[GH-ISSUE #941] Allow zero brightness on iMacs #578

New issue

Closed

opened 2026-05-05 06:17:04 -06:00 by gitea-mirror · 4 comments

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 06:17:04 -06:00

Owner

Originally created by @montanaflynn on GitHub (Feb 11, 2022).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl/issues/941

Before opening the issue, have you...?

Searched for existing issues
Looked through the wiki
Updated MonitorControl to the latest version (if applicable)

Describe the bug

I enabled the option but cannot turn my iMac screen to zero brightness, assuming that to mean black screen like on a macbook pro. I would really love this option for when I'm trying to watch a movie on an external monitor or TV.

Steps to reproduce

Install MonitorControl
Enable "Allow zero brightness...." option
Use keyboard or menubar to bring brightness all the way down
Still see the monitor, just very dim.

Expected behavior

The screen to go completely black like a macbook when fully dimmed.

Anything else?

No response

Environment Information (please complete the following information)

- macOS version: 12.2
- Mac model: m1 iMac
- MonitorControl version: 4.0.2
- Monitor(s): iMac
- Apple Silicon/M1 (yes or no): yes

Originally created by @montanaflynn on GitHub (Feb 11, 2022). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl/issues/941 ### Before opening the issue, have you...? - [X] Searched for existing issues - [X] Looked through [the wiki](https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl/wiki) - [X] Updated MonitorControl to the latest version (if applicable) ### Describe the bug I enabled the option but cannot turn my iMac screen to zero brightness, assuming that to mean black screen like on a macbook pro. I would really love this option for when I'm trying to watch a movie on an external monitor or TV. ![Uploading Screen Shot 2022-02-11 at 7.51.01 PM.png…]() ### Steps to reproduce 1. Install MonitorControl 2. Enable "Allow zero brightness...." option 3. Use keyboard or menubar to bring brightness all the way down 4. Still see the monitor, just very dim. ### Expected behavior The screen to go completely black like a macbook when fully dimmed. ### Anything else? _No response_ ### Environment Information (please complete the following information) ```markdown - macOS version: 12.2 - Mac model: m1 iMac - MonitorControl version: 4.0.2 - Monitor(s): iMac - Apple Silicon/M1 (yes or no): yes ```

gitea-mirror

2026-05-05 06:17:04 -06:00

closed this issue
added the
Status: Abandoned

enhancement
labels

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 06:17:11 -06:00

Author

Owner

@waydabber commented on GitHub (Feb 11, 2022):

Hi, the "Allow zero brightness..." option is for software (and combined software+ddc) controlled displays only. The M1 iMac's display does not use software control but uses Apple's protocol. Apparently unlike on MacBooks, zero brightness on the M1 iMac does not mean display off.

@waydabber commented on GitHub (Feb 11, 2022): Hi, the "Allow zero brightness..." option is for software (and combined software+ddc) controlled displays only. The M1 iMac's display does not use software control but uses Apple's protocol. Apparently unlike on MacBooks, zero brightness on the M1 iMac does not mean display off.

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 06:17:13 -06:00

Author

Owner

@montanaflynn commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2022):

@waydabber that's disappointing, was the main selling point for me. Maybe that should be clarified, my interpretation was the "software" was MonitorControl, and that's what allowed Zero brightness to work on iMac, etc.....

@montanaflynn commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2022): @waydabber that's disappointing, was the main selling point for me. Maybe that should be clarified, my interpretation was the "software" was MonitorControl, and that's what allowed Zero brightness to work on iMac, etc.....

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 06:17:15 -06:00

Author

Owner

@waydabber commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2022):

Well, I wasn't aware of the fact that M1 iMacs don't allow zero brightness levels. I had an Intel iMac before but honestly I don't really remember how did they behave in this regard. We can augment the dimming to further decrease the brightness for sure. I'll flag this one as an enhancement or add a flag to force-enable combined brightness for displays that use Apple's API to control brightness.

@waydabber commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2022): Well, I wasn't aware of the fact that M1 iMacs don't allow zero brightness levels. I had an Intel iMac before but honestly I don't really remember how did they behave in this regard. We can augment the dimming to further decrease the brightness for sure. I'll flag this one as an enhancement or add a flag to force-enable combined brightness for displays that use Apple's API to control brightness.

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 06:17:16 -06:00

Author

Owner

@stale[bot] commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2023):

Hey there, it looks like there has been no activity on this issue recently. Has the issue been fixed, or does it still require attention? This issue may be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

@stale[bot] commented on GitHub (Feb 12, 2023): Hey there, it looks like there has been no activity on this issue recently. Has the issue been fixed, or does it still require attention? This issue may be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.