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M3 MBA intermittent dimmed display after closing lid then reopening

New MBA, 3 weeks old on latest Sonoma. Suddenly screen dimmed when opening but will then not respond to brightness key, only a restart fixes this so presumably a software issue? Other function keys like sound work ok, just the brightness will not activate. So in summary, MBA is on battery, close the lid then reopen and it stays dim even on power. All settings for dimming etc turned off.

Posted on Dec 22, 2024 12:21 AM

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1 reply

Dec 22, 2024 12:30 AM in response to markb32

"M3 MBA intermittent dimmed display after closing lid then reopening: New MBA, 3 weeks old on latest Sonoma. Suddenly screen dimmed when opening but will then not respond to brightness key, only a restart fixes this so presumably a software issue? Other function keys like sound work ok, just the brightness will not activate. So in summary, MBA is on battery, close the lid then reopen and it stays dim even on power. All settings for dimming etc turned off."

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Troubleshooting a Dimmed Mac Screen:

A. Is "Dim Lock Screen" Enabled?:

  1. Go to: Settings
  2. Tap: Do Not Disturb
  3. Toggle On: Scheduled (if you are not using Scheduled mode already).
  4. Toggle On: Dim Lock Screen


B. Restore form a Backup:

Did you create a backup of your Mac prior to this occurrence? If so, then restore from the backup. If not, then take this as a learning experience, knowing to always backup your Mac, prior making any major changes to your Mac (i.e. upgrading your MacOS).


C. Try Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, login items do not run, and corrupt system files(i.e. caches) are intentionally reset as a way to fix issues

  1. Boot: in to Safe Mode
  2. Log in: as same user
  3. Wait: 30 seconds
  4. Restart; your Mac
  5. Log in: as same user
  6. Open: [the app]
  7. See fi the issue persists.


D. Single-Out this User:

Try a pre Administrator user, seeing if you do not get this occur while in it. If so, then it is an issue with the configuration of the current user. If not, then it is an issue with the entire Mac, in which case you should reinstall the macOS. See below...


E. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple SupportImportant: Be certain to create a backup of your Mac prior to performing the reinstall. That way, you can have something to restore from the Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall. Once reinstalled, try this once more, seeing if you still get this error.

M3 MBA intermittent dimmed display after closing lid then reopening

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