Why Is My Screen So Dark on Full Brightness: 6 Fixes to Use
The adaptive brightness feature might be responsible for this issue
- If the computer screen is faint, it might be connected to the auto-dimming options in Windows 10.
- You should also check the GPU drivers if the laptop screen is too dark.
- Running the built-in power troubleshooter has also proved effective in solving this issue.
One of the recent issues users are complaining about is the dark screen despite enabling full brightness. Some are dealing with a faint screen even went they sight the brightness level to 100%.
While there are various prospective causes for this issue, the solutions are not far-fetched, as shown in this guide.
Why is my screen dark, but my brightness is all the way up?
There are various factors why your screen could be so dark even at full brightness on your Windows 10 laptop. Let’s look at some of the causes in detail:
- Adaptive brightness setting: The adaptive brightness feature is used by Windows 10 to either increase or decrease your screen brightness in response to your environment. This feature can be why your screen is so black suddenly. You need to disable adaptive brightness if you want to keep your screen bright at all times.
- Outdated display driver: Your display driver can start misbehaving when it is outdated. It could be the reason for this issue and cause other problems. The quickest solution here is to update your drivers.
- Issues with PC power settings: In some cases, issues with your PC power settings might be the ones messing with your screen brightness. Running the Power troubleshooter should diagnose and recommend possible fixes for this.
How do I fix a screen that is too dark at full brightness?
Here’s what you should do first:
- While this may not always work, you should try holding down the Fn (small n) key on your keyboard while holding the Up arrow key. This should increase the screen brightness. The reverse is the case, so pressing Fn + Down arrow will reduce brightness.
1. Disable adaptive brightness
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and select the System option.
- Choose the Display option in the left pane.
- Now, uncheck the box next to Change brightness automatically when lighting changes under the Brightness and color section.
The adaptive brightness feature makes your PC readable irrespective of the brightness level of your location. It does this by reducing and increasing screen brightness as the need arises, regardless of your settings.
This could be why your screen is dark on Windows 10, despite setting it to maximum brightness.
How we test, review and rate?
We have worked for the past 6 months on building a new review system on how we produce content. Using it, we have subsequently redone most of our articles to provide actual hands-on expertise on the guides we made.
For more details you can read how we test, review, and rate at WindowsReport.
2. Run the Power troubleshooter
- Press the Windows key + I and select the Update & Security option.
- Choose Troubleshoot in the left pane and click the Additional troubleshooter’s option.
- Select Power and click the Run the troubleshooter button.
Minor issues with your PC power setting can affect your screen brightness, causing your screen to become so dark. In this case, you need to run the Power troubleshooter.
3. Enable and disable the display adapter
- Press the Windows key + X and select the Device Manager option.
- Double-click the Display adapters option and right-click the device there.
- Choose the Disable device option.
- Now, right-click the device again and select the Enable device option.
Some users have pointed out that glitches with the display adapter can cause the dark screen issue. Disabling and enabling the adapter proved to be enough to fix this.
4. Update the display driver
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the list.
- Expand the Display adapters option and right-click the device there.
- Select the Update driver option.
- Now, choose the Search automatically for drivers option and install the available update.
An outdated driver is another leading reason why your screen is dark. The solution to this is to update your driver. If the Windows driver updater fails to solve this issue, you should go to the driver manufacturer’s website to download the latest version.
Keep in mind that updating your drivers can be a risky procedure. If you’re not careful, you can cause permanent damage to your system by downloading and installing the wrong driver versions.
To prevent that, we strongly recommend the dedicated tool below to download all outdated drivers on your PC automatically.
This solution is extremely fast and will update and repair your drivers in a single move and with fewer clicks than you would imagine.
5. Roll back the display driver
- Launch Device Manager and expand the Display adapters option.
- Double-click the driver there to open its properties.
- Select the Driver tab at the top and click the Roll Back Driver button.
If you started noticing that your Windows 10 screen becomes so dark after updating your display driver, you need to roll it back.
If the rollback button is greyed out or unavailable, that means there’s no driver to roll back to. Visit your computer manufacturer’s website to download the latest driver.
6. Install the latest driver in compatibility mode
- Download the latest driver from your manufacturer’s website.
- Right-click the installer and select the Properties option.
- Click the Compatibility tab at the top and check the box for Run the program in compatibility mode for:.
- Now, click the dropdown and select Windows 8.
- From here, click the Apply button followed by OK to save the changes.
- Finally, run the installer and follow the onscreen instruction to complete the installation.
Sometimes, you need to install your drivers in the compatibility mode of an older OS to make it work well. The steps above will take you through the process and hopefully fix the screen is so dark issue.
If your computer screen is so dark, even at 100% brightness level, it could indicate a hardware failure. But with the fixes above, you should be able to fix it effectively.
Are you facing other issues, like Windows 10 brightness slider missing? Then, check our detailed guide to fix it for good.
Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.
