Disable Automatic Screen Brightness Dimming in Windows 11
- To stop your Windows 11 screen from automatically dimming, navigate to Settings > Display > Brightness and disable both “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” and “Change brightness based on content.”
- Additionally, head to Settings > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts, and switch off the “Dim my screen when I look away” feature.
If your laptop display is frequently dimming on Windows 11, it might be due to three functionalities: “Adaptive brightness,” “Content Adaptive Brightness Control,” or the presence of “Presence Sensing” hardware that activates the “Dim my screen when I look away” setting.
The “Adaptive brightness” feature automatically modifies the brightness levels based on the surrounding light conditions.
In contrast, “Content Adaptive Brightness Control” (CABC) adjusts screen brightness and contrast in response to the content displayed, functioning similarly to adaptive brightness but with different parameters.
Modern devices, such as Copilot+ PCs, may possess sensors that detect the proximity of users. When active, Windows 11 employs the “Presence Sensing” features. One common feature is “Dim my screen when I look away,” which reduces brightness when you look away and restores it as you refocus on the screen.
Though these functionalities are beneficial for reducing power consumption, prolonging battery longevity, and minimizing environmental impact, they can lead to confusion regarding screen brightness, as adjustments may seem erratic.
After acquiring a Copilot+ PC, I experienced distracting brightness fluctuations as I glanced at another monitor. To resolve this issue, I turned off these settings and documented the process for others experiencing similar disturbances.
This guide provides detailed instructions for disabling brightness-altering features to ensure your Windows 11 display remains stable and does not randomly dim.
Disabling Automatic Brightness Dimming on Windows 11
To effectively deactivate the “Adaptive brightness,” “Content Adaptive Brightness Control,” and “Dim my screen when I look away” features on Windows 11, follow these steps:
- Launch Settings on your Windows 11 device.
- Navigate to System.
- Select the Display section.
- Under the “Brightness & color” segment, access the Brightness settings.
- To disable “Adaptive brightness,” toggle off the “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” option.
- Choose the Off option for the “Change brightness based on content” setting to disable “Content Adaptive Brightness Control.”
- Return to System.
- Visit the Power & battery section.
- Access the “Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts” option.
- Disable the “Dim my screen when I look away” toggle switch.
- (Optional) You can also disable the “Turn off my screen when I leave” option.
- (Optional) Consider switching off the “Wake my device when I approach” toggle as well.
Following these steps, your screen will no longer dim automatically due to factors like light changes or when you look away from it.
However, if you maintain the default timeout settings, the screen will still turn off after either 3 or 5 minutes, depending on whether the device is connected to a power source or running on battery. You can modify these settings within the “Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts” section on the “Power & battery” page.
Typically, such features are available on laptops and tablets. If you are unable to locate the “Dim my screen when I look away” setting, your device likely does not support the “Presence Sensing” capability.
You can verify the availability of presence sensors on your device by checking Device Manager > Sensors. Here, you will discover if the necessary hardware is present, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series processors’ sensors identified as “Qualcomm Human Presence Sensor.”
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