Twinkle Tray
Free brightness sliders for external monitors on Windows
What is Twinkle Tray?
Twinkle Tray is a free Windows app that adds brightness sliders for every compatible monitor to the system tray, a control Windows lacks for external displays. It talks to monitors over DDC/CI and WMI, can change brightness by time of day or when the PC is idle, and can even out backlight levels between different monitors. Hotkeys and command-line arguments cover automation, and the code is published on GitHub under the MIT license.
Twinkle Tray is free to use. See every plan
Good for
- Windows desktop users who want to dim external monitors from the taskbar
- Multi-monitor setups whose screens differ in brightness
- People who script brightness changes or bind them to hotkeys
Worth knowing
- Windows 10 and Windows 11 only.
- Monitors must support DDC/CI, which can be switched off by default in a monitor's own menu; VGA and DVI connections may not be compatible.
- USB, Thunderbolt and Surface docks with HDMI or DisplayPort may not work, and the AMD Radeon Control Panel can interfere.
- The README warns that DDC/CI commands such as brightness and power state can make certain monitor models behave poorly.
Key features
- Brightness sliders in the tray
- A system tray icon opens a flyout with a slider for each compatible monitor, similar to the Windows volume flyout. Sliders can move one display or all of them together.
- Time-of-day and idle adjustments
- Brightness can change automatically at set times of day, or when the computer has been idle.
- Backlight normalization
- Levels can be evened out across monitors of different models. Version 1.17.2 added calibration points for a custom brightness curve on each display.
- Hotkeys
- Keyboard shortcuts can be bound to raise or lower the brightness of a specific display or of all displays at once.
- Other DDC/CI controls
- Beyond brightness, the app can control DDC/CI features such as contrast, volume and power state, and the default slider can be swapped for a custom VCP code.
- Command-line arguments
- From version 1.13.0, a running copy accepts commands that list displays, set or offset brightness for one monitor or all, and send a specific VCP code.
Twinkle Tray pricing
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- The site says every option and feature is 100% free. It is offered as an installer from GitHub or through the Microsoft Store, where the US listing shows Free with no in-app purchases.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Twinkle Tray | $0 | All features, from the GitHub installer (which the site recommends), the Microsoft Store or winget. MIT licensed. |
Read from twinkletray.com on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Twinkle Tray before you buy.
Twinkle Tray alternatives
- Twinkle Tray vs f.lux
Free plan · from $24 one-time
- Twinkle Tray vs DisplayFusion
Free plan · from $34 one-time
- Twinkle Tray vs BetterDisplay
Free plan · from $21.99 one-time
Common questions
Is Twinkle Tray free?
Yes. Twinkle Tray is free to use. The site says every option and feature is 100% free. It is offered as an installer from GitHub or through the Microsoft Store, where the US listing shows Free with no in-app purchases.
How much does Twinkle Tray cost?
Twinkle Tray lists one plan. Twinkle Tray: $0. Prices were read from twinkletray.com on Oct 9, 2026.
What platforms does Twinkle Tray work on?
Twinkle Tray is available on Windows.
Does Twinkle Tray have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Twinkle Tray is listed for Windows.
Does Twinkle Tray have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Twinkle Tray is listed for Windows.
Is Twinkle Tray open source?
Yes. Twinkle Tray is open source, according to its own site.
Who makes Twinkle Tray?
Twinkle Tray is made by Xander Frangos.
What are the alternatives to Twinkle Tray?
The closest alternatives to Twinkle Tray in our directory are f.lux, DisplayFusion, MonitorControl and BetterDisplay. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Twinkle Tray.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026.