Multi-monitor guide
Control multiple monitors from one Mac menu bar panel.
Dimmerly keeps each display’s brightness, warmth, contrast, presets, and supported hardware controls in one place, so a multi-monitor desk does not require a trip through each monitor’s buttons.
Start with the display controls
- Install Dimmerly from GitHub Releases or with Homebrew.
- Connect your displays and open Dimmerly from the menu bar.
- Use the display rows to adjust brightness, warmth, and contrast independently.
- Expand a row to see extra controls when the display and build support them.
The direct-download build can also provide DDC/CI hardware controls for compatible external monitors. The App Store build provides the sandbox-compatible software controls.
Tune each display for the work in front of you
Use different brightness and warmth values for a built-in display, an external monitor, or a second screen across your desk. Dimmerly applies the setting to the selected display instead of forcing every screen into the same profile.
For compatible external monitors in the direct-download build, DDC/CI can expose hardware brightness and additional controls such as contrast, volume, mute, or input source. When a display does not support hardware control, Dimmerly uses software dimming for that display.
See the external monitor brightness guide for DDC/CI setup and connection troubleshooting.
Save routines with presets and schedules
Presets save a complete display setup, including brightness, warmth, and contrast for each display. Apply them from the menu bar, a widget, Shortcuts, a schedule, or an optional per-preset keyboard shortcut.
Starting with Dimmerly 1.2.0, you can find a saved preset by name in Spotlight. The Open Brightness Preset Shortcuts action opens it in the menu bar panel; use Apply Brightness Preset to apply its saved display settings. Individual menu bar display controls can also be targeted from Shortcuts and Spotlight on macOS 15.4 and later.
If you upgrade to 1.2.0 with existing per-display shortcuts, reselect their displays once in the Shortcuts app.
Schedules can run at a fixed time, sunrise, sunset, or with an offset from sunrise or sunset. You can use your current location for the calculation or enter coordinates manually.
Keep the setup local. Dimmerly stores presets and schedules on your Mac. The app does not sync them between Macs and does not use analytics or tracking.
Know the connection limitations
Multi-monitor control depends on how each display is connected. If the hardware indicator is missing for an external display, common causes include:
- DDC/CI is disabled in the monitor’s on-screen menu.
- A USB-C hub, dock, KVM, HDMI adapter, or DisplayLink adapter is not passing DDC/CI commands.
- The display exposes only some DDC/CI features, such as brightness but not input switching or volume.
- The display connection or mode limits the effect of software gamma dimming.
For the most reliable hardware control, try connecting the monitor directly to the Mac over USB-C or DisplayPort. Dimmerly can still provide software controls when the hardware path is unavailable.
Build a display setup that stays out of the way
Install Dimmerly once, configure a preset for focused work and another for evening use, then let the menu bar, widgets, or schedules handle the routine. Your display controls stay close without replacing the monitor’s own settings.