How to stop display from dimming everything but the window one is working with??

Richard Matthis 0 Reputation points
2026-09-17T20:44:43.7566667+00:00

Hey!

Running Windows 11 Home on an HP Omnibook 5 laptop. I somehow enabled a setting that dims the screen behind the window (active window) I am working with. How to stop this, UN-able this setting, I cannot find it!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Display and graphics
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  1. Ferdinand Nanalig 32,850 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-17T21:22:06.6266667+00:00

    Hi, let me help you.

    Since you're on an HP Omnibook, this is almost certainly HP Command Center's "Focus Mode".

    Here's how to turn it off: open the Start menu and search for HP Command Center (sometimes shown as "MyHP" or "HP System Event Utility" depending on your model). Open it and look for a toggle called Focus Mode or Focus — it's usually on the main dashboard or under a "System Control"/"Customization" section. Just switch it off, and the dimming should stop immediately; no restart needed.

    If you don't see HP Command Center installed, search Start for "MyHP" instead — some Omnibook units ship with that app name instead, and the setting lives in the same place

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-17T20:44:58.3933333+00:00

    Try these Windows 11 settings first:

    1. Open Start > Settings > System > Display.
    2. Under Brightness, set Change brightness based on content to Off.
      • This setting can dim or brighten the display depending on what is shown on screen.
    3. In the same Display area, if available, turn off Change brightness automatically when lighting changes.
      • This disables automatic brightness changes based on ambient light.
    4. If the device supports presence sensing, open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.
    5. Turn off Automatically dim my screen when I look away.
      • This feature is only available on devices with a presence sensor.

    If the effect is specifically that background or inactive windows stay dim even after Change brightness based on content is set to Off, check the graphics software on the laptop. A Microsoft Q&A resolution for the same symptom points to graphics power-saving features overriding the Windows setting.

    • On Intel graphics, open Intel Graphics Command Center > System > Power and turn off Display Power Saving Technology.
    • On AMD graphics, open AMD Radeon Settings/Adrenalin > Preferences > Power and turn off Vari-Bright or similar power-saving brightness features.

    References:

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