Dealing with clumsy monitor buttons can be a mind-numbing experience. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t do what they should, and suddenly changing the brightness means pressing the same tiny button five times and hoping for the best.

When I replaced my old Samsung monitor with a new one, I didn’t feel like learning another menu or digging through the manual just to find a basic setting. I knew I could figure it out, eventually. I just didn’t feel like comparing the manual to the buttons when I knew there was a better way to handle it.

That better way was Power Display, one of those PowerToys tools Microsoft should have shipped with Windows. It gave me access to the controls for both my Zenbook and external monitor from inside Windows, and I only had to use one small fly-out and a shortcut I would actually remember. Things got even better when I found profiles and other goodies that made me regret underestimating the feature in the first place.

Changing brightness used to be way too much work

I only have to reach for my keyboard to make the changes I need

I had a Samsung monitor that lasted about 15 years, and its buttons were not always easy to use. It had the gift for frustrating me, since the buttons didn’t always do what I wanted them to. Then I replaced it with a KTC 27DQ750, and since I haven’t taken the time to explore where the settings are, even making the smallest adjustment meant getting up, walking around my desk, and pressing the button I thought would do the job. It’s something I would need therapy for.

Power Display ended that for me by giving me the control I wanted. I added a shortcut I know I’ll remember, Alt + L, to access my screen’s settings instantly. The fly-out opens over whatever I’m working on, so I can move the sliders and get back to work. What’s even better is that both screens show up in it. My Zenbook’s built-in panel gets brightness and a rotation dropdown.

The KTC gets brightness and contrast. Each display only shows what it actually reports back, so the fly-out is different for each one. And my KTC’s buttons work fine. If yours has one that sticks, or a menu that never lands where you meant it to, Power Display is a utility you should use.

Power Display Profiles made adjusting both screens easier

My Day Brightness and Night Screen profiles make the changes I need with one click

I created Day Brightness and Night Screen profiles so it would be easier to switch between them. Both control my two displays, which is what made them keepers for me. I can click one to adjust my Zenbook’s brightness, as well as the KTC’s brightness and contrast.

Before, I had to adjust each screen separately, which was frustrating when I was in a hurry. I would get one display looking right, settle for something acceptable on the other, and move on. I also had to remember which settings looked best, but I could barely remember the exact numbers.

Now both screens return to the settings I had already chosen. I don’t have to settle for “good enough” because I ran out of patience halfway through. I click Day Brightness or Night Screen, and everything changes together. Power Display puts the profiles in the same fly-out, so when I press Alt + L, I can change both screens without touching the KTC’s buttons.

Using Light Switch made Power Display even better

Now my Night Screen and Day Brightness profiles match my PC theme

One more Power Display feature I wanted to try was Light Switch. It can apply saved monitor profiles whenever Windows switches between light and dark mode. So it still directly works with the profiles I created in Power Display.

I searched for and turned on Light Switch in PowerToys, then opened the Schedule section. I chose Fixed hours, set dark mode to turn on at 7:00 p.m., and set it to turn off at 9:00 a.m. the next day.

I even tried dragging the pink sections because I thought they might be a hidden way to adjust the hours. They weren’t. The time boxes above are where I had to make the changes.

To make switching themes manually easy, I assigned Alt + Shift + H as the theme toggle shortcut. But you can assign it whatever is easier for you. If it’s already taken by Windows, you’ll see a warning message. I went to the Behavior section and set Night Screen as the dark mode profile and Day Brightness as the light mode profile.

Most days, I don’t open the fly-out or change anything myself, but I can always access it if I need to. With this setup, I don’t have to deal with my monitor’s buttons anymore or remember the path to make the changes I want.

I no longer need to fight with my monitor’s buttons

I started using Power Display to avoid pressing those annoying monitor buttons. At first, I only wanted to change the brightness without getting up. I didn’t even want to walk a step or two. I tried learning Microsoft’s default shortcut, but pressing four buttons at once was just too much for me. It felt like some type of finger Twister. So, I just decided to use Alt + L and be done with it.

Now my profiles are in sync with the Windows theme, which makes them even better. Your experience will be different, depending on the type of monitor you have. In the fly-out, I can also control things such as screen rotation and choose from options like Landscape, Portrait, Landscape (flipped), and Portrait (flipped). If you have a monitor with a button you no longer want to deal with, give Power Display a try. It’s a great place to start getting rid of those annoyances we all deal with from time to time.