Control the Brightness and Sound of an External Monitor on Mac with Monitor Control

If you regularly use one or more external monitors with your Mac, you've surely noticed that it's not possible to adjust the brightness and sound of these monitors directly from the computer or keyboard. Fortunately, MonitorControl comes to the rescue. This free tool for Mac allows you to control these settings as if it were an Apple native screen, using Apple keyboard keys or custom shortcuts. It even displays the native macOS OSDs, offering a smooth and integrated user experience.

Key Features of MonitorControl

1. Versatile Screen Control: Adjust the brightness, volume, and contrast of your screen easily.
2. Wide Compatibility: Supports multiple protocols for adjusting brightness, including DDC for external screens, and Apple's native protocols for integrated and Apple screens.
3. Brightness Synchronization: Synchronize brightness between integrated and external screens, replicating changes induced by the ambient light sensor and the Touch Bar on a non-Apple external screen.
4. Customization: Offers dozens of customization options to adapt the application to your hardware and needs.

Installation and Usage

1. Download the application from GitHub by clicking here.
2. Copy the MonitorControl file from the .DMG disk image to your Applications folder.
3. Open the MonitorControl application file.
4. Add the application to Accessibility under System Preferences → Privacy and Security → Privacy if necessary.
5. Use your keyboard or the sliders in the application menu to control your monitors.
6. Open Preferences... for more customization options.
7. Configure custom keyboard shortcuts in the preferences.

Compatibility

MonitorControl is compatible with macOS from Sierra 10.12, with full functionality available from macOS 11 Big Sur or later versions.

Screen Support

MonitorControl supports most modern LCD screens via protocols such as DDC/CI via USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, or VGA. Apple and integrated screens are also supported. However, some screens and connections, like the built-in HDMI ports of 2018 Intel Macs and M1 Macs, may have restrictions.