Why Is My Computer Screen Darker Than Usual? [SOLVED]

There are lots of energy-efficient options in Windows 10. But sometimes your screen light gets too low and you can’t see anything. It occurs although the screen brightness is set to 100%. When the users get stuck in this situation, it is normal for them to raise the question- “Why is my computer screen darker than usual?”

Well, this article is here to rescue you. Keep on reading if you have encountered such an issue.

We have shown a VIDEO walk through at the end of the post for easy solution.

‘Why Is My Computer Screen Darker Than Usual?’- Reasons!

This dark screen issue occurs on both laptop and PC. Users reported their laptop screen too dark at full brightness either after updating their system to Windows 10 or just after installing new Windows 10. Sometimes this might happen due to outdated graphics driver or the adaptive brightness is not working.

There are some other methods you can try besides updating your graphics driver. All those solutions are discussed below. Follow them accordingly to get rid of the dark computer screen.

Fixes For Dark Computer Screen

There might be your computer screen is darker than usual or your laptop screen is dark but visible, the solutions are for both. You need to follow them accordingly.

Solution 1: Disable The Adaptive Brightness Feature

Adaptive brightness feature is a very useful option for users as it keeps the brightness of your screen balanced while using your laptop or computer under sunlight or in a dark situation. But, if you face the dark screen issue, it might be that the adaptive brightness feature has failed to work.

You should turn off the adaptive brightness feature on your PC or laptop and check if this solution works for you.

To disable the adaptive brightness feature, do the followings:

Click on the Start icon and type Calibrate display color in the search box.

Find out the Calibrate display color option from the search result and click on it.

Now click on the Next option and it will open the Set basic color settings screen. Click on Next again.

Click Next on the ‘How to adjust gamma’ window.
Now set the color settings as your preference.
Press the Next button to go to the next window.

To adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen, click on the Next button and How to adjust brightness window opens.

Click on the Next button once more.

Set the brightness until you feel comfortable while looking at the screen.

Once you are satisfied, click on the Next option twice and set the contrast of your screen.

Again click on the Next option to open How to adjust the color balance window and press the Next button to proceed.

Another window called Adjust color balance will open that will enable you to adjust primary colors properly. Click on the Next button again.

Finally, click on the Finish option to save the changes and exit.

If you have already tried disabling the adaptive brightness from settings and it didn’t work for you, keep on reading this article for the next solutions.

Solution 2: Reinstall Your Graphics Driver

You need to uninstall your driver first for reinstalling it. The steps discussed below will guide you through the uninstall and reinstall process. Follow these steps carefully:

Press Win + R key and type devmgmt.msc in the search box provided.
Click on OK and the Device Manager window will open.
Now go to the Display driver option and select the name of your display adapter from the drop-down.

Right-click on the name and select the Uninstall option.

Click on the Confirm option to continue with the uninstall process.

After the driver is uninstalled successfully, restart your computer and the default display driver will automatically be installed.

Well, the uninstallation process is completed. Now it is time to update your driver version. The process of updating display driver is discussed below as well. Follow these steps carefully:

Go to the Display adapter option by following the processes stated above.

Now select your display adapter name and right-click on it.
Select the Update driver option.

Finally, click on the Update automatically option and choose OK to proceed.
Your computer will automatically search for available latest update and install it.

After the installation is finished, restart your computer to complete the process successfully.

Reinstalling the display driver might have resolved your issue with the dark screen on your computer.

Solution 3: Change The LCD Inverter

LCD screens use cold cathode fluorescent lamps commonly known as CCFL inverter. This component changes the DC power to AC power for running the LCD and produces the screen backlight. Sometimes your monitor gets dark at full brightness due to low voltage in the CCFL inverter.

If you have such an issue with your monitor backlight, try changing the LCD inverter and check if the problem is resolved.

Solution 4: Change Power Saving Settings

If you notice your laptop screen too dark at full brightness, you should try changing your laptop’s power-saving mode settings. When the laptop runs on battery, the power save mode gets enabled to increase the battery life. Sometimes your laptop stuck in the power saving mode and when you wake up your laptop, it doesn’t return to the full brightness.

In order to change the setting, you should follow the below-provided steps:

Go to the Start icon, type Choose a power plan and click on the search button.

Now find the Change plan settings option and click on it.

Here you will find the Power saving mode option. Uncheck the box to disable power saving mode on your laptop.

You can also follow another process to disable the power saving mode on your laptop.

Go to the Start icon and type Settings followed by pressing an Enter.

Click on the Settings app and go to the System option.

Now select the Battery option from the left panel.
Scroll down and there you will find the battery saver option.
Disable the option ‘Turn battery saver on automatically if my battery falls below’.

This is how you can disable the power saving mode on your laptop easily.

Solution 5: Update BIOS

Dark screen issues on your computer can also occur due to outdated BIOS. You should update the BIOS to check if it really works for you. But you should be careful while updating BIOS as it is very sensitive and a mistake can damage your motherboard permanently.

To check for your BIOS update, follow these steps:

Open Run dialog by pressing the Win + R button on your keyboard.
Type msinfo32 and press the Enter button to launch the system info window.

Here you will find the BIOS information of your BIOS version.

Now find and download the latest BIOS version from the manufacturer’s website and install them.
After the installation completes, restart your computer.

Solution 5: Perform Hard Reset

To perform a hard reset in your laptop, carefully follow the below-provided steps:

Switch off your laptop, unplug all connected components and remove the battery from your laptop.
Now press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds to drain out all charges from the capacitor.
Insert the battery and power adapter only without connecting any peripherals.

Turn on your laptop.
A menu will open on the start screen. Select Start Windows normally option and press the Enter button.
Now reconnect all your peripherals and check for necessary updates for your device drivers.

Following this process should resolve your laptop screen dark issue.

Conclusion

“Why is my computer screen darker than usual?”- It looks like now you know the reasons behind it. All the workable solutions are discussed above. Try them one after one to know which one works for you. If this article is useful for you, let us know by commenting below. Have some confusion regarding the computer screen dark? Feel free to ask here.