Last evening, I received the new ThinkPad laptop that I had ordered a couple of days ago through an eCommerce website. Since the ThinkPad ships with an earlier version of Windows 10, I upgraded the OS to the latest version of Windows 10 Pro, and the upgrade process went smoothly without any issues.
After upgrading to the latest version of Windows 10 and installing/updating all drivers, while browsing the web, I noticed that Windows 10 was automatically adjusting the screen brightness. Like most users, I prefer manually setting screen brightness and don’t want the operating system to automatically adjust screen brightness with the help of ambient light sensors.
For the uninitiated, when the adaptive screen brightness feature is running, Windows 10 calculates the ambient light using built-in sensors of your PC and automatically adjusts the screen brightness accordingly.
If your Windows 10 is automatically adjusting the screen brightness, it’s most likely because a feature called adaptive brightness is turned on. And if you’re sure that the adaptive brightness or auto-brightness is disabled on your PC, then it could be because your PC using Intel HD graphics and the Intel power saver technology is trying to save some power by automatically decreasing the backlight intensity.
In this guide, we will see how to disable the auto-brightness or adaptive brightness in Windows 10. Use the directions in Method 3 to configure Intel HD Graphics Control Panel and instructions in Method 4 to turn off the display power-saving technology in AMD, which decreases backlight intensity to extend the battery life.
Method 1 of 5
Tóm Tắt
Disable automatic brightness in Windows 10 via Settings
NOTE: Available in Windows 10 build 21354 and later only. Also, the option shows up only if your PC supports the Content adaptive brightness control (CABC).
Step 1: Go to Windows 10 Settings app > System > Display page.
Step 2: Turn off the option labeled Automatically adjust contrast based on the displayed content to help improve battery.
Method 2 of 5
Disable adaptive or auto brightness via Control Panel
Step 1: Right-click on the battery icon in the system tray, and click Power Options to open the same.
Step 2: On the left pane, click Choose when to turn off the display option to open the Edit Plan Settings window.
Step 3: Here, click Change advanced power settings to open the Power Options dialog.
Step 4: Extend Display, extend Enable adaptive brightness, and then select Off option for both On battery and Plugged in.
Click the Apply button.
Note that you have just disabled adaptive brightness only for the current power plan. So, if you often switch between the power plan, you need to repeat the same for all power plans. For instance, if you just disabled adaptive brightness for a Balanced power plan, you will need to do the same for the Power saver plan as well if you don’t want Windows 10 to automatically adjust the brightness while using the Power saver plan.
Method 3 of 5
Disable automatic brightness via Intel Graphics Command Center app
Step 1: Launch the Intel Graphics Command Center app using the taskbar/Start search. If not installed, you can get it from the Windows 10 Store.
Step 2: Once the app is running, in the left pane, click on System.
Step 3: Now, on the right side, click Power.
Step 4: In the On battery section, turn off the Display Power Savings option. That’s it!
Method 4 of 5
Disable auto-brightness via Intel HD Graphics Control Panel
If you have AMD graphics, follow the directions in Method 3.
I am no expert and I might be completely wrong, but it looks like the Intel power saver technology was the reason why I was feeling like the display brightness was automatically adjusting even after turning off adaptive brightness.
Use this method only if you have a feeling that the screen brightness is automatically adjusting even after turning off auto-brightness using the instructions mentioned above. Obviously, this is only for PCs that ship with Intel onboard graphics.
There might be a similar feature/option in graphics drivers from other manufacturers as well. Have a look at the properties of the graphics drivers before contacting Microsoft support.
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, and click Graphics Properties.
NOTE: If the Graphics Properties option is not available in the desktop context menu, open Control Panel, change View by to Small icons and then click Intel HD Graphics.
Step 2: Once Intel HD Graphics Control Panel is launched, click Power.
Step 3: On the left pane, click On Battery.
Step 4: Finally, click Disable option for Display Power Saving Technology and then click Apply button.
If the issue is fixed, remember that Intel graphics Control Panel might be reset to default settings when a newer version of the driver is installed, and you might need to disable the feature again by following the directions mentioned above.
Method 5 of 5
Disable AMD Vary-Bright
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop and then click on the AMD Radeon Settings option.
Step 2: Expand the Power tab and then click on PowerPlay. Here, disable or turn off the Enable Vari-Bright option.
Your automatic brightness issue should now be solved. Good luck!
If you have a dedicated graphics card, please check out its settings as well. Your automatic brightness issue should now be solved. Good luck!
Do let us know if you were able to fix the issue using one of these methods.
