The same goes for laptop systems, but in this case you will need to power the system down and reboot it. The Displays system preferences will contain a brightness setting for Apple's monitors, but a faulty connection or configuration may cause this setting to be absent.īecause the brightness controls require this connection, if you cannot see any brightness controls then first ensure that the connection is properly established by unplugging it and plugging it back in, or trying a different USB port.įor the Apple Thunderbolt Display this connection is internal, but it might be affected if the USB hub within the display has not been properly initialized, so try turning the display off and back on to see if this corrects the problem. This is done through a secondary USB connection with the monitors, which can be a separate USB cable or, as with Apple's Thunderbolt Display, be connected to the USB hub that is in the display itself. However, for Apple's DisplayPort or Thunderbolt monitors, or those in its laptops and iMac systems, brightness is controlled with the brightness slider or the keyboard brightness functions (commonly on the F1 and F2 keys). However, in some instances this option may be missing, leaving people with no way to adjust the display's brightness.įor third-party monitors that have their own brightness controls, OS X will defer to the monitor's settings.

If you have one of these displays, then you should see this brightness slider next to the display resolution list. Most external monitors have brightness and contrast controls accessible in an onscreen display or as buttons around the side of the monitor, but for many of Apple's displays, the brightness controls are accessed through the OS X Displaya system preferences.

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