A free utility so simple and useful that you wonder why it’s not included with every Mac

I love using external displays with my Mac.I 32 inch display On a long monitor arm attached to a MacBook Air.But her wife takes a cock and makes it big 40-inch TCL Roku TV As her main Mac mini monitor.

Unless you have broadcast studio level visual demands, these add-on monitors and TVs are great.They provide plenty of screen real estate and are much cheaper than either Apple’s $1,599 Studio Display Also $5,000 Pro Display XDR.

As someone who likes hanging displays extra long ergotron monitor arm, I’ve found many add-on monitors to be reasonably lightweight, so very practical. My 32 inch monitor is 10.65 pounds. Apple’s tiny 27-inch model Studio Display weighs 13.9 pounds. If you want to mount the Pro Display XDR, you’ll need to pay an additional $1,000 Apple tax for the VESA mount adapter.

Also: Tired eyes from too much screen time? Try a monitor upgrade

There is one problem though. You can’t easily adjust the brightness of your display. On my Westinghouse monitor I have to find the buttons on the back of the monitor, press some menu items, then toggle another set of buttons (also on the back of the screen) to adjust the brightness .

On my wife’s Roku TV, I can control the brightness by pressing the menu button on the Roku remote.but it is Can’t control brightness based on inputSo if she wants her Mac mini’s display to dim, she will dim Netflix and HBO Now as well.no one wants to see super dim House of the Dragon.

Introduction MonitorControl Lite

Luckily, there is a free app in the Mac App Store that completely solves this problem.it is called MonitorControl LiteOnce installed, you can see the light too (not much, depending on your preference).

Appears in the menu bar and allows control of all monitors on the system.

Although the app’s name has “Lite” in the title, the program has a relatively robust set of controls and settings.

You can decide how the control is displayed.

You can define keyboard shortcuts.

You can also set options based on individual monitors or screens.

The lighting in your room or office changes throughout the day, so changing the brightness of your screen can help keep your eyes comfortable. Most of us lived with eye strain until he fumbled behind the screen two or three times a day to find buttons or navigate inconvenient menus. The convenience of being able to prioritize eye comfort and actually adjust the screen when needed is really nice.

The point is simple. This app is well worth more than you have to pay to get it. it does the job. Dimming becomes convenient and flexible. This is a perfect example of some small utilities available for Mac that greatly improve the user experience.

Do you have a favorite Mac utility? Let us know in the comments below.

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