How to Adjust MacBook Display Brightness and True Tone

This guide walks you through adjusting your MacBook’s display brightness and True Tone settings. You’ll learn how to change brightness manually or automatically, and how to enable or disable True Tone, which adapts the screen’s colors to ambient lighting. No prior technical knowledge is needed—just your MacBook.

What You’ll Need

• A MacBook (any model with a Retina display, which includes all MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models from 2012 onward).
• macOS Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia (the steps are similar on older versions, but menu names may differ slightly).
• If you want to use automatic brightness, ensure your MacBook’s ambient light sensor is working (it’s built-in, no action needed).

Step-by-Step

Adjusting Brightness Manually

1. Use the keyboard keys: Locate the brightness keys on the top row of your keyboard (they look like a sun with an up or down arrow). Press F1 to decrease brightness and F2 to increase it. On newer MacBooks, you may need to hold the Fn key if the Touch Bar or function keys are set to show system functions.
2. Use the Control Center: Click the Control Center icon (two toggles) in the menu bar (top-right of the screen). In the panel that appears, drag the Display slider left or right. The slider is labeled with a sun icon.
3. Use System Settings: Click the Apple menu () → System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS). Select Displays in the sidebar. Drag the Brightness slider.

Enabling or Disabling True Tone

4. Open Displays settings: Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Displays.
5. Toggle True Tone: In the Displays panel, look for the True Tone checkbox. Click the checkbox to turn it on (checked) or off (unchecked). When enabled, the screen will automatically adjust its color temperature (warmth) based on the ambient light in your room.
6. If you don’t see True Tone: True Tone is only available on MacBook models from 2018 and later (except the MacBook Air 2018, which lacks it). If you don’t see the checkbox, your MacBook does not support True Tone.

Adjusting Brightness Automatically

7. Enable auto-brightness: In the same Displays settings, check the box labeled Automatically adjust brightness. This uses the ambient light sensor to adapt brightness to your environment. If the box is grayed out, you may need to disable True Tone first (they sometimes conflict).
8. Test it: Move to a brighter or darker area and see if the screen adjusts. If not, restart your MacBook and try again.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting the Fn key: On some MacBooks, the function keys (F1, F2) are set to perform system functions (like brightness) only when you hold the Fn key. If pressing F1/F2 doesn’t change brightness, hold Fn and press them again.
• Confusing True Tone with Night Shift: True Tone adjusts colors to match ambient light, while Night Shift shifts colors to warmer tones at night. They are separate settings; you can have one on without the other.
• Expecting True Tone on unsupported models: If your MacBook is older than 2018 (except the MacBook Air 2018), you won’t have True Tone. Don’t search for a setting that doesn’t exist.
• Setting brightness to zero: If you drag brightness all the way down, the screen may go completely black, making it hard to recover. Use the keyboard keys to bring it back up (press F2 repeatedly).
• Not checking the Control Center: Some users try to adjust brightness via the menu bar’s battery icon or the Apple menu, but the slider is only in Control Center or System Settings.

Tips

• Use the Touch Bar: If your MacBook has a Touch Bar, you can add a brightness slider to the Control Strip. Go to System Settings → Control Strip, and drag the brightness icon onto the Touch Bar for quick access.
• Keyboard shortcut: You can also adjust brightness by pressing Option + F1/F2 to open the Displays settings directly.
• Reduce brightness to save battery: Lowering brightness is one of the most effective ways to extend battery life. Set it to around 50% when on battery power.
• True Tone for color accuracy: If you do photo or video editing, you may want to turn off True Tone to see colors more consistently, as True Tone can shift the white point.
• Check for updates: If brightness controls are unresponsive, ensure your macOS is up to date. Go to System Settings → General → Software Update.

Troubleshooting

• Brightness keys not working: If the F1/F2 keys don’t change brightness, go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Display. Ensure the “Increase display brightness� and “Decrease display brightness� shortcuts are enabled. If they are, try resetting the NVRAM (Apple Silicon: shut down, then turn on and hold Power until you see Options; Intel: restart and hold Command+Option+P+R until you hear the chime twice).
• Slider is grayed out: This usually happens when an external display is connected and the built-in display is not selected. In System Settings → Displays, click the display name (e.g., “Built-in Retina Display�) and then adjust brightness.
• Auto-brightness not working: Ensure the ambient light sensor is not blocked (it’s near the camera at the top of the screen). Also, check that you haven’t turned off auto-brightness in System Settings → Displays. If it still doesn’t work, restart your MacBook.
• True Tone option missing: As mentioned, your MacBook may not support it. If you believe it should, check your model in System Settings → General → About. If it’s a 2018 or later MacBook Pro (except the base 13-inch 2018 model, which does have it), it should be there. If not, try resetting the SMC (Apple Silicon: shut down and restart; Intel: shut down, press Shift+Control+Option on the left side for 10 seconds, then turn on).
• Screen appears too yellow or too blue: This is likely True Tone or Night Shift. Turn off True Tone in Displays, and check Night Shift in Displays → Night Shift (or System Settings → Displays → Night Shift) to disable it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn’t my MacBook have True Tone?

True Tone requires specific hardware (an ambient light sensor that measures color, not just brightness). It’s available on MacBook Pro models from 2018 onward and MacBook Air from 2019 onward (except the 2018 MacBook Air). If your model is older, it doesn’t support True Tone.

Can I adjust brightness on an external monitor connected to my MacBook?

Yes, but only if the monitor supports DDC/CI and you have a compatible app (like MonitorControl). The built-in brightness keys won’t control external monitors unless you use such software. Alternatively, use the monitor’s own physical buttons.

Does True Tone affect battery life?

True Tone has a negligible effect on battery life, as it only adjusts the color output, not the backlight intensity. It’s the brightness level that matters most for battery.

What’s the difference between True Tone and Night Shift?

True Tone adjusts the white point to match the ambient light, so colors look natural in any environment. Night Shift shifts the display to warmer colors (more red/yellow) during evening hours to reduce blue light exposure. They can be used together or separately.

Why is my screen flickering when I adjust brightness?

Flickering can be caused by a software glitch or a hardware issue. First, update macOS. If it persists, try resetting NVRAM (Apple Silicon: shut down, then turn on and hold Power until you see Options; Intel: restart and hold Command+Option+P+R). If the issue continues, contact Apple Support.

How do I make the screen brighter than the maximum slider allows?

You can’t exceed the hardware maximum. However, you can increase perceived brightness by turning off True Tone (which may dim the screen slightly) or by disabling auto-brightness. If you’re in direct sunlight, consider using a matte screen protector to reduce glare.

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