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xanderfrangos/twinkle-tray

8,509JavaScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A Windows system tray app that adds brightness sliders for external monitors, filling the gap Windows leaves by only controlling laptop screen brightness natively. Supports multiple monitors, schedules, keyboard shortcuts, and DDC/CI.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((twinkle-tray))
    Features
      Per-monitor sliders
      Normalize brightness
      Auto scheduling
      Keyboard shortcuts
    Protocol
      DDC/CI control
      Contrast adjust
    Installation
      Microsoft Store
      winget install
      Chocolatey
    Audience
      Multi-monitor users
      Windows power users
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Adjust brightness of one or multiple external monitors from a system tray panel without touching the monitor's physical buttons.

USE CASE 2

Set keyboard shortcuts to raise or lower monitor brightness during the workday without opening any window.

USE CASE 3

Automatically dim your external displays at a scheduled time or when the computer has been idle for a set period.

USE CASE 4

Run a command-line brightness change as part of a workflow script or automation.

Tech stack

JavaScriptDDC/CI

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

DDC/CI must be enabled in your monitor's on-screen menu, VGA, DVI, and some docking station connections may not work.

License not specified in the explanation.

In plain English

Twinkle Tray is a Windows application that adds brightness controls for external monitors to your system tray, the small area near the clock at the bottom-right corner of the screen. Windows 10 and 11 can adjust brightness on laptop screens, but they have no built-in way to control the brightness of external displays plugged in via HDMI or DisplayPort. This app fills that gap. Once installed, a small icon appears in the system tray. Clicking it opens a panel where you can slide the brightness up or down for each connected monitor individually. The app visually matches your Windows theme and taskbar style, so it looks at home alongside the rest of the system. If you have multiple monitors, they each get their own slider, and you can also normalize them so they all sit at a consistent level relative to each other. Beyond manual adjustments, the app can automatically change brightness based on the time of day or when the computer has been idle for a while. You can also set keyboard shortcuts to raise or lower brightness without opening the panel. For monitors that support DDC/CI (a standard communication protocol many modern monitors include), the app can also adjust contrast and send other display control commands. Installation is available through the project's website, the Microsoft Store, or several Windows package managers including winget, Chocolatey, and Scoop. After installing and running the app, it starts automatically with Windows. There is also a command-line interface for scripting brightness changes, useful if you want to automate adjustments as part of a workflow. Compatibility depends on the monitor and connection type. Most monitors support DDC/CI but it may be disabled by default in the monitor's own menu settings. VGA, DVI, and some docking station connections may not work. The README includes a troubleshooting page for monitors that are not detected.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I configure Twinkle Tray to automatically reduce all my monitors to 20% brightness at 10pm every night?
Prompt 2
Write a Windows batch script using the Twinkle Tray CLI to set my main monitor to 80% brightness when I start work in the morning.
Prompt 3
How do I enable DDC/CI on my external monitor so Twinkle Tray can detect and control it?
Prompt 4
What keyboard shortcut should I set in Twinkle Tray to increase brightness by 10% with a single key press on Windows?
Prompt 5
How do I normalize the brightness across three different external monitors in Twinkle Tray so they all look the same?
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