How to Fix Dimmed Screen: 8 Solutions to Try

Common Causes

The backlight in your monitor doesn't shine as brightly as it has before. This is a common issue for devices that rely on backlights, like your TV, computer, or laptop screen and here's a list of reasons that could be causing the problem: Brightness settings. Adaptive Brightness. Power-saving settings. Faulty connections. Software glitches. Outdated graphics drivers. Faulty cords. Backlight issues.

Troubleshooting

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

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 will be 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.

Check your power-saving features. In many cases, the screen will dim when you're not using it to reserve power. There are many different 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 any 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". Mac laptops: Go to System Settings > Battery and check if this is dimming your screen.

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 TV. Loose cables can produce dim images.

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.

Update outdated graphics cards. 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.

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 also want to rule out the small chance that something is wrong with your power outlet by plugging your dim screen into another one.

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 the manufacturer of your device to get more help and schedule a repair.