Your MacBook screen is too dark. You turn brightness to full, but it stays dim, or it gets darker by itself. Often it is a setting you did not know about, such as automatic brightness or an accessibility filter. Sometimes the screen's backlight is failing. This article explains step by step how to find out why your MacBook screen is too dark and how to fix it.
Blue Apple repairs MacBook screens in Amsterdam, including when the backlight is the problem.
Step 1: brightness
Press the brightness-up key (F2) a few times, or use the slider in Control Centre. On a MacBook with a Touch Bar, brightness is in the Control Strip.
Step 2: automatic brightness
System Settings, Displays has Automatically adjust brightness. Then the light sensor next to the camera controls brightness. If a sticker or camera cover sits over the sensor, the MacBook thinks it is dark and dims the screen. Turn the option off temporarily to test.
Step 3: battery and power saving
- System Settings, Battery may be set to dim the screen slightly on battery.
- Low Power Mode also makes the screen a little darker.
- When the MacBook is hot, brightness may be limited temporarily to cool it down.
Step 4: True Tone and Night Shift
True Tone adapts colour to ambient light; Night Shift makes the screen warmer and yellower in the evening. Both can make the screen seem less bright. Turn them off in System Settings, Displays and see whether it makes a difference.
Step 5: accessibility
System Settings, Accessibility, Display has options that darken the screen: Reduce white point, colour filters and increased contrast. With Reduce white point on, white is greyer and the whole screen darker. Turn it off.
Step 6: external display or HDR
If you use an external display, you usually set its brightness on the display itself. With HDR video the desktop around the video may look darker temporarily. That is normal.
Is the backlight broken?
Shine a torch at an angle on the screen. If you see a faint picture while the screen otherwise looks black, the backlight is not working. Signs the backlight is wearing or failing:
- At full brightness the screen is clearly darker than before.
- Part of the screen is darker, for example at the bottom.
- The screen goes dark when you open the lid further. See Flexgate.
- The screen flickers or switches off now and then. See screen black, flickering or lines.
Brightness and your eyes
A screen set too dark takes more effort to read and tires your eyes. On the other hand a very bright screen in a dark room is not pleasant either. So preferably leave automatic brightness on if the sensor works properly, and turn on Night Shift in the evening if you like it. If you work by a sunny window, it helps to turn the screen slightly so no bright light falls on it.
After a repair or drop
If the screen has been darker since a drop or an earlier screen repair, the display cable or the backlight connection may be damaged. A lower-quality replacement screen can also be less bright than the original. Also read original or compatible screen.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
We test brightness and backlight, check the display cable and tell you whether the screen or a part on the logic board is the problem. You hear beforehand what it costs. More on our page about MacBook screen repair.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my screen get darker by itself?
Usually because of automatic brightness or because the MacBook is on battery.
Can I make my screen brighter than the maximum?
Not without extra apps. On MacBooks with an XDR display the maximum for HDR content is higher than on the desktop.
Is a dark screen a sign it will break soon?
If the backlight is the cause, it can get worse. Have it tested.
