When the laptop screen is not bright, it is difficult to do anything. Whether your screen is barely visible or not lighting at all, what does it mean?
If your Dell laptop screen has brightness problems, the graphics driver could be outdated. The Dell website will have the current version available. There could also be a blown fuse on the motherboard, a faulty brightness setting, or the operating system is corrupted.
Depending in the cause of your Dell laptop experiencing brightness problems, you can troubleshoot the issue and resolve it. Some instances will require a qualified technician or simply to replace the laptop.
Dell Laptop Screen Backlight Not Working
Does your laptop screen make you feel like you are losing your eyesight every time you use it? Here are some reasons why your Dell laptop screen is going dark.
If your Dell laptop screen backlighting is not working, the reason could be due to a blown fuse on the computer motherboard, a pending update to the graphics drivers, a pending update to the display adapter drivers, or after a system update or install such as with Windows.
Oftentimes, restarting the graphics driver will refresh the currently installed driver and the backlighting will start working again.
Restart Graphics Drivers
A dark screen is the result of a bad connection between your monitor and the operating system. The easiest way to reconnect the display is by doing the following. Each button needs to be pressed simultaneously.
Step 1: Press the Windows logo key.
Step 2: Press the Ctrl key
Step 3: Press the Shift key.
Step 4: Press the B key.
If the issue persists, the graphics driver needs to be updated. You can manually update the driver by going to the Dell website and downloading the right driver.
Dell Laptop Screen Backlight Turns Off
When the backlight turns off, any image on the laptop screen will be extremely difficult to see. If this is happening to you, here is something to try.
If your Dell laptop screen backlight turns off, turn off the power-saving settings. Make sure the battery is fully charged. There could also be a faulty connection between the monitor and the screen.
If the issue started after a recent update, reboot the laptop to refresh everything and clear out any bugs in the software.
Another possibility why the laptop screen backlight turns off is due to a defective inverter. The inverter board is built into the LCD and is responsible for supplying power to the screen’s backlight. If the inverter is defective, the backlight will not receive power and will remain dark.
Unfortunately, because the inverter is built into the screen, the screen will need to be replaced. Replacing the screen may not seem like a good idea but it removes any doubt that something else could be defective as well.
Dell Laptop Screen Barely Visible
Is it getting harder and harder to see your laptop screen? Before you throw the monitor out, try these simple suggestions.
If your Dell laptop screen is barely visible, adjust the automatic brightness settings in Windows. Connect the laptop to an external monitor to see if the issue is within the laptop screen. Update the Windows video card.
The easiest, and the first step when troubleshooting this issue, is to disable the automatic brightness setting within Windows. Disabling this feature will allow you to manually control the brightness setting.
The following steps will walk you through disabling this feature on Windows 10, 8, and traditional Windows.
For Windows 10
Step 1: Simultaneously press and hold the Windows logo key and the Q key.
Step 2: In the search bar, type in the word ‘Settings’.
Step 3: Scroll down and select ‘Settings’.
Step 4: Select ‘System’.
Step 5: Select ‘Adjust My Screen Brightness Automatically’.
If you do not have this feature on your computer, you can manually adjust the brightness under the setting ‘Change Brightness For The Built-In Display’. Once you have reached the desired brightness level, close the System window. No further steps are needed.
Step 6: Change the automatic option to ‘Off’.
Step 7: Click on ‘Apply’.
Step 8: Close the System Window.
For Windows 8 Modern User Interface (MUI)
Step 1: Select ‘Settings’.
Step 2: Select ‘Change PC Settings’.
Step 3: Select ‘PC and Devices’.
Step 4: Select ‘Power and Sleep’.
Step 5: Turn off the adaptive brightness setting. Use the toggle at the top of the screen to adjust the brightness setting.
For Traditional Windows
Step 1: Go to the Computer Panel app.
Step 2: Select “Hardware and Sound’.
Step 3: Select ‘Change Plan Settings’.
Step 4: Select Change Advanced Power Settings’.
Step 5: Select the Plus Sign (+) next to Display.
Step 6: Select ‘Enable Adaptive Brightness’ and turn the setting off.
Dell Laptop Screen Brightness Not Changing
We use our laptops in a variety of settings and environments. The ability to adjust the screen brightness is very beneficial. What does it mean when the brightness does not change?
If your Dell laptop screen brightness is not changing, the issue could be due to a corrupted operating system within the laptop. This can happen with Windows 7,8, or 10. An incorrectly installed or updated driver will corrupt the operating system.
Hearing the words ‘Corrupted operating system’ will no doubt cause heart palpitations but the situation isn’t that bad. A simple Windows update and keyboard driver update will restore everything back to normal.
The software tool DriverEasy is the quickest and easiest way to download the keyboard driver. Instead of downloading each new driver individually, DriverEasy will update all drivers with one click.
The only downside to DriverEasy is that it is not free. But if you are the type of person that doesn’t want to worry about driver updates, this option is perfect for you.
Dell Laptop Screen Brightness Keeps Changing/Auto Adjusting
When we have our laptop screen set to the preference we like, we expect it to stay that way. So when the laptop screen starts changing on its own, this can be extremely frustrating.
If your Dell laptop screen brightness keeps changing/auto-adjusting, turn off power-saving mode. The laptop may be continually trying to go into power-saving mode, conserving energy by automatically adjusting the screen brightness.
The following steps will walk you through disabling the power-saving setting that is interfering with the screen brightness.
Step 1: Go to ‘Graphic Properties’.
Step 2: Select ‘Advanced Mode’.
Step 3: Select ‘OK’.
Step 4: Click on ‘Power’.
Step 5: Click on the ‘Power Source’ drop down and select ‘On Battery’.
Step 6: Select ‘Disable Power Saving Technology’.
Step 7: Click on ‘OK’.
It’s also a good idea to make sure the issue is not coming from the laptop battery. If the battery is too low or is not holding a charge, the screen will adjust on its own trying to conserve power.
Dell Laptop Screen Brightness Locked
There are times when we need to be able to increase or decrease the screen brightness. What does it mean when the screen brightness is locked?
If your Dell laptop screen brightness is locked, disable the automatic screen brightness setting within Windows. Go to your laptop’s ‘Settings’ > select ‘Display’ > disable ‘Adjust My Screen Brightness Automatically’.
If your laptop does not have the feature “Adjust my screen brightness automatically’ or adjusting this feature did not resolve the issue, you can force the brightness bar to appear by doing the following.
Step 1: The laptop first needs to be powered off.
Step 2: When turning the power back on, immediately start tapping the F2 key.
Step 3: Continue tapping the key until the brightness bar appears on the screen. This usually takes about 10 seconds.
Step 4: Once the bar appears, adjust the brightness level accordingly.
Dell Laptop Screen Lights Up But No Picture
Worse than a dim screen is one that has no picture. This makes it impossible to use the laptop. If this is happening to you, continue reading to find out what you can do about it.
If your Dell laptop screen lights up but there is no picture, connect the laptop to an external monitor via an HDMI cable to determine if the issue is a blown LED backlight or if there is a blown fuse on the motherboard.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on March 23, 2022.
Oftentimes a dirty battery and battery cables can interfere with the performance of our laptops. We don’t often think of our laptops as having battery cables, but they get used and abused like the battery itself.
Dell Laptop Screen Not Bright Enough
Your laptop screen should match the brightness of our environment, not cause you eye strain from trying to see a dark screen. Adjusting the brightness on your laptop is easier than you think.
If your Dell laptop screen is not bright enough, use the Fn key and up arrow to increase the brightness. If the issue continues, you may need to replace the LCD Inverter. Low voltage to the LCD Inverter will produce a screen that is too dark, even at full brightness.
You can also open the Windows system tray and select ‘Adjust Screen brightness’ to increase the screen’s brightness.
Dell Laptop Screen Keeps Dimming
The laptop will dim on its own if there is a defective sensor or if the settings within the laptop are competing with the settings of an app or other program we are using.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on March 23, 2022.
If your Dell laptop screen keeps dimming, turn off the Adaptive Brightness setting, update the graphics drivers, run the Windows 10 Power troubleshooter, make sure the laptop is getting a steady supply of power.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on March 23, 2022.