Although Apple offers a 16-inch MacBook Pro, most professionals, creatives, and business users prefer using it with an external display. After all, nothing beats the convenience of using macOS on a large screen. While Apple doesn't offer a native way to adjust the brightness on a connected display, you can use third-party apps to get the job done. Here are the three best ways to control the brightness of an external display from your Mac.
You can always use a dedicated monitor light strip to create a comfortable environment at your desk. But if you don't want to invest in a dedicated accessory, adjust the screen brightness from your Mac. In this post, we'll discuss the three most important ways to adjust the brightness on an external display from your Mac.
1. MONITORCONTROL
When you bConnect your Mac to an external displayThe system disables the brightness toggle. You can try accessing the brightness option from the Mac's Control Center, but the option will be grayed out.
You can use your monitor's physical brightness control buttons or the included remote to adjust it. However, this is inconvenient and can sometimes be time-consuming. This is where third-party solutions come in. While there are several paid options, MonitorControl is one such free program for changing brightness on a second monitor. Let's check it out in action, shall we?
Step 1: Head to page GitHub From the link below, download the application file to your Mac. Follow the usual installation process and open it on your Mac.
Step 3: You may see an icon. Brightness It appears in your Mac's menu bar. Click it.
Download MonitorControl on Mac
You can use the brightness and volume sliders to adjust this on your external display. You can also use the brightness button on your mechanical keyboard to change the brightness and volume.
If you find the default brightness levels too high, lower them and use the last saved settings from the Preferences menu. You should be perfectly fine with the default settings, but if you want more control, spend some time in the Preferences menu to tweak the app experience. MonitorControl is free to download and use.
2. LUNAR
Lunar is the best third-party display controller for Mac. Although it's a paid app, the features offered should justify its asking price. The app can control all external displays connected to your Mac. You can adjust brightness and volume, and set input hotkeys to switch to other HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C ports.
Sync Mode is another useful trick worth talking about. It transfers your MacBook's adaptive brightness to a connected display. If you keep your MacBook's display open while working on it, the built-in ambient light sensor adjusts the brightness based on the room's environment. Lunar syncs the same thing to the display as well.
Lunar is also capable of unlocking your MacBook Pro's XDR display. macOS locks your MacBook's display at 500 nits, and with Lunar, you can reach 1600 nits while working outdoors in direct sunlight. It may take a long time for your laptop's battery, but it should provide an optimal experience.
The feature list expands with Sub-Zero Dimming to dim the screen brightness below the screen limit, Sensor Mode to bring adaptive brightness to any Mac (even when your MacBook lid is closed or on a Mac Mini), the ability to dim your laptop screen with one key, and more.
People who hold late-night video meetings will appreciate the FaceLight add-on. Lunar increases your screen's brightness levels during the call to illuminate your face. Lunar costs $23 for a one-time fee. If you work with multiple monitor setups, you can't go wrong with this setup.
3. DISPLAYBUDDY
DisplayBuddy received a major update with version 2.0. You can control brightness, contrast, and volume on the external display. DisneyBuddy also supports creating presets, multiple monitor support, keyboard shortcuts, and more.
You can create presets like Night, Game, Movie, Work, etc., and adjust brightness levels with one tap.
You can ask Siri to raise or lower the brightness level on all displays and let the virtual assistant complete the task in no time. DisplayBuddy v2.0 costs $17 as a one-time fee.
Manage your external display like a pro
Most users should be perfectly fine with the free MonitorControl app on Mac. If you want more features like presets, multiple displays, and Siri support, explore paid options like DisplayBuddy and Lunar. These are better suited for power users.
