Whether your Dell monitor screen is very dim or exceptionally bright, it may help you to focus on your work comfortably. You suffer from eye strain when the light is too dim, and your eyesight is adversely affected if the screen is too bright. You should adjust the brightness of your monitor to avoid eye fatigue even during extended working or playing sessions.
If you have a Dell monitor but don’t know how to adjust the brightness on Dell flat screen monitor, you don’t need to worry about it. Here is a definitive guide that walks you through the 6 magical ways that help you to adjust the brightness within seconds without any technical complications.
6 Methods for Brightness Adjustment on a Dell Monitor
Adjusting the brightness is a piece of cake, even for non-techies. The process is simple and quick. All you have to do is just follow these instructions step-by-step to achieve the desired results.
Method # 1: Through Monitor’s Buttons
Most Dell monitors, especially flat-screen models, come equipped with brightness and contrast adjustment buttons that allow you to make quick and easy adjustments.
- Plug in your Dell monitor and switch it on.
- Find the button with a symbol of a half-bright and half-dark sun on the monitor.
- You can access a menu by pressing Brightness and Contrast on the screen.
- Brighten the screen by pressing the plus (+) button.
- To decrease brightness and contrast, press the minus (-) button.

Pro Tip: Whenever you adjust the brightness or contrast on the Dell monitor, you should wait until it has automatically adjusted the brightness, contrast, and colors after booting up Windows entirely.
Method # 2: Manually Tweak the On Screen Display Settings
There is a possibility that the brightness or contrast buttons on the outer bezel of your Dell monitor are not working. Alternatively, a manual adjustment can be made to the on-screen display menu. It is also not a complicated process.
The optimal brightness level that provides you with a comfortable wiring experience is just a matter of seconds away. The moderate brightness makes your Dell flat screen the best display for streaming and gaming as well. For quick and easy brightness adjustment, follow these simple steps sequentially.
- To access the Start menu, click on the Windows icon.
- Select Settings from the menu.
- Click on the System, and then press Display.
- In Display’s dropdown menu, you can see Brightness and Color.
- You can adjust Screen Brightness to suit your preferences by moving the slider to forward or backward directions.

Pro Tip: Different Dell monitors have different buttons for accessing the OSD. More information can be found in the user manual for every model.
Method # 3: Through the Control Center
You can also tweak the brightness of your monitor quickly through windows settings. In Windows 11, there is an exceptional option of Control Center that allows you to adjust the brightness on the Dell display easily.
- In Windows 11, you can access the Control Center by tapping on the bottom right corner of the screen.

2. You can adjust the brightness of the screen by adjusting the slider.
3. To increase brightness, move the slider forward.
4. To decrease the brightness, move the slider backward.
5. Alternatively, you can get direct access to the brightness maintaining slider by pressing the Window Key+A button simultaneously.
Method # 4: Through Windows Settings (in Windows 11)
- Open the Control Center and find the Settings icon at the bottom-right corner.
- Click on the Settings option, and a new window will pop up.
- Click on “Display.”

4. Under Display, you will see the brightness adjustment option.

5. The slider lets you adjust the brightness level.
Pro Tip: The “Improve Battery by Optimizing the Content Shown and Brightness” option can also be disabled since it saves power by automatically adjusting brightness levels.
Method # 5: Through Windows Settings (in Windows 10)
The Windows 10 settings are also very easy to tweak. If you are Windows 10 user, you can adjust your Dell monitor’s brightness level within no time. Just follow these instructions carefully; it will enable you to adjust brightness efficiently.
- In the Windows search bar, simply write Adjust Brightness.
- Select the “Ease of Access the Brightness setting.”

3. As a result, you will see a popup window.
4. Click on Display.
5. Choose Adjust Brightness from various display settings.
6. Adjust your required brightness level by toggling the slider.
Method # 6: Through Keyboard Shortcuts Keys
If you don’t want to go into detailed settings, you can use the keyboard shortcut keys to adjust the brightness level according to your requirement and ease. You need an optimal level according to video editing, designing, or content creation tasks.
These quick short keys help you to adjust brightness in the blink of an eye.
- On a blank space of the window desktop, press the Windows+X button at a time.

2. From the popup menu bar, click on the Mobility Center.
3. Then, change the display brightness by adjusting the slider.

You can press the following keys to adjust the display brightness:
- If you press Fn + the up-arrow key, the brightness will be increased on the integrated display only (not on an external monitor).
- To lower the brightness of the integrated display, press Fn and the down arrow key (not on an external monitor).
Conclusion
Adjusting the brightness is an essential feature that makes viewing more convenient and immersive. It enables you to work or play in prolonged sessions. If the brightness level is so dim that you can barely see, your eye health is severely affected. Whenever the screen is excessively bright, it pinches your eyes and causes headaches and sore eyes.
It’s important to adjust the brightness at a balanced level in order to avoid all these situations. You can select one of the methods mentioned above to adjust the brightness on the Dell flat-screen monitor that suits you best. All you need to do is follow the instructions, and you’ll be done in no time.