Change Display Screen Brightness With DimScreen

Martin Brinkmann
Aug 28, 2010
Updated • Jan 31, 2015
Software
|
38

Adjusting the brightness of the screen  to the current environment has several benefits. The most important ones are a better display quality in the environment you are in, say a dimmed screen at night to avoid too bright screens, and a positive impact a dimmed screen has on the battery of mobile devices.

Most laptops come with programs that offer settings to change the display screen brightness, but many of those programs are everything but lightweight, and some seem to have been developed a long time ago which shows in the interface but also functionality and compatibility.

While you may also be able to use hardware controls on the monitor to change the brightness levels, some monitors tend to generate noise when you do, which they do not if you leave the brightness level at its default value.

Dim Screen

DimScreen is a portable alternative by Donation Coder's busiest member Skrommel.

The application, like all of Skrommel's apps, has been created with Autohotkey, which sometimes is recognized as malware by antivirus software.

Note: This application is not malware, and if antivirus software reports that it is, then it is a false positive.

The program provides screen dimming options via hotkey and the system tray. The hotkeys Ctrl+ and Ctrl- on the main keyboard decrease or increase the screen brightness respectively.

Main keyboard in this regard means that the keys do not work on the numpad which is understandable since most notebooks come without it.

Users who prefer to use the mouse to change the display screen brightness can instead locate the icon in the Windows system tray to adjust it.

A right-click on the icon and the selection of a screen brightness percentage from 0% to 100% adjusts the brightness of the screen immediately.

display screen brightness
display screen brightness settings

A value of 0% means a screen brightness level of 100%, a value of 60% a brightness of 40% and so on.

DimScreen is an unobtrusive program for the Windows operating system, that is especially helpful for mobile users who want a lightweight program for changing the display screen brightness.

Summary
software image
Author Rating
1star1star1star1stargray
2 based on 59 votes
Software Name
DimScreen
Operating System
Windows
Landing Page
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Searching said on April 20, 2023 at 5:38 am
    Reply

    Where is the download link? You say in Summary box, where is that? Why can’t we have a simple DOWNLOAD button or something simple . I have spent more time looking for the actual download than researching the topic of dimming. Dear Sir, Please edit this page design to simplify the download process.

  2. asdkfj said on November 2, 2020 at 12:25 am
    Reply

    Where is the fucking link?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on November 2, 2020 at 6:31 am
      Reply

      It is in the Summary box, as usual.

      1. Anonymous said on March 18, 2023 at 12:24 am
        Reply

        where’s the summary box…am I blind……

  3. Anonymous said on July 22, 2020 at 1:52 am
    Reply

    The minimal brightness of my screen was still too bright at night, thanks for the tip!

  4. Anonymous said on April 23, 2019 at 9:16 am
    Reply

    CareUEyes is better than this, more features

  5. Reg Smith said on July 1, 2018 at 4:31 am
    Reply

    I saw the icon in my system tray only for a day or two. That was after clicking on the desktop icon. The desktop icon gives no options at all.

    How can I restore the system tray icon??

  6. Max said on March 31, 2018 at 7:57 pm
    Reply

    Unfortunately, DimScreen has a bug that causes my task-bar (on auto-hide) to remain covered behind any open windows. For example, the task-bar is inaccessible if my browser if is maximized. This happens on both Windows 7 and Windows 10 systems.

  7. Dimo said on November 2, 2017 at 3:34 pm
    Reply

    The program is pretty useful as I don’t want to reduce the brightness of my lousy laptop screen or dedicated monitor due to screen flickering caused by PWM control when brightness is less than 100%.
    So this nice software fixes the problem and saves the day! Thanks a lot!!

  8. Eric said on August 21, 2017 at 9:06 pm
    Reply

    How do you get this to work with multiple monitors? It only dim my main one.

    1. Michael said on December 24, 2017 at 6:40 pm
      Reply

      You can’t dim multiple monitors with this or any other similar software. It is impossible to use software on a laptop or PC to dim anything other than a single screen, the one which the system regards as the “home” screen. You can’t dim multiple monitors with software. Major problem for some of us.

  9. R. Polet said on April 5, 2016 at 12:11 pm
    Reply

    Works fine on my Samsung N150 netbook.

  10. Silvertrophy said on February 25, 2016 at 6:37 pm
    Reply

    Would it be an idea for further versions to implement an option to let the program adjust the brightness automatically depending on daytime (as F.lux does for the color/”temperature”)? I’d love to see such an automatism which would make it obsolete to manually adjust the percentage.

  11. Fadhal said on November 16, 2015 at 8:35 pm
    Reply

    Makes (or so I think) a useful (I suppose) piece of software, writes a nice piece of description, and doesn’t give a download link.

    Just amazed!

  12. AVP47 said on October 16, 2015 at 12:14 pm
    Reply

    Cool app. Works well when used along with hotkey for quick access

  13. InC said on July 7, 2015 at 1:23 am
    Reply

    Stupid why not put a link with the name “Download” i give up bye…

    1. Anonymous said on June 4, 2016 at 9:03 pm
      Reply

      That’s what I was wondering. I give up and going to another place to download.

  14. Warfin said on July 2, 2014 at 9:33 am
    Reply

    Great product Martin…My sincere kisses to you..Hell on those idiots who discourage this product…God bless u..

  15. mohmad said on February 8, 2014 at 11:39 pm
    Reply

    I’m very much delighted to mention that I used to use MonitorBright
    Homepage: http://jockersoft.com/english/index.php
    but it uses more memory (8k vs 1k for Dimscreen) and it behaves as a window, so any other window can bypass it with alt-tab
    so this is my alternative :)

  16. Richard Bibbens said on September 5, 2013 at 12:32 am
    Reply

    Where’s is the site .do download dim screen.?

  17. Sanjay said on September 4, 2013 at 12:12 pm
    Reply

    Where is the download link for dimscreen??

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on September 4, 2013 at 1:24 pm
      Reply

      It is the first link in the article.

  18. Martin said on February 26, 2013 at 1:08 pm
    Reply

    Thanks a lot, the DimScreen works perfectly on my non LED HP monitor with notebook HP8750W. Dimming is possible well beyond monitor settings – almost to 0%.

  19. Jennifer W. said on July 2, 2012 at 11:53 pm
    Reply

    Martin – I’m going to try to download Dimscreen now. Crossing my fingers. THX for this article.

  20. Arman said on June 18, 2012 at 2:10 am
    Reply

    Thank you so much ….
    This was the thing I was looking for in a long time.

    Dims the display much more than the default fn keys

    Thanks a million…

  21. John said on November 13, 2011 at 9:34 pm
    Reply

    DimScreen is absolutely useless for an LCD as it does NOT dim the backlight.

  22. Hello said on November 7, 2010 at 11:00 am
    Reply

    Where this program is a great help is with computers whose minimum built-in brightness is still too high for sensitive eyes.

    This little program worked the needed miracle for me with a Toshiba laptop whose minimum brightness was bright, too bright. One of the best little tweakers I’ve come across. And this is my first opportunity to express my appreciation to its creator. So thanks.

  23. Aleks said on September 6, 2010 at 12:46 am
    Reply

    f.lux anyone? It automatically adjusts the brightness depending on times of day (or night).

  24. Muhammad Najem said on August 29, 2010 at 7:04 pm
    Reply

    Thanks Martin but how does it differ from the method that “XD” mentioned above ? Pressing the Fn button with F7 or F8 . I guess the only difference is the percentage display but both do the same function.

  25. John Mack said on August 29, 2010 at 5:42 pm
    Reply

    How much memory does it use?

    I use a freeware called “Desktop Lighter v1.4” that uses 4 MB of memory. It’s excellent. Currently I have my monitor set at 35% brightness. Not only does it save on energy, it makes the screen A LOT easier on the eyes.

    Highly recommended if computers don’t have a built in dimmer.

    1. Martin said on August 29, 2010 at 8:33 pm
      Reply

      It uses a little bit more than that on a 64-bit system, but not a lot.

  26. Chocobito said on August 28, 2010 at 9:51 pm
    Reply

    I have a laptop that the Fn brightness keys don’t work properly, and this program is perfect for that. Can be useful for other people with similar problem too.

    Thanks for the tip Martin. :)

    1. Martin said on August 28, 2010 at 10:09 pm
      Reply

      Chocobito, you are welcome ;)

  27. XD said on August 28, 2010 at 8:40 pm
    Reply

    you don’t need this program. Pressing the fn plus the f7 or f8 keys lowers and highers the brightness.

    1. Muhammad Najem said on August 29, 2010 at 7:01 pm
      Reply

      I didn’t know that ! . Thanks very much !

      1. Waypoint said on April 30, 2012 at 2:06 pm
        Reply

        Fn + key is on laptops which dont have dedicated monitor controls. also, what is F7 and F8 is F4 and F5 or could be anything really on other hardware. This software is still useful, The dimmest that my monitor will adjust to is still too bright (personal opinion), and on some monitors the menu to so convoluted or it just it takes forever to make an adjustment, so point in case for this software…

  28. Roman ShaRP said on August 28, 2010 at 7:50 pm
    Reply

    As for my eyes, F.Lux is the best.

    1. Clem said on September 29, 2016 at 8:06 am
      Reply

      I use both of them, flux all the time, and dimscreen at night when the luminosity of the screen remains too bright

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.