Make Incremental Brightness & Volume Adjustments in Mac OS and OS X
Do you remember how you could make small and precise 1/4 incremental changes to brightness and audio volume in Mac OS X Snow Leopard by holding down the Option key? Many thought this feature disappeared with OS X Lion, but it turns out you can still make those incremental adjustments in both OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, and een Mac OS Sierra though the keyboard shortcuts to do so have been changed ever so slightly.
How to Make Incremental Precise Brightness & Volume Adjustments on Mac
The new keyboard modifier for precise adjustments of audio level and brightness level is the following:
- Incremental Brightness Adjustments: Option+Shift and F1 or F2
- Incremental Volume Adjustments: Option+Shift and F10 or F11
You’ll notice with Option+Shift held down the brightness and volume indicators now have four levels per segment, allowing for precise adjustments of either setting.
There may be some minor variation on which Function keys to use per Mac keyboard, you are looking for the F keys that control brightness and sound volume though obviously.
These are both fairly old tricks but since the shortcuts changed with the newest versions of Mac OS X they are worth mentioning again considering their prior popularity. Thanks for the tips Eduardo!
While hey yes I understood it is an old trick, but the real question is how do we enable this full-time that is what is necessary I don’t want to have to hold down function keys etc., thank you for your time
Or I guess I should say , make it the default setting, that would be a gem if there was a solution that didn’t require a lot of hoop jumping
It works!
FULL Keyboard – on iMac and Mountain Lion –
F14 and F15 control Brightness.
The modifier (alt/option+shift) works as advertised!
Same tips work on Mountain Lion 10.8
-Sound
-Brightness
-Keyboard Light
I just posted this on your Facebook page but I guess it makes more sense to post here:
If you’re on a Macbook you can also do Option+Shift+F5 and Option+Shift+F6 to do incremental keyboard illumination adjustments.
Enjoy :-)
While playing with this tip I noticed when pressing option+command+arrow key to the right it progresses the song five seconds forward. When pressing the left arrow key it takes the audio five seconds backwards on my BT keyboard.
Hey look, two days after this was posted … it shows up on OSX Hints with no credit given back to here.
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20120609005721705
You’ll begin to notice a pattern that OSX Daily publishes something awesome and then a few days or weeks later other lane sites will republish it without credit. I see it all the time!
Works in 10.6.8 with wired aluminium keyboard, although also have to use fn key, due to way my KB prefs are configured.
Works, is their something similar for iOS?
Yeah, the shortcuts were removed in 10.7 but restored in 10.7.4. The modifier keys didn’t change: they were always option and shift.
This is probably one of the most useful mac tips i have ever seen!! I had absolutely no idea that incremental changes like this were even possible! Thank you immensely for such an amazing tip!
Doesn’t work on my Late 2011 MBP. Is this 10.7.4 only? I haven’t updated yet pending driver updates.
This is the tip of the year for me!!
I think 10.7.4 is required. Works on my MBA and MBP!
This working from a long time,
but Apple was removed in Fisrt Lion Build,
I didn’t know it come back, thanks :)
Thanks for this. Like all “old” tips, they’re only old once you know them, and I didn’t as I’m fairly new to OSX.
This site is one of the best discoveries I made after getting my MacBook Air 2011
Doesn’t work for me on my MacBook Pro (intl english): instead, it opens the sound preferences! (I’ve tried both with and without the “use all F1… keys as standard function keys” settings).
It should open the sound preferences if you don’t use the shift key
I didn’t use the shift keys, but as noted above: it works like described when I *do* use the shift keys. It seems hard to predict what the shift key exactly does…
Thanks a lot, it works on my MacBook Pro Late 2011…
Also works for keyboard backlight brightness.
I got it working on my BT keyboard by using Option+Shift+Volume Up/Down buttons.
I got it working on my BT keyboard by using Option+Shift+Volume Up/Down buttons. Option+Shift+F14/15 for the brightness control.
Me too. Without shift it opens the sound pref panel…
you do need 10.7.4. if it’s not working for you, make sure you’re fully updated :)
Hey guys tanks for the tip!!!
Working here with a Genius Keyboard!!! Running OS X Lion
Thanks
*2011
Thanks :) working on a 2010 MBP
Fantastic!
Awesome, thanks for this!
Working for me on a 2011 air
Hmm, I’m using a full osx keyboard (the big white one), but option+shift+volume/brightness buttons aren’t doing it.
My macbook pro (2011) that I upgraded to Lion isn’t doing it either.
Try using the built-in keys? It’s working here on a MacBook Air and Pro.
Oh hallelujah this is such a small tip but I used to use it all the time with my giganto speakers. Thanks a million!