How to Adjust Screen Brightness on Any Device

Adjusting your screen brightness is something you will do often — brighter outdoors so you can see in sunlight, dimmer at night so it does not strain your eyes, and somewhere in the middle most of the time. Every device gives you a quick way to control brightness.

On iPhone: Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhones with Face ID) or swipe up from the bottom (on older iPhones with a Home button) to open Control Center. You will see a brightness slider — a tall bar with a sun icon. Drag it up to increase brightness or down to decrease it. You can also go to Settings then Display and Brightness and adjust the slider there.

On Android: Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings. You will see a brightness slider near the top. Drag it left to dim or right to brighten. Pull down again (or tap the slider) for a larger view. You can also go to Settings then Display then Brightness Level. Most Android phones have an "Adaptive Brightness" toggle that learns your preferred brightness in different lighting conditions.

On Windows: Click the battery icon or the notification area in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar. You will see a brightness slider. Drag it to adjust. You can also go to Settings then System then Display and use the brightness slider. Many laptops also have brightness keys on the keyboard (usually F1/F2 or function keys with sun icons).

On Mac: Use the F1 key (dimmer) and F2 key (brighter) on the keyboard. Or click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and drag the brightness slider. You can also go to System Settings then Displays and adjust brightness there.

Lower brightness saves battery. If you are trying to make your phone or laptop last longer between charges, dimming the screen is one of the most effective things you can do.