Screen brightness cannot be adjusted - it can be because of that
If the screen brightness on the laptop can no longer be controlled, this can have several reasons. We'll show you how to solve the problem.
The screen brightness cannot be adjusted
- Graphics driver: In most cases the problem lies with the driver of the graphics card. Check the manufacturer's website for the latest driver for your graphics card and install it. Our picture gallery explains how you can do this. Also check Windows Update to see if updates are available there.
- Software: If you recently uninstalled software related to the graphics card, the error may also be here. Many graphics cards include additional software that controls the hotkeys.
- Control Panel: In the Control Panel you will find the "Power Options" under the "System and Security" category. Here you can change the type of energy saving and change the brightness manually.
- Workaround: For some users, a little trick helps in the meantime. Change the brightness in the control panel and put the computer in energy saving mode. With laptops, for example, you have to close the device. Then turn the computer back on, the brightness has changed.
Reactivate the screen in Device Manager
In some cases, Windows may no longer see the screen as activated. As a result, the screen still works, but communication such as changing the screen brightness is no longer possible.
- Press the [Windows] and [R] keys simultaneously so that the "Execute" command opens.
- Enter "devmgmt.msc" here and confirm with "OK". Then the Device Manager opens.
- If you select the "Monitors" category here, you will find a small exclamation mark.
- Right-click on the monitor and select the "Activate" option.
- The screen brightness can then be adjusted as usual.
Windows: Use old graphics card driver
Especially when new drivers for graphics cards appear or Windows receives a major update, the installation of the previous driver can help.
- Open the Device Manager and look for the currently used graphics card in the "Graphics card" category.
- Right-click the entry and select the "Update Driver Software" option.
- Then select "Browse my computer for driver software" and "Choose from a list of device drivers on my computer".
- If the current driver causes problems, select an older version and click on the "Next" button.
- The old driver is then installed. If the problem is not solved, you can update to the latest version.
In the next practical tip, we will show you how to lock the screen under Windows.