Brightness stuck low after macOS 26.0 update on MacBook Pro M1 PRO.
On my 2021 MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip, the maximum display brightness is noticeably lower after updating to macOS Tahoe. I sincerely hope this isn’t a software limitation Apple is introducing to encourage users to upgrade to the newer MacBook models.
Try clearing the NVRAM using the following command in the Terminal app:
sudo nvram -c
This command will prompt you for your admin password. Nothing will appear on the screen as you type the password, so press the "Return" key to submit the password.
You may see a message about not being able to clear a couple of items such as "Computer Name" which can be normal. As long as the command itself did not fail, then it cleared the NVRAM (aka PRAM). You need to reboot the laptop in order for the system to pull the default values. You will need to reconfigure the default Startup Disk in System Settings to avoid the small delay as the system searches for bootable volumes.
If this still does not help, then try covering the camera area of the screen....it is where the Ambient Light Sensor is located. You will see the screen dim. Adjust the brightness higher while still covering the camera area. This may allow you to restore the screen's brightness to more normal levels.
You can also turn off "Dim display automatically" in the Display System Settings.
Try clearing the NVRAM using the following command in the Terminal app:
sudo nvram -c
This command will prompt you for your admin password. Nothing will appear on the screen as you type the password, so press the "Return" key to submit the password.
You may see a message about not being able to clear a couple of items such as "Computer Name" which can be normal. As long as the command itself did not fail, then it cleared the NVRAM (aka PRAM). You need to reboot the laptop in order for the system to pull the default values. You will need to reconfigure the default Startup Disk in System Settings to avoid the small delay as the system searches for bootable volumes.
If this still does not help, then try covering the camera area of the screen....it is where the Ambient Light Sensor is located. You will see the screen dim. Adjust the brightness higher while still covering the camera area. This may allow you to restore the screen's brightness to more normal levels.
You can also turn off "Dim display automatically" in the Display System Settings.
Reboot your Mac, and if that does not help, then try safe mode, followed by a normal reboot. Safe mode disables 3rd party extensions and performs some system cleanup.
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
There was no change in brightness for me. It even has the same 16 steps between minimum and maximum (though the location of the setting display did change).
Nothing changed on my M1 MBA or M3 iMac. Make sure you're up to date, Tahoe 26.1.
MacBook Pro display brightness low
