What can I try if brightness upscaling stops increasing brightness?

Check which brightness-control method is active. If software upscaling stops changing the image even though the slider still moves above 100%, temporarily disabling color-table control can help isolate a compatibility problem with that method.

If the upscaling option is missing entirely, first check whether the display supports it. Software upscaling requires Pro and a supported HDR/XDR mode or sufficient extended brightness headroom. A Retina display may not support XDR. An app setting cannot add HDR brightness headroom to ordinary SDR hardware.

If upscaling is enabled but the main brightness slider only changes hardware brightness, check Combined brightness under the display’s Device Control settings. Combined control brings supported hardware brightness, software dimming and upscaling into one slider. With it disabled, use the separate software-brightness adjustment under Image Adjustments, where available. Its upscaling headroom depends on the current hardware brightness. The hardware-only slider cannot adjust the software upscaling range.

If the software slider moves but the image does not get brighter, open Settings > Displays > Overview > Software XDR/HDR Upscaling and Dimming and turn off Allow color table control (turn this off for compatibility mode). Retest the same adjustment. BetterDisplay reconfigures its controllers and may use another available method, such as compositor filtering. The alternative method depends on the display and enabled adjustments. Some effects may be unavailable with it.

If this restores upscaling, compare the selected color profile and other apps that alter display colors. Try these comparisons one at a time to identify which setting or app affects the result. See custom-profile compatibility.

For a compatible built-in XDR display, direct upscaling is another available method. It requires Pro and replaces the default macOS brightness-control path.

  1. Open Settings > Displays > [built-in display] > Device Control and enable Allow direct control and XDR upscaling.
  2. If software upscaling is active, turn off ordinary Brightness Upscaling in the display’s app menu.
  3. Activate Brightness Upscaling (Direct) in the app menu.
  4. Configure BetterDisplay to handle the brightness keys so they can adjust the direct brightness range.

Direct upscaling supports compatible built-in XDR displays. It is unavailable on external Studio Display XDR units. See direct brightness settings for its range and options.

If disabling color-table control did not help, restore its original setting. Check the display’s supported controls and active upscaling method. For brief dips during direct XDR upscaling, see the EDR setting instead. The brightness and dimming reference explains the global options.