Can't adjust Apple display brightness connected to 2020 M1 Mac Mini

Question

Can't adjust Apple display brightness connected to 2020 M1 Mac Mini

I recently migrated from a 2018 Mac Mini to a 2020 M1 Mac Mini, both running Ventura 13.7.8. With each I was using the same 27" Apple Cinema display and the same wired Apple keyboard. With the 2018 Mac Mini I was able to change the display brightness either via the keyboard or via the Displays System Settings. However, with the 2020 Mac Mini, there is no response to the keyboard brightness buttons, nor is there any brightness adjustment available in the Displays System Settings. The 2020 M1 Mac Mini recognizes that it is connected to the Cinema Display, and both the display's DisplayPort and USB cables are connected to the system, and yes I have tried restarting my Mac with no change.

Is there a hidden setting that I need to enable, or is the display brightness feature not compatible with the newer Apple Silicon Macs when used with older Apple displays? Thanks.

Mac mini (M1, 2020)

Posted on Dec 29, 2025 5:41 PM

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Answer 1

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Lee Warren 500 Author

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Jan 4, 2026 2:31 PM in response to Lee Warren 500

It seems that there is something peculiar with the combination of macOS Ventura + the 2020 M1 Mac Mini that creates the issue of having no brightness control with the 27" Apple LED Display; I have seen other similar posts reporting the same.

Once I updated from Ventura to Sonoma (v. 14.8.3 was installed being the latest as of this posting), the problem was corrected! The keyboard brightness keys now work as they should, and the brightness slider adjustment returned to the Displays Settings window. This was weird, but at least I have brightness control once again!

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Answer 2

Dec 30, 2025 3:31 PM in response to Old Toad

Old Toad wrote:

Unless you have this switch turned on you'll have to hold down the Fn key while toggling the Brightness F key:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/ff24b5f1-a0b0-4112-9273-23607b229cd7

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/d166d5e7-89e4-4f3f-90ba-a44aeddf57b7

This switch setting has no affect to enable the brightness keys on the Apple keyboard to work with my M1 Mac Mini, although if selected, it will disable other dedicated function keys such as those for the sound level. I have tried a couple of different Apple keyboards with the same result. Again, these same keyboards work as they should to adjust display brightness when used with my Intel-based Macs (2019 Mac Pro, 2018 Mac Mini, etc.)

The issue that I am experiencing is beyond just the keyboard function keys; there is not even a brightness slider showing under the display settings ... it is as-if there is a driver missing for the display as I have only basic setting options showing (resolution, rotation, and color color profile).

With that being said, is there a legacy driver for the original Apple 27" Cinema Display that needs to be manually installed to the macOS when used with an Apple Silicon Mac?

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