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Please log in with your username or email to continue. Facebook Google wikiHow Account No account yet? Create an account Browse Articles Quizzes & Games All Quizzes Hot Community Quizzes Personality Quizzes Dating Simulator Learn Something New Support wikiHow Log in / Sign up Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Last Updated: June 30, 2026 Fact Checked Adjusting Screen Brightness This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon . Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over 7 years. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 338,005 times. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to adjust the brightness on your Windows PC using your keyboard. These steps will work on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers. It's a quick and easy way to make your screen brighter or darker, depending on your needs, all without even combing through your settings! Just by tapping a few buttons on your keyboard, you can adjust your screen brightness however you please. Change the Brightness on Windows 10 & 11 Find your computer's brightness keys, which are usually in the "F" key row at the top of the keyboard. Press the brightness-up or brightness-down key to increase or decrease brightness. If the brightness keys don't work, hold down the Fn key as you press them. Adjusting Screen Brightness 1 Find the brightness keys on your keyboard. Sometimes, Windows PCs let you adjust your screen's brightness with keys on your keyboard. Typically, these keys have an icon of a smaller sun (to dim the brightness) and a larger sun (to raise the brightness). [1] X Research source Find the keys on your keyboard to get started. If your computer has buttons to adjust your screen's brightness, they'll likely be in the function key row (the keys that start with F at the top of your keyboard). If you don't see clearly labeled buttons to adjust your computer's brightness, there may still be keys that can control it. For example, the Del and ← Backspace keys on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 will raise and lower the screen's brightness. Other laptops may use the up and down arrow keys instead. [2] X Research source Refer to your computer's manual or check online to see what keys control your computer's screen brightness if you don't see keys with sun icons. These steps typically work only on laptops, but they may work on some desktop computers as well. If your computer has buttons to adjust your screen's brightness, they'll likely be in the function key row (the keys that start with F at the top of your keyboard). If you don't see clearly labeled buttons to adjust your computer's brightness, there may still be keys that can control it. For example, the Del and ← Backspace keys on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 will raise and lower the screen's brightness. Other laptops may use the up and down arrow keys instead. [2] X Research source Refer to your computer's manual or check online to see what keys control your computer's screen brightness if you don't see keys with sun icons. Refer to your computer's manual or check online to see what keys control your computer's screen brightness if you don't see keys with sun icons. These steps typically work only on laptops, but they may work on some desktop computers as well. 2 Hold down the Fn key on your keyboard. The brightness keys are not the primary function of the keys they are mapped onto. [3] X Research source You'll therefore need to hold down the Fn (or function key) key while you adjust your screen's brightness. [4] X Research source Some keyboards have the Fn key in the bottom left corner, while others have it in the bottom right. Look at your keyboard (near the bottom row) for a key that says "Fn." Advertisement Some keyboards have the Fn key in the bottom left corner, while others have it in the bottom right. Look at your keyboard (near the bottom row) for a key that says "Fn." 3 Tap the appropriate hotkeys. While holding Fn , tap the corresponding hotkeys to turn your PC's brightness up or down. [5] X Research source If you want to turn your brightness all the way down or up, press and hold the button to lower or raise it by multiple steps. If you want to turn your brightness all the way down or up, press and hold the button to lower or raise it by multiple steps.

1 How do I adjust the brightness on my Windows desktop? If your desktop computer doesn't have brightness keys on the keyboard, or they don't work when you press them, you'll have to adjust brightness using your monitor's settings. Some monitors have dedicated brightness buttons. They may have an icon of a sun next to them, with a plus or minus to raise or lower your screen's brightness. Other monitors have a single button at the bottom of the screen, similar to a joystick. You'll have to use this joystick to open and navigate through your monitor's menu to lower the brightness. One alternative is to use a program called PangoBright . This adds an icon to your system tray that lets you adjust your computer's brightness without changing your monitor settings. Some monitors have dedicated brightness buttons. They may have an icon of a sun next to them, with a plus or minus to raise or lower your screen's brightness. Other monitors have a single button at the bottom of the screen, similar to a joystick. You'll have to use this joystick to open and navigate through your monitor's menu to lower the brightness. One alternative is to use a program called PangoBright . This adds an icon to your system tray that lets you adjust your computer's brightness without changing your monitor settings. One alternative is to use a program called PangoBright . This adds an icon to your system tray that lets you adjust your computer's brightness without changing your monitor settings. 2 How do I adjust laptop brightness with my keyboard if I don't have an Fn key? If the Fn key on your keyboard is broken or your keyboard doesn't have one, press ⊞ Win + A to open the quick settings menu. You can then use the brightness slider to adjust your brightness. Note that this option only works on laptops, since desktop PCs don't have a brightness slider. If you want to add a brightness slider to your desktop computer, consider installing Twinkle Tray . Note that this option only works on laptops, since desktop PCs don't have a brightness slider. If you want to add a brightness slider to your desktop computer, consider installing Twinkle Tray . You Might Also Like ↑ https://techcult.com/screen-brightness-windows-10/#Method_1_Adjust_screen_brightness_using_Hotkeys ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ94-HwYB-Y ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-change-screen-brightness-in-windows-10/ ↑ https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/ht075827 ↑ https://www.digitalcitizen.life/adjust-screen-brightness-windows/ About This Article Send fan mail to authors Is this article up to date? Quizzes & Games You Might Also Like Trending Articles Trending Articles Take the Quiz. Face the Truth. 🔥 Are You More… 🤔 Featured Videos Hot Takes Only 🔥 Your Daily Dose of Fun 🎉 Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Do Not Sell or Share My Info Not Selling Info Keep up with the latest tech with wikiHow's free Tech Help Newsletter