tablet, phone, desktop computer, laptop, or TV, you might be experiencing hardware issues, like the backlights for your device are dead.

   • This is most likely the case if you see the Power button on or illuminated but your screen is very dim.
   • Go to the "Contact Us" site for your device's manufacturer to get more help and schedule a repair.
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