Device Control Settings

Use Device Control Settings to decide how BetterDisplay normally adjusts this display and what its controllers should do when they initialize. The sheet brings together brightness preferences, supported screen-off actions and startup values. These choices control how adjustments work. Use the sliders to change the display's current brightness or volume.

Where to find it: Settings > Displays > [display] > Device Control > Device Control Settings….

The sheet shows only options relevant to the detected display and active controllers. Preferences are saved per display without an Apply step. Availability does not guarantee that every monitor implements a requested hardware operation.

Apple display preferences include native brightness management and a separate generic-display override.

Brightness preferences

Prefer hardware brightness control, on by default, chooses hardware or combined brightness when an appropriate hardware controller is available. Hardware brightness changes the display through its control interface. Software adjustment changes the image. Turning the preference off favors software adjustment and dimming and normally makes combined brightness unavailable. It does not remove every hardware controller or its other functions.

On an HDR display where macOS supplies an SDR peak-brightness control, that path can remain part of combined brightness even with the preference off. This is why changing the preference does not always remove every hardware-related component from the combined control.

Native automatic brightness

Enable native auto brightness management appears for an Apple-capable display and defaults to on. It allows BetterDisplay to offer the display's ambient-light-based automatic-brightness control and manage it when supported features require it. The display must support that native ambient-light feature.

This permission is separate from automatic brightness being on right now. Disabling app management does not itself send an off command to macOS. Use the display toggles for the actual automatic-brightness switch.

Hardware brightness while HDR is active

Allow hardware brightness control in HDR mode appears when hardware brightness is preferred and the display exposes HDR support for its current configuration. It defaults to off, because some external displays do not accept hardware brightness changes in HDR mode. Enable it only for a compatible control path.

Where macOS provides SDR peak-brightness adjustment, this preference lets supported hardware brightness serve combined control instead. The macOS HDR brightness adjustment remains available separately and can affect upscaling headroom. On other supported HDR paths, hardware control can adjust brightness while keeping HDR content unclipped. The preference cannot create a missing capability or override the display's own behavior.

Changing the hardware preference or HDR permission refreshes properties, controller selection, media-key handling and the app menu. The software adjustments and combined-brightness calibration themselves are configured under Image Adjustments.

Automatic screen-off actions

A display with a suitable screen or backlight controller can turn its screen off separately from changing the desktop layout. These options use that controller. They are neither soft disconnection nor a guarantee of full device power-off.

Turn off screen when combined brightness is set to zero defaults to off. It appears only when combined brightness is enabled and active, usable hardware brightness exists, and a supported screen/backlight controller is available. Once enabled, setting combined brightness to zero requests screen off, while a nonzero value requests screen on.

Turn off (non-main) screen on screen saver or lock also defaults to off and needs a screen/backlight controller. It acts on a connected display that is not the main display, keeping the screen used for the lock interface available.

For the lock action, BetterDisplay first checks that the screen is on. After a reported successful off action, it records that state and attempts to turn the screen back on when lock or screen saver ends. Recovery can make repeated on attempts and remains subject to device compatibility. Ordinary brightness support does not prove that a monitor reliably supports screen-off/on commands.

Supported screen-control methods offer separate screen-off options for minimum brightness and screen saver or lock.

With Prefer hardware brightness control enabled, the LG TV exposes the HDR hardware-brightness permission.

Treat an Apple display as generic

Treat as generic third-party (non-Apple) display changes how BetterDisplay classifies the display, allowing generic control options such as DDC to become available. It defaults to off and appears for an Apple-capable or Apple-made display, or while the override is already enabled. Changing it reconfigures the display. It does not change the hardware or establish a working DDC connection.

Disabling the override re-evaluates normal classification. Other controller settings remain separate. This switch is not a reset of all display preferences.

Values on startup

A controller needs initial values to show in its controls. It can trust the app's saved values, write them back to the device, or ask the device for its current values. Control values (managed by the integration controller or other additional controllers) on startup presents those choices when Control Integration is enabled or a non-DDC external controller is present:

• Assume last used or default values are valid, the recommended default. It keeps the app's stored/default control values without reading or writing them at startup through this setting. Those values may differ from a device changed through another remote or application.
• Write last used values to device, which reapplies saved values for supported active controls when the controller initializes. It can change the device's settings. Hold ⇧ Shift during app startup to enter Safe Mode and prevent this saved-value restoration.
• Read values from device, which initializes supported values from the device instead. This needs a functioning read method. Custom integration controls must have their read action configured. Unsupported or failed reads cannot supply a current value.

The recommended startup option uses saved or default values without sending or reading device values.

When the policy takes effect

Changing this radio choice selects what should happen during initialization. It does not act as an immediate Read or Write button or run a restoration pass on an already initialized controller. Controller setup, reconnection and periodic reads have their own timing, so this preference does not promise unchanged values throughout a session.

Control Integration and supported LG webOS, Philips TV, Yamaha AVR and DisplayLink controllers use this policy. This choice does not apply to every controller shown in the sheet. It can also appear because a native-audio or command-only controller is present. Native audio refreshes current values through macOS, while command-only HDMI-CEC/Tizen controls have no stored absolute volume level to restore through these choices.

Native audio association and mute preferences are described under Volume Control.

DDC has a separate DDC values on startup policy in Advanced DDC Settings. Controller-specific automatic power, input switching, wake and reconnection settings are also independent. Selecting Assume here does not disable those features. The app's general restoration restrictions and Safe Mode can further limit saved-value writes.

Additional information

This section explains which features require Pro and how availability differs between Mac platforms.

Features requiring Pro license

• Dim display brightness on screen saver or lock, configured separately in Image Adjustments and discussed here because it takes priority over screen-off handling.

The preferences in Device Control Settings itself do not require Pro. Individual controllers and advanced brightness features retain their own requirements.

Platform compatibility

All features described on this page are available on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, subject to the detected display and active controllers. Native automatic brightness needs an Apple-capable display with ambient-light support. HDR hardware adjustment and screen-off actions need compatible controls. Their appearance is not proof of reliable hardware behavior. The generic-Apple override retains the older-display warning above.