How to change MacBook screen brightness without the keyboard

You can change your MacBook's screen brightness without the keyboard in two built-in places: the Display slider in Control Centre, and the Brightness slider in System Settings, then Displays. Both work with just the trackpad. If you change brightness often, a trackpad edge gesture (Slidr puts it on the left edge) makes it a one-finger slide instead of a trip to the menu bar.

Where are the built-in brightness controls?

Control Centre is the fastest. Click its icon in the menu bar and drag the Display slider. You never touch the keyboard.

System Settings. Apple's brightness guide says to choose Apple menu, then System Settings, click Displays in the sidebar and drag the Brightness slider. Same page: if your Mac has an ambient light sensor you can turn on "Automatically adjust brightness" and let macOS handle it. Apple notes that turning auto-brightness off may affect battery life, so think twice before you switch it off for good.

That's all macOS gives you for the built-in display. Two sliders and an automatic mode.

Why aren't my brightness keys working?

Before working around the keys, check that they aren't just set to a different job. The most common cause is the "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" setting. With it on, the top row sends F1 and F2 rather than changing brightness.

Apple's function keys article covers both fixes. Hold Fn (the Globe key) while pressing a brightness key, or turn the setting off: on macOS Ventura or later it's System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, then Function Keys.

Two shortcuts from Apple's keyboard shortcuts list are worth knowing while you're here:

• Option-Shift-Brightness Up or Down adjusts display brightness in smaller steps.

• Option with either brightness key opens Displays settings.

If the keys still do nothing (a sticky key, liquid damage, a keyboard you're waiting to get repaired), the sliders above are your fallback. Also worth knowing: if the brightness slider is missing for a monitor you've plugged in, that's a different problem. Most third-party monitors don't take brightness commands from macOS at all; the external monitor guide explains why.

When is a trackpad gesture better than a slider?

Sliders are fine for a one-off change. They're awkward when you adjust brightness a lot: moving between a bright office and a dim room, working late, watching something in bed with the MacBook on your lap. Each time, it's menu bar, Control Centre, find the slider, drag.

A trackpad edge is always under your hand. Slidr is a small menu bar app for macOS 12 or later that does exactly this: slide one finger up the left edge of the trackpad to brighten the screen, down to dim it. The right edge does volume the same way. You get an on-screen level overlay and, on a Force Touch trackpad, a light haptic tick per step.

A few details matter for brightness specifically. A fine control toggle in the menu switches to smaller steps, which helps in a dark room. Freeze Cursor keeps the pointer still while you slide, so you don't lose your place. Prefer brightness on the right? Swap Sides flips it.

External monitors work too. With External Monitor Brightness switched on in the Slidr menu, the left edge controls the monitor under your cursor, as long as the monitor supports DDC. It's off by default, so turn it on if you use one.

Will a brightness gesture fire by accident?

That's the fair question with any edge gesture. Slidr reads only one finger at the edge, so two-finger scrolling, Mission Control and other multi-finger gestures carry on as normal. It also ignores the edges while you're typing, ignores a resting palm, and lets you narrow the active edge (Narrow, Standard or Wide). If you want to be strict about it, set a Hold-to-Slide Key so brightness only moves while you hold Shift, Control, Option or Command.

Everything is set from the Slidr icon in the menu bar. The brightness guide has the full setup steps.

What about the keyboard backlight?

Different setting, often confused. The display brightness keys (F1 and F2) change the screen. On recent MacBooks there are no dedicated keys for the keyboard backlight at all, which catches people out. That has its own post: how to control keyboard backlight brightness on a MacBook.

What does it cost to try?

There's a 3-day free trial, no payment or account needed, from the download page. After that it's $4.99 once, and one licence covers up to 3 Macs. If the Control Centre slider already suits you, keep using it. The gesture is for people who reach for brightness several times a day and are tired of aiming at the menu bar.