How to Turn Off Auto Brightness in Windows

This article explains how to turn off auto brightness in Windows (also known as adaptive brightness). The instructions apply to Windows 11 and 10.

How to Turn Off Auto Brightness in Windows 11

The auto-brightness options are different depending on your version of Windows. In Windows 11, you can disable battery-saving features that affect screen brightness.

1. Go to the Start menu and open Settings.

2. Select System, then choose Display.

3. Select Brightness.

4. Uncheck the box next to Help improve battery by optimizing the content shown and brightness.

5. Go back to System settings and select Power & Battery.

6. Select Battery Saver.

7. Turn Off the toggle switch next to Lower screen brightness when using battery saver.

How to Turn Off Auto Brightness in Windows 10

In some versions of Windows 10, you can disable advanced power settings:

1. Click the Start menu and type Control Panel to open up the Control Panel window.

2. Click the green text Hardware and Sound.

3. In the next window, click Power Options.

4. Here in the Power Options, click Change plan settings to the right of the computer's Power Plan.

5. Click Change advanced power setting and a small window will appear.

6. In this new small window, scroll all the way down until you see the word Display.

7. To the left of Display, click on the 'Plus' button to have a drop down menu appear.

8. You will see Enable adaptive brightness in that drop down menu. Click Setting and set it to Off to disable the auto-brightness feature.

How to Create a Power Plan in Windows 10

Not all Windows 10 computers have the option to disable auto-brightness. In that scenario, you can create a new Power Plan and ensure your computer's brightness settings stay consistent.

1. Go back to Power Options and click Create a power plan on the left-hand side of the window.

2. From there, you will see a few options, including: Balanced (recommended), Power Saver, and High Performance as well as being able to name your plan. Click whichever suits your needs. Power Saver will be used in this example.

3. Name your custom power plan and click Next.

4. Configure the plan to suit your needs.

   In this example, the laptop display is set to turn off after 5 minutes and go to sleep after 10 minutes of inaction.

5. Click Create and your new custom plan will be made

6. Close the window when you’re finished applying the settings.

Why Can't I Turn Off Auto Brightness?

Later versions of Windows 10 removed the ability to turn off auto brightness in lieu of giving users manual control over the display. If you prefer to set the brightness over manually controlling it, it's recommended you set up a Power Plan.