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How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max (Complete Guide)

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Modern-era laptops feature screens built with auto settings for automatic control of their brightness level in reference to available natural lighting. The screens dim in environments with lots of natural light and brighten in dark places to create a balance in lighting.

However, your computer’s setting for a maximum brightness level may malfunction or support insufficient illumination. If that’s the case, can you make your screen brighter than max? Well, yes.

This article covers five ways to increase the brightness of your laptop’s screen beyond the max setting limit. Read on to find out how you can embark on this easy task.


How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max in Windows 10


1) Use Your Keyboard to Adjust Screen Brightness Level


Keyboard Keys With the Sun Icon

  • You can increase your laptop’s brightness level using the sun icon’s keyboard key. The icon is usually on the F1 and F2, or F2 and F3 keys. Use F1 in the first combination or F2 in the second option to dim your screen’s brightness level.
How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide - Keyboard Keys With the Sun Icon


  • F2 in the first combination and F3 in the second option increase brightness. Some laptops also feature the icon on the F11 and F12 function keys. The key for dimming brightness has a smaller icon than the one for increased brightness.


Shortcut Keys on the Keyboard

  • The Action Center Menu in Windows 10 also has a feature for adjusting the brightness level of your laptop’s screen. A message icon on your screen’s bottom right corner denotes the menu.
  • Click on the icon and select the “Expand” button in the window. Another Window with various setting options will appear. At the bottom is a scroll bar – move it to the right to increase the brightness of your screen or to the left to dim it.
How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide - Shortcut Keys on the Keyboard


  • Alternatively, use the shortcut keys – “A” key and the “Windows key” to adjust your screen’s brightness. Press the two keys at the same time to display the brightness bar. Move the bar to the right to make your laptop brighter than max.


2) Use the Color Calibration Wizard to Adjust Screen Brightness

The color calibration wizard available in Windows 10 can also enable you to make your screen brighter than max. Follow the steps below to launch the wizard and increase your laptop display’s brightness level:

1) Click on “Start” at the bottom left part of your screen.

2) Select the “Settings” option with the icon of a gear.

3) Under settings, click on the option “System.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide- Settings


4) Click on the “Display” option.

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide - Display


5) Scroll down to locate the option “Advanced Display Settings” just below the “Multiple displays” menu.

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide -  Advanced Display Settings


6) On the window that appears, select “Display adapter properties for Display 1.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide - Display Adapter Properties for Display 1


7) Click on “Color Management” and then “Advanced” on the top tab in the new window.

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide - Color Management


How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide- Advanced


8) On the bottom left of your screen, you’ll see the “Display Calibration” section. Click on the button “Calibrate Display.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide- Calebrate Display


9) Follow the prompts and move the bar to the right to increase your screen’s brightness level as you deem fit.


3) Disable the “Auto Brightness” Setting in Windows 10

The auto brightness setting works in laptops as in phones. The computer is designed and set to automatically adjust its screen brightness depending on the amount of natural light in your environment. Unfortunately, if light fluctuates in your environment, the setting keeps changing, and this can be annoying.

Moreover, the auto-brightness setting may malfunction. When this happens, your laptop fails to adjust brightness accordingly. In this case, you need to manually disable the automatic feature and set the maximum brightness level. Disable the setting as follows:

1) Click on the “Start” button on the bottom left corner of your screen. You can also hit the “Windows” key on the keyboard to launch the start menu.

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Complete Guide-Start


2) Type “Control Panel” in the search box and hit “Enter.” The search icon is also on the taskbar next to the “Start” button in case you can’t find it under the menu.

3) Click on the “Open” option at the right to launch the “Control Panel” window.

4) Find “Power Options” and click on it.

5) Select the “Change Power Plan” option and click on “Edit Plan Settings.”

6) Click on the option “Change Advanced Power Settings.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter than Max – Disable the Auto Brightness Setting in Windows 10


7) Scroll on the new menu to find “Enable adaptive brightness.”

8) Change its status to “Off” and click on the “Ok” button to save changes.


4) Use Screen Brightness Applications

Brightness software applications can also help you make your screen brighter than max. Designed specifically for this purpose, the market is ripe with many apps of this kind. The applications have customizable settings to enable you to adjust screen brightness.

The apps also have an auto control feature for adjusting the brightness level on your screen based on available natural light. They help reduce eye strain and conserve your laptop’s battery life. Some suitable apps you can use with Windows 10 include:


How to Make Your Screen Brighter Than Max on Mac Laptops

If you’re using a Mac laptop, you can increase its screen’s brightness level beyond the max limit as follows:


1) Use the Keyboard

The method of using a keyboard to adjust screen brightness in Mac computers differs from the procedure for Windows 10 laptops. Follow the procedure below:

1) Click on the “System” menu.

How to Make Your Screen Brighter Than Max on Mac Laptops - Use the Keyboard


2) Select the “Apple” menu to increase your screen’s brightness level.


2) Use the Color Calibration Wizard

The steps for using a color calibration wizard in MacBook laptops also differ from Windows computers. Follow the steps below to use the wizard:

1) Click on “System Preferences.”

2) Select the option “Display.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter Than Max on Mac Laptops - Use the Color Calibration Wizard


3) Click on the “Color” button.

4) Select “Calibrate.”

5) Change the level of screen brightness to the desired level.


3) Disable the Automatic Brightness Setting

If the auto brightness settings feature has malfunctioned in your Mac laptop, disable it as follows to set the max brightness level manually:

1) Click on the “Apple” icon on the top left corner of your screen.

2) Click on “System Preferences.”

3) Select the option “Displays.”

How to Make Your Screen Brighter Than Max on Mac Laptops - Disable the Automatic Brightness Setting


4) Uncheck the box for “Automatically adjust brightness” to disable the settings.

That’s it – you can now adjust your screen’s brightness manually to a level beyond max using the other options.


4) Use Brightness Applications

You can customize the brightness level of your MacBook using the Brightness Slider app. It has a bar you can move to the extreme right to increase your laptop screen’s brightness level.


5) Draw Your Curtains

If your windows allow too much natural light into your room, you need to draw them. Reflection from excessive natural light getting into your room can interfere with the brightness level of your Windows or Mac laptop. This is especially true when your computer is displaying darker objects.

Close your window curtains to enjoy your laptop screen’s maximum brightness and a better viewing experience. Do movie theaters ring a bell?


Conclusion

A laptop screen’s brightness level influences your multimedia viewing experience. So whether your brightness setting has malfunctioned or you want to make your screen brighter than the max in Windows 10 or Mac, you can do this easily.

Use brightness apps, disable the automatic brightness feature, draw your curtains, or use the brightness menu or keyboard shortcut keys to get this done. Remember to choose a brightness level that neither causes eye strain nor affects battery life. 

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Pigtou Editorial Team

A group of tech enthusiasts who find pleasure in troubleshooting and resolving various issues. When we're not engaged in writing, we typically enjoy playing table football or spending time with our office dog.
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