Increase desktop brightness on an XDR or HDR display

Use brightness upscaling to make ordinary desktop content brighter than the display's usual SDR range. Choose a method supported by your display and Mac, then adjust brightness using BetterDisplay's slider or configured keyboard keys.

Before you begin

You need an Apple XDR display or an external HDR-capable display operating in HDR mode. An ordinary SDR-only monitor cannot acquire HDR brightness headroom from this feature. The available extra brightness depends on the panel, active preset, image content and current conditions. The slider percentage is not a measured luminance.

Brightness upscaling is off by default. For external displays, first enable Enable HDR Mode in the App Menu or HDR in macOS display settings. To use brightness keys, configure them in BetterDisplay and complete the permission setup offered under Settings > Keyboard. This is especially important for direct built-in XDR control because macOS's usual brightness controls use a different scale.

Higher panel output uses more power and may add heat. Sustained full-screen brightness can be lower than a display's small-highlight peak. Use the lowest brightness that meets your needs.

Choose the upscaling method

The direct built-in method does not apply to external Pro Display XDR or Studio Display XDR. Those displays use an eligible software path instead. A standard Studio Display without XDR is a different device and does not become XDR-capable through the app.

Enable software upscaling

1. Open Settings > Displays > [HDR/XDR display] > Image Adjustments and keep Enable software-based video adjustments on.
2. On Apple silicon, start with Enable color table control on when supported. On Intel, turn it off to use the compositor/Metal fallback. Enable Use Metal for image adjustments when that option is needed for other effects.
3. In App Menu > [display], open more options and turn Brightness Upscaling on. The equivalent per-display Settings switch is Enable software HDR/XDR brightness upscaling (if available).
4. Raise brightness with the slider. When working hardware brightness is available, Combined brightness can combine its normal range with software dimming and upscaling. Otherwise use the software brightness slider, including the one under Image Adjustments when a hardware slider takes precedence.
5. Stop at a comfortable level and compare ordinary desktop content. Turn Brightness Upscaling off to leave the software upscaling mode.

Brightness Upscaling is active for Studio Display XDR. Its combined brightness slider uses the software upscaling range.

Brightness Upscaling (Direct) is available for the compatible built-in display. Direct mode is inactive in this view.

Software upscaling extends the combined brightness slider above 100%. This Studio Display XDR configuration is at 125%.

HDR mode and brightness upscaling are active for this external HDR display.

Use direct upscaling on a compatible built-in XDR display

1. Open Settings > Displays > [built-in display] > Device Control.
2. Under Apple brightness settings, enable Allow direct control and XDR upscaling when offered. The feature is marked experimental. Confirm that BetterDisplay handles your brightness keys.
3. Turn software Brightness Upscaling off first if it is active. Then enable Brightness Upscaling (Direct) in the built-in display's App Menu.
4. Adjust the app's brightness slider or configured keys. Use Additional Apple Brightness Settings… to review the direct range in nits if you need to limit it.

You can also select Direct XDR Upscaling under Apple Display Preset when offered. Direct control turns automatic brightness off and saves the previous preset, brightness and auto-brightness state for restoration when it exits.

Direct control requires native Apple brightness, supported XDR presets and an HDR peak above the SDR peak. The option appears only when the display supports it. Direct control avoids the color-table adjustment that clips HDR. The panel can still limit brightness because of power use or temperature.

To leave direct mode, turn Brightness Upscaling (Direct) off. Disable Allow direct control and XDR upscaling if you also want to remove its availability. See Device Control for its range and compatibility details.

The compatible built-in display allows direct control. The experimental option includes its keyboard compatibility guidance.

The current direct brightness sheet shows the default range of 0–1600 nits and Force EDR mode off. These values were left unchanged.

Check the result and preserve HDR content

Ordinary SDR desktop content should become brighter when upscaling is active. Software scales can extend above 100%. A direct or native scale may show its expanded hardware range as 0–100%. The percentage alone does not identify the method or physical brightness.

For accurate HDR viewing on a color-table path, avoid active software upscaling/dimming and other color adjustments. Set software-only brightness to Neutral 100%, or use the combined slider's Min HW to Max HW hardware-only region. Keep unrelated image adjustments neutral as well.

The software-only color-table path marks 100% as Neutral while brightness upscaling remains active.

The Metal path does not use the same color-table clipping mechanism, but can still produce overbright HDR on some configurations. Compare actual HDR content on the panel rather than assuming that desktop brightness calibration verifies HDR tone mapping.

Calibrate software upscaling if needed

1. With HDR/XDR active and software upscaling enabled, open Settings > Displays > [display] > Image Adjustments > Calibrate Upscaling….
2. For an Apple preset-capable XDR display, prefer Set Default - Auto Calibrate so the range follows the available headroom.
3. For manual calibration, raise the slider until the near-white face is barely visible. If it disappears even at the lowest level, correct the display's hardware contrast/gamma first as the sheet instructs.
4. Choose Save Calibration to keep the limit, or Discard Calibration to leave it unsaved.

Calibration temporarily neutralizes software adjustments and disables Night Shift/True Tone. When you close calibration, the app restores those effects and other image adjustments. Software or combined brightness returns to neutral, even if you choose Discard Calibration. Set your preferred brightness again afterward.

The calibration sheet shows the test face and available actions. This screenshot does not establish panel clipping or measured brightness.

Inspect the actual panel: screenshot pixels cannot establish white clipping or measure nits. Manual software calibration is separate from setting the direct/native hardware range.

Troubleshooting

If upscaling is unavailable, check that the display supports HDR/XDR and is in HDR mode. You also need an active Pro license or app trial. Confirm that brightness upscaling is enabled. On Intel, color-table control must be off for software upscaling. Keep software video adjustments enabled. If the main slider controls only hardware brightness, use the slider under Image Adjustments.

If brightness falls at the top of the scale with a mostly white image, the panel may be limiting sustained output. Reduce the brightness or direct/native maximum. A peak rating does not describe sustained brightness across the whole screen.

Software XDR upscaling interacts with automatic brightness and changing EDR headroom. If frequent ambient-light changes cause performance fluctuations, compare the setup with auto brightness off. Continuous software XDR upscaling readiness, under Settings > Displays > Overview > Brightness Upscaling and Dimming Settings…, trades a smoother brightness transition for keeping readiness active. Turning it off can reduce load but make entry into upscaling slower. See readiness and system load before changing it.

Undo the setup

Turn off the active software or direct upscaling action, restore any custom range/calibration and auto-brightness settings you changed, and return ordinary image adjustments to neutral. For the older native method, return to the normal Apple preset and turn off automatic native activation. Restore the external display's HDR mode separately if you changed it for this tutorial.

Related pages

• Image Adjustments and calibration
• Brightness Upscaling and Dimming Settings
• Clipped HDR highlights FAQ
• Device Control

Additional information

This section explains feature access and platform requirements for this tutorial.

Features requiring Pro license

Software HDR/XDR upscaling and calibration, direct built-in XDR control and the legacy native XDR method require Pro. Shared readiness and intermediate neutral-step options also require Pro.

Platform compatibility

Color-table software upscaling requires Apple silicon. The Metal fallback is available on Apple silicon and Intel with suitable HDR/XDR hardware, with performance depending on the GPU. Direct built-in XDR control requires the capabilities described above and does not support external XDR displays. Legacy native XDR preset upscaling requires supported built-in hardware and older macOS. It is unavailable from macOS 26.3. Third-party displays must be in HDR mode.