How to Fix Screen Dimming on Battery in Mac?

In our earlier article, we have explained how to disable screen dimming on Windows devices. Unlike Windows which depends on the power settings, all MacBook models dim the screen by default when on battery. This may be annoying that you have 90% remaining battery but still need to work with the dimmed screen. In this article, we will explain how to disable this feature in macOS settings.

Screen Display Dimming on Battery

MacBook will dim the screen to save the power when the system is on battery. Though this helps to increase battery life, working with dimmed screen may irritate your eyes in dark environment. Also, games and HD videos may look dull with the dim screen. In addition to display dimming on battery, there are two more settings in macOS which you need to disable to stop this. We will explain all three settings in macOS Ventura or later and Monterey or earlier versions.

1. Disable Slightly Dim Display on Battery Option

• On macOS Ventura or later – click Apple menu and select “System Settings”. Select “Displays” and then click “Advanced” button. On the next screen, turn off “Slightly dim the display on battery” option under “Battery and Energy” section.

• On macOS Monterey or earlier – click Apple logo and select “System Preferences…” menu. Go to “Battery” section and then select “Battery” option from the sidebar. After that, disable “Slightly dim the display while on battery power” option.

2. Disable Low Power Mode

If your MacBook model is Early 2016 or latter, then the battery settings/preferences will have additional settings to enable Low Power Mode.

• On macOS Ventura or later – go to Apple logo and select “System Settings…”. Select “Battery” option from the sidebar and click the dropdown against “Low Power Mode”. Select “Never” to disable low power mode.

• On macOS Monterey or earlier – go to Apple logo and select “System Preferences…” menu. Click “Battery” option and then go to “Battery” section from the sidebar. Disable “Low Power Mode” option which shows as the last option.

3. Disable Automatically Adjust Brightness

This feature helps Mac to adjust the monitor brightness depending on the environment you work. This can dim you display when you are working in darker ambient.

• On macOS Ventura or later – go to Apple menu and select “System Settings…” option. Click “Displays” and then disable “Automatically adjust brightness” option.

• On macOS Monterey or earlier – click Apple menu and go to “System Preferences…” section.

Also, click on “Night Shift” button and make sure the schedule is set to “Off”.

Note: You need to click the lock pad icon, enter your admin password and click “Modify Settings”” button to unlock the screen for editing in Monterey or earlier versions. On macOS Ventura or later, you do not need to unlock the screen, otherwise, system will automatically show a pop-up for entering your admin password to change the settings.

If you are using iMac desktop, then there will be no battery settings available as iMac does not have battery. However, you can disable automatic brightness option under “Displays” setting.