Lightweight PowerShell + WPF tool to control monitor settings (brightness, contrast, speaker volume) on Windows. Supports external monitors via DDC/CI and internal laptop panels via WMI brightness. Features a visual monitor layout diagram matching Windows Display Settings.
Note: External monitors require DDC/CI enabled in their OSD. Internal (laptop) panels are controlled via Windows WMI and support brightness only (no contrast, volume, or factory reset).
- Auto‑detects connected DDC/CI capable external monitors
- Auto‑detects internal (laptop) displays via WMI brightness
- Visual monitor layout diagram — shows monitors in their real positions (like Windows Display Settings), with click-to-select
- Windows display numbering — monitors are numbered to match the Windows Display Settings (\.\DISPLAY1 = 1, etc.)
- DPI‑aware positioning — uses per-monitor DPI awareness for accurate coordinates on mixed‑DPI setups
- Adjust brightness, contrast, and (if supported) audio speaker volume on external monitors
- Adjust brightness on internal laptop panels
- One‑click factory reset (DDC preset recall, external monitors only)
- Real‑time slider feedback
- Multi‑language UI (auto based on system locale): English, Spanish, French, German, Catalan (falls back to English)
The interface strings are embedded in the script; selection is automatic using the current UI culture two‑letter code. Unsupported languages revert to English. Feel free to submit a PR adding another language block to the $Messages hashtable.
You can simply download the PSMonitorControl.ps1 script and run it, or clone the repository:
Then:
- Select a monitor from the drop‑down or click it in the layout diagram.
- Move sliders to change brightness / contrast / volume (disabled if the monitor does not advertise that control).
- Use the reset button to send a factory recall (careful—this applies on‑monitor defaults).
You can also right‑click the script in Explorer → "Run with PowerShell".
- Windows 10 version 1607+ or Windows 11
- Compatible with both Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7
- .NET Framework (WPF is used for the UI)
- External monitor(s) with DDC/CI enabled in their on‑screen display (OSD)
- Internal (laptop) panels support brightness only via WMI—contrast, volume, and factory reset controls are disabled.
- Some external monitors expose only a subset of VCP (Virtual Control Panel) codes—sliders for unsupported features are disabled.
- Factory reset sends the standard VCP 0x04 "Restore Factory Defaults" (or equivalent). Not all monitors implement it uniformly. Not available for internal panels.
- Volume control only appears if the monitor reports an audio feature (e.g., built‑in speakers / audio passthrough supporting VCP 0x62 / 0x10 variants). If absent, the UI element is disabled.
- Multi‑monitor polling is on demand; there is no hot‑plug event watcher—restart the script after connecting new displays.
- Monitor layout diagram snaps nearly‑centered monitors for a cleaner visual; actual coordinates are unmodified.
The script uses several C# helper classes loaded via Add-Type, each with an independent type guard so the script can be re-run in the same PowerShell session without conflicts:
| Class | Purpose |
|---|---|
MonitorControl |
DDC/CI P/Invoke: EnumDisplayMonitors, GetPhysicalMonitors, VCP read/write via dxva2.dll |
MonitorInfoHelper |
Maps HMONITOR → device name (e.g., \\.\DISPLAY2) via GetMonitorInfo |
DpiAwareBoundsHelper |
Retrieves monitor bounds using per-monitor DPI awareness (SetThreadDpiAwarenessContext) for accurate coordinates on mixed‑DPI setups |
| Symptom | Possible Cause | What To Try |
|---|---|---|
| External monitor missing | DDC/CI disabled | Enable "DDC/CI" or "DDC" in monitor OSD and power‑cycle |
| Laptop panel missing | WMI brightness not supported | Not all laptop panels expose WMI brightness control |
| Sliders disabled | Feature not advertised | Confirm the monitor supports that VCP code (brightness 0x10, contrast 0x12) |
| Contrast/Volume disabled on laptop | Expected behavior | Internal panels only support brightness via WMI |
| Volume slider absent | No audio channel via DDC/CI | Test with manufacturer OSD; feature may not exist |
| Reset button disabled | Internal panel selected | Factory reset is only available for DDC/CI external monitors |
| Reset button does nothing | Vendor ignores factory recall | Not all firmware implements the same behavior |
| Monitor positions wrong in diagram | DPI scaling mismatch | The script uses per-monitor DPI awareness; requires Windows 10 1607+ |
| Text not localized | Locale not included | Add a new language block to $Messages and submit PR |
Additional debugging: Run the script with -Verbose (you can wrap internal logging if you extend the script) or insert temporary Write-Host calls around monitor enumeration.
PRs welcome for:
- Additional languages
- Improved capability detection (e.g., robust querying of supported VCP codes)
- PowerShell 7 cross‑platform refinements (even though DDC/CI here is Windows‑specific via native calls)
- UI enhancements (dark theme, per‑monitor icons, etc.)
Please keep changes focused and include a brief description in the PR.
The script uses P/Invoke to call Windows monitor APIs (dxva2.dll, user32.dll) and WMI queries (root/WMI) for internal panel brightness. No external network calls are made. Review the code before running if desired.
Distributed under the terms in LICENSE.
Does this control HDR settings? No—HDR tone mapping is separate from standard DDC brightness/contrast codes.
Can it dim OLED reliably? Depends on firmware; brightness may map to luminance limiter rather than pixel drive.
Can I control contrast/volume on my laptop screen? No—WMI only exposes brightness. Contrast and volume controls are DDC/CI features for external monitors.
Why do I need English fallback? Only implemented locales are loaded—others default to English.
What do the numbers in the diagram mean? They match the Windows Display Settings numbering (from \\.\DISPLAY1, \\.\DISPLAY2, etc.).
Enjoy controlling your displays! If this helps you, consider starring the repo.