Bright enough to beat the sun.
MaxBrightness is a free macOS menu-bar app that unlocks extra brightness on supported XDR MacBook Pros — so sunlight, bright rooms, and glare stop winning.
Free on the Mac App Store · No account · No tracking
Bright ideas for brighter days.
A tiny menu-bar app with one job: getting real, usable brightness out of your Mac when the room won't cooperate.
One-click Sun Mode
Flip on a brighter outdoor preset straight from the menu bar. Your work stays readable in direct sunlight — no fiddling with settings.
Video-player boost
ExperimentalAn experimental full-screen path pushes players like VLC even brighter, so HDR movies and clips don't wash out on a sunny patio.
Native brightness nudge
Keeps macOS brightness pinned to maximum while it's active, so the auto-dimmer stops quietly pulling your screen back down.
Made for XDR Macs
Checks your display's Extended Dynamic Range capability before promising a boost. Honest about what your hardware can actually do.
Built for MacBook Pro with Liquid Retina XDR.
MaxBrightness taps into macOS display capabilities that vary by hardware, macOS version, battery state, and thermal conditions. It shines brightest on XDR MacBook Pros — and it's upfront when your setup can't safely go further.
- MacBook Pro 14" (2021 and newer)
- MacBook Pro 16" (2021 and newer)
- Any Mac with a Liquid Retina XDR display
Questions, answered.
Is it really free?+
Yes — free to download from the Mac App Store, with no account and no tracking. No catch.
Which Macs are supported?+
MaxBrightness is built for MacBook Pro models with a Liquid Retina XDR display (14" and 16", 2021 and newer). It checks your display's capability before promising any boost.
Will this harm my display?+
No. MaxBrightness works within macOS's own display capabilities and eases off based on thermal and battery conditions — it won't push your Mac somewhere it shouldn't go.
Does it help with video?+
Yes. There's an experimental boost for full-screen players like VLC, so HDR content stays vivid even in a bright room.
Do I need to sign up for anything?+
Never. There's no account, no login, and nothing to track. Install it, and it lives quietly in your menu bar.