How to Fix Windows Screen Brightness Controls

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Update the display adapter driver

   Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. Expand the Display adapters section, right-click your integrated graphics device—usually Intel Iris Xe or AMD Radeon—and select Update driver. Choose Search automatically for drivers to let Windows find the latest stable version.

   Note: If no updates are found, visit your laptop manufacturer's support website to download the specific graphics driver for your model.
2. 1 min

   Re-enable the monitor device

   In Device Manager, expand the Monitors section. Right-click Generic PnP Monitor and select Disable device, then immediately right-click it again and select Enable device. This action forces Windows to re-initialize the brightness control handshake.

3. 2 min

   Edit the registry to force control

   Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4d36e96e-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0000. Double-click the FeatureTestControl value and change the data to f008.

   Note: Back up your registry before making changes to prevent system instability.
4. 1 min

   Reset the power plan

   Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by searching cmd, right-clicking, and selecting Run as administrator. Type powercfg -restoredefaultschemes and press Enter. This restores corrupted power settings that may be interfering with display backlight control.

   Note: Restart your computer immediately after running this command to apply changes.
5. 1 min

   Check Windows Update components

   Open Settings, navigate to Windows Update, and select Check for updates. Sometimes brightness issues are tied to specific firmware or chipset updates that are queued in the Optional updates section. Install all pending firmware updates for your specific device hardware.