Fix : Screen Dims when Playing Games in Full Screen on Windows 11/10

Are you one of those users who have encountered the screen dimming issue when playing full-screen games on Windows 10? There are several reasons that can cause your screen’s brightness to lower down like default-enabled auto-dimming settings, or power saver settings, or maybe a damaged GPU, or outdated Windows 10 drivers.

We have listed a few solutions below that have helped users to overcome this screen dimming issue while playing games. Before moving ahead with the fixes, look at the following workarounds that have been reported by users to solve their issues.

 

Workarounds

1. Try reverting the Windows Update if this issue happened after a new update.

2. Press Windows, Ctrl, Shift, and B keys together to restart the graphics driver.

3. Check whether disabling and enabling the graphics card in Device Manager helps sort the issue.

4. If you are using a separate monitor, try using another display port or cable.

5. Unplug the charger from the system,  launch the game and plug back your charger to check if it helps.

6. Check if disabling HDR solves the issue.

Fix 1 – Disable Adaptive Brightness

 

If the power saver settings are affecting the screen brightness, then it is advised to disable the adaptive brightness feature using the Control Panel. This feature is available on systems that have an external light sensor.

1. To open Control Panel, type control in the Run dialog (Windows key + R).

 

control run command

 

2. Type Power in the search box at the top and select Power Options in the search result.

 

Control Panel Power Options Min

 



3. Click on Change plan settings.

 

Change Plan Settings Min

4. Then select Change advanced power settings.

 

Change Advanced Power Settings Min

 

5. Search for Enable Adaptive brightness option under Display in the list of Settings.

6. Toggle off the option for both On battery and plugged in to make sure that your PC doesn’t automatically make changes to your monitor’s brightness based on the surroundings.

 

Enable Adaptive Brightness Min

 

Alternative: Disable Power Saving using Intel Graphics Control Panel

 

1. Right-click on desktop and select Intel Graphics Properties to open Intel Graphics Control Panel.

 

Desktop Graphics Settings Min1

 

2. Select Power and for Plugged In option select Maximum Performance in Graphics Power Plans.

 

Set Graphics Power Plan Of Plugged In As High Performance (1) Min

 

3. Move to the On Battery tab and select Maximum Performance.

4. Under Extended Battery Life for Gaming, select Disable.

5. Also, Disable the Display Power Saving Technology.

 

Disable Power Saving Technology Min (1) Min

 

6. Then, apply these changes and check if it has cleared the screen dimming issue.

 

Fix 2 – Rollback/Reinstall Display Driver

Outdated, corrupt, or incompatible graphics drivers may give rise to the screen dimming issue. Users have noticed that rolling back, or updating, or reinstalling the drivers has helped them overcome this issue.

Roll Back the Graphics Driver

1. Open Run (Windows +R). Type devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager.

 

1 Run Devmgmt Msc

 

2. Expand Display Adapters.

3. Right-click on the graphics driver and select Properties.

 

Display Adapter Properties Min

 

4. Move to the Driver tab and click on the Roll Back Driver button and follow the prompts to roll back the driver.

 

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5. Reboot your system and check whether the issue is cleared.

Update the Graphics Driver

Option 1: Manually via the Windows Optional & Driver Updates

1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings window.

2. Select Update & Security.

Settings Update & Security

 

3. On the left, you can see the Windows Update option. Check if there are any driver updates available for your system.

 

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4. Make sure that there is no pending update to install. Check if it resolves the issue at hand.

 

Option 2: Update Driver using Device Manager

1. Open Run and type devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager.

 

1 Run Devmgmt Msc

 

2. Look for Display Adapters and double-click to expand it.

3. Right-click on the display adapter and select Update Driver. Follow the instruction on the screen to complete the update.

 

Update Display Adapter Min1

 

4. In case you are not able to download the relevant drivers, determine the graphics driver installed Nvidia, AMD ATI video card or Intel HD.

5. Go to the manufacturer’s website and search for the updated drivers in the download section.

Intel – Downloads for Graphics Drivers – Drivers & Software – https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/80939/…

Nvidia – http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx

AMD ATI – Download Drivers – AMD Support – http://support.amd.com/en-us/download

6. If you have an OEM update utility, then use it to update the drivers.

7. Once updated, check if the issue is solved.

Reinstall the Graphics Driver

1. First download the latest version of the Graphics driver from the OEM website.

2. In Device Manager,  right-click on the Graphics device and choose Uninstall device.

 

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3. Then, check the box next to Delete the driver software for this device and click on Uninstall.

 

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4. Follow the prompts to complete the uninstallation process. Reboot your system.

5. On rebooting, if the default Graphics driver is installed by Windows, wait for it to complete and check if the issue is resolved.

6. If not, install the latest driver downloaded in Step 1 above and check if the issue resolves when playing full-screen games.

Fix 3 – Disable Windows Game Mode and Game Bar

Users have noticed that if the Windows Game Mode or Game Bar is enabled, the screen goes dim while playing games.

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.

2. Select Gaming settings.

 

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3. Disable Game Bar in the XBox Game Bar tab.

 

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4. Next move to the Game Mode tab and toggle off Game Mode.

 

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5. Check if the screen dimming issue is resolved. If not, go back to Settings and select System.

 

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6. Disable Night Light if it is enabled and check if it resolves the dimming issue.

 

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Fix 4 – Use a Custom Screen Resolution and Refresh Rate

Improper configuration of screen resolution and refresh rate may result in the screen dimming problem. In such cases, users have reported that using a custom screen resolution and refresh rate has helped solve the problem.

1. Right-click on Desktop and select Intel Graphics Properties in the context menu.

 

Desktop Graphics Settings Min1

 

2. Click on Display and select Custom Resolution.

 

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3. Click on Yes if a warning is received. Enter the height/width of the resolution (you can use the values of the default resolution).

4. Type 59Hz in the Refresh Rate field and save your changes.

 

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5. Check if this resolves the screen dimming problem. If not, try using a 60Hz refresh rate and check if it helps.

 

Fix 5 – Disable Dynamic Back Light Control in the BIOS Setting

 

1. Boot your system into the BIOS and in the left pane, expand Video.

2. On the right side, under Dynamic Backlight Control select the option Disabled.

3. Save your changes and reboot your system. Check if the screen dims while playing full-screen games.

 

Disable Dynamic Backlight Control In Bios 1 Min

 



Fix 6 – Edit the Monitor Settings

 

If your monitor settings are not properly configured, the screen may dim while playing games. The settings differ from one monitor to the other and you have to find the equivalent setting in your monitor’s menu for it to work.

Disable Magic Bright in Samsung TV Settings

1. Launch the OSD menu of your monitor and select Picture.

2. Then disable Magic Bright and select Custom brightness level.

 

Disable Magic Bright 1 Min

 

3. Exit the OSD menu and check if it solves the issue.

4. If not,  open the OSD menu and select System.

5. Select Reset All and confirm to reset the monitor. Check if it resolves the dimming issue.

 

Reset All In The Monitor Settings 1 Min

 

Disable Smart Contrast in the Dell Monitor Settings

1. Launch the OSD menu and go to the Picture tab.

2. In Display Settings, toggle off the button next to Dynamic Contrast (or Smart Contrast) and check if the issue is resolved.

3. Else check whether changing the Preset mode of monitor from Gaming to a different one solves the issue.

 

Disable Dynamic Contrast In The Monitor Settings 1 Min

 



Fix 7 – Clean Boot Your PC and Disable/Remove the Problematic Applications

 

There can be some applications on your system that is interfering with the operation of games and in turn causing the screen dimming issue.

Disable/Remove the Problematic Applications

1. Clean boot your system and check if it clears the dimming issue.

2. If the issue is cleared, enable the services/processes/applications one by one (that were disabled during clean boot) till you find the one that caused the problem.

3. Once you find the problematic application/service, disable it in the system’s startup setting or uninstall the application.

Most of the users have reported the applications that caused issues for them:

  • ATK Package (Hcontrol.exe)
  • Igfxpers
  • Tobii Eye-Tracking

 

End Hcontrol Exe In The Task Manager 1 Min

 

Disable the Profiles Feature in the Antivirus Settings

If the above fix did not help, check if the antivirus is creating a problem. The Profiles feature in Bitdefender that tries to manage power options automatically is reported by users to cause the issue. Check your antivirus for a similar feature.

1. Launch Bitdefender and open Settings.

2. Go to the Profiles tab and toggle off the Activate Profiles Automatically option.

3. Apply the changes and check if the dimming issue is solved.

 

Disable Activate Profiles Automatically In The Bitdefender 1 Min

 

Thanks for reading.

We hope this article has been helpful in solving your screen dimming issues while playing full-screen games. Comment and let us know if you face any issues while trying the fixes.