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MonitorControl

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MonitorControl is a free, open-source macOS menubar app for adjusting external monitor brightness and volume with native Apple keys and OSD.

ApplicationCategory: Desktop Apps · UtilitiesOpen sourcedata checked Oct 15, 2026
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Overview

Macs control their built-in screens with the keyboard, but external displays often ignore brightness and volume keys and offer no native on-screen feedback. MonitorControl solves this by adding brightness and volume control for external monitors, driven from menubar sliders or the Apple keyboard keys, with the native macOS OSD shown on screen. It uses DDC/CI for hardware backlight, contrast and volume on most modern LCD displays, the native Apple protocol for Apple and built-in screens, and gamma or shade overlays for software dimming on TVs, AirPlay, Sidecar and DisplayLink devices. Multiple displays can be synced with one slider or shortcuts, and custom keyboard shortcuts are supported. The app is free and released under the MIT license. It suits Mac users with external monitors who want consistent control, and is installed from the GitHub releases page or with Homebrew.
  • apple
  • brightness
  • control
  • ddc
  • display
  • external-monitor
  • gamma
  • keyboard
  • m1
  • macos
  • macos-app
  • menubar

Installation

Commands are shown, never run by the marketplace. Check them against the official documentation.

Compatibility

Unknown means no evidence was found — not that the product is incompatible.
PlatformStatusArchitectureEvidenceConfidence
WindowsUnknown———
macOSCompatible—official build in release v4.4.0: MonitorControl.4.4.0.dmg0.60
LinuxUnknown———

Releases

checked Oct 29, 2026
v4.4.0LatestSep 15, 2026Official source ↗

Files in 4.4.0

The marketplace does not host these files: downloads go to the official source. Files have not been scanned by us.
FilePlatformSizeSHA-256Download from the official source
MonitorControl.4.4.0.dmgmacos · dmg19.4 MBe058da598b92…Official source ↗

Release history

Quality profile

algorithm quality-v1.0 · assessed Oct 15, 2026
Quality Score100
Risk Score0
Confidence 1.00
Quality Score and Risk Score are different measures. A high score does not guarantee safety.

Score components

Maintenance · 2020
last activity 1 days ago
Documentation · 1515
README 8456 chars, description present
Ready to use · 1515
install instructions: yes; releases: yes
Metadata · 1010
4/4 of description, homepage, license, topics
Releases · 1010
10 release(s), latest 31 days ago
Category confidence · 1010
classifier confidence 1
Adoption · 1010
34478 stars (log-dampened, 10k = max)
License clarity · 55
SPDX MIT
Community · 55
issues enabled, 1027 forks

License

MIT
Known licensefrom the repository host

This is the catalog policy status, not legal advice.

Sources

github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControlPrimary★ 34,478 starslast activity Oct 14, 2026Primary repository · Confidence 1.00

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README

From MonitorControl/MonitorControl · license MIT · fetched Oct 29, 2026

Download

Go to Releases and download the latest .dmg, or you can install via Homebrew:

brew install --cask monitorcontrol

Major features

  • Control your display's brightness, volume and contrast!
  • Shows native OSD for brightness and volume.
  • Supports multiple protocols to adjust brightness: DDC for external displays (brightness, contrast, volume), native Apple protocol for Apple and built-in displays, Gamma table control for software dimming, shade control for AirPlay, Sidecar and Display Link devices and other virtual screens.
  • Supports smooth brightness transitions.
  • Seamlessly combined hardware and software dimming extends dimming beyond the minimum brightness available on your display.
  • Synchronize brightness from built-in and Apple screens - replicate Ambient light sensor and touch bar induced changes to a non-Apple external display!
  • Sync up all your displays using a single slider or keyboard shortcuts.
  • Allows dimming to full black.
  • Support for custom keyboard shortcuts as well as standard brightness and media keys on Apple keyboards.
  • Dozens of customization options to tweak the inner workings of the app to suit your hardware and needs (don't forget to enable Show advanced settings in app Settings).
  • Simple, unobtrusive UI to blend in to the general aesthetics of macOS.
  • Completely FREE.

For additional features, more advanced brightness control with XDR/HDR brightness upscaling and support for more Mac models and displays, check out BetterDisplay!

Screenshots (Settings)

How to install and use the app

  1. Download the app
  2. Copy the MonitorControl app file from the .dmg file to your Applications folder
  3. Click on the MonitorControl app
  4. Add the app to Accessibility under System Settings » Privacy & Security as prompted (this is required only if you wish to use the native Apple keyboard brightness and media keys - if this is not the case, you can safely skip this step).
  5. Use your keyboard or the sliders in the app menu (a brightness symbol in the macOS menubar as shown on the screenshot above) to control your displays.
  6. Open Settings… for customization options (enable Show advanced settings for even more options).
  7. You can set up custom keyboard shortcuts under the Keyboard in Settings (the app uses Apple media keys by default).
  8. If you have any questions, go to Discussions!

macOS compatibility

MonitorControl versionmacOS version
v4.0.0Catalina 10.15*
v3.1.1Mojave 10.14
v2.1.0Sierra 10.12

* With some limitations - full functionality available on macOS 11 Big Sur or newer.

For macOS 27 Golden Gate compatibility v4.4.0 or newer is required!

Please note that current versions have limited native macOS OSD support on macOS Tahoe - although the Control Center brightness or volume OSD appears, the OSD percentage value will not show or update.

Supported displays

  • Most modern LCD displays from all major manufacturers supported implemented DDC/CI protocol via USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI or VGA to allow for hardware backlight and volume control.
  • Apple displays and built-in displays are supported using native protocols.
  • LCD and LED Televisions usually do not implement DDC, these are supported using software alternatives to dim the image.
  • DisplayLink, Airplay, Sidecar and other virtual screens are supported via shade (overlay) control.

Notable exceptions for hardware control compatibility:

  • DDC control using the built-in HDMI port of the 2018 Intel Mac mini, the built-in HDMI port of all M1 Macs (MacBook Pro 14" and 16", Mac Mini, Mac Studio) and the built-in HDMI port of the entry level M2 Mac mini are not supported. Use USB-C instead or get BetterDisplay for full DDC control over HDMI with these Macs as well for free. Software-only dimming is still available for these connections.
  • Some displays (notably EIZO) use MCCS over USB or an entirely custom protocol for control. These displays are supported with software dimming only.
  • DisplayLink docks and dongles do not allow for DDC control on Macs, only software dimming is available for these connections.

Contributing to the project

  • If you want, you can fork the code, make improvements and submit a pull request to improve the app. Accepting a PR is solely in the hands of the maintainer - before making fundamental changes expecting it to be accepted, please consult the maintainer of the project!

How to build

Required

Build steps

  • Clone the project via this Terminal command:
git clone https://github.com/MonitorControl/MonitorControl.git
  • If you want to clone one of the branches, add --single-branch --branch [branchname] after the clone option.
  • You're all set! Now open the MonitorControl.xcodeproj with Xcode! The dependencies will automatically get downloaded once you open the project. If they don't: File > Packages > Resolve Package Versions

Third party dependencies

Credits

Open the repository ↗