Adjustable Dark Overlay
Black screen overlay with 0-100% brightness control. Go far below your system's minimum brightness for dark rooms and nighttime.
BlackLowBright
Smart screensaver alternative with adjustable darkness
Display a black screen with adjustable brightness while keeping your device awake. A lightweight system tray utility with global hotkeys, idle-based auto-activation, and smooth fade animations for comfortable nighttime use.
v1.0.0What BlackLowBright Does
Global Hotkey Toggle
Press Ctrl+Shift+B to instantly toggle the overlay on or off from any application, no window switching required.
System Tray Control
Lives quietly in your system tray. Enable, disable, activate the overlay, or quit -- all from the tray menu.
Idle Auto-Activation
Automatically activates after 1 to 120 minutes of inactivity. Dismisses smoothly when you return to your computer.
Wakelock & Dismiss Modes
Keeps your device awake while the overlay is active. Dismiss with any input, a specific key, or password protection.
Smart Media Detection
Detects media playback and avoids interrupting your content. Smooth fade in and out animations with configurable duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
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BlackLowBright is a smart screensaver alternative that displays a black screen with adjustable brightness while keeping your device awake. It uses a transparent overlay to dim your screen below the system minimum, and lives in your system tray for quick access.
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BlackLowBright places a semi-transparent dark overlay on top of your screen content. This overlay-based approach lets you achieve brightness levels far below what your OS brightness slider allows, which is ideal for dark rooms or nighttime use.
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Yes. BlackLowBright includes a wakelock feature that prevents your device from going to sleep while the overlay is active. Unlike a traditional screensaver, your computer stays fully operational -- perfect for background downloads, media servers, or long-running tasks.
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BlackLowBright can automatically activate the dark overlay after a configurable period of inactivity, from 1 to 120 minutes. When you return and move the mouse or press a key, the overlay dismisses with a smooth fade animation.
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BlackLowBright offers three dismiss modes: any input (mouse or keyboard), a specific key you configure, or password-protected mode for added security. You can also use the global hotkey (Ctrl+Shift+B) to toggle it off.
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Yes, BlackLowBright is completely free and open source. There are no premium features, subscriptions, or costs.