Put a brightness slider in your Mac's menu bar

Why it happens

The Display control is set to show only some of the time, or not at all, so the brightness slider can seem to be missing. It's always in Control Center, but adding it to the menu bar saves a click. Always Show keeps it there for good.

How to fix it

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings and click Menu Bar in the sidebar.

2. Under Menu Bar Controls, tick Display.

   Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls›Display

3. Open the pop-up menu next to Display and choose Always Show.

4. Click the Display icon at the top right of your screen and drag the slider to change brightness.

Still not fixed?

1. Rather not add an icon? Click Control Center at the top right of your screen. The Display slider is always there.

2. Brightness keeps changing on its own? Turn off Automatically adjust brightness in Displays settings.

   Displays›Brightness

3. Using a monitor from another maker? Many can't have their brightness set from the Mac, so the slider won't change them. Use the monitor's own buttons instead.

4. Ticked but not showing? On a MacBook with a camera notch, icons that don't fit are hidden. Hold Command and drag icons you don't need off the menu bar.

5. If the built-in screen won't get brighter at all, or flickers, contact Apple Support or a repair shop. A screen that stays dim at full brightness may need a hardware check.