How to Brighten a Dim Screen on the Switch 2 in Handheld Mode

Although the Switch OLED has that whole deep black thing going on, the Switch 2 screen is brighter—like 450-nits bright, which is 100 more than its predecessor. But, hey, out of the box, you’d never guess. There’s this default setting that dulls it down. Why? Who knows.

So, the thing is, lots of folks are grumbling about how dim their Switch 2 looks when they’re playing in handheld mode. Seriously, it’s a whole vibe on social media. Luckily, there’s a nifty trick to fix that, but, um, it’s a bit of a trade-off.

Alright, picture this: you’re fiddling with the Switch 2 to make game time more fun on the go. The secret? Just disable that pesky Automatic Brightness. You’ll find it in the System Settings, under Screen Brightness—but only when it’s not docked. With the automatic stuff off, you can toy with the Brightness slider. And BAM—you’re set.

Here’s a cheeky shortcut: hold the Home button for a few seconds in handheld mode, and zap that setting right off.

Now, why is it so annoyingly dim, you ask? Well, automatic brightness is meant to adjust to your surroundings. In the sun? It cranks up. Sitting in your dim living room? It chills. But, the initial setting is kinda weak sauce, leading to all the noise online about the screen. I get it.

Rumor has it, Nintendo might tweak the setting later on. Or maybe they’re playing it safe to save battery life. Handheld gaming brightness can kill your battery faster than you can say “power nap”. The Switch 2 goes from 2 to 6½ hours on a good run. Compare that to the OG’s 4½ to 9 hours. Sacrifice a tad of brightness now, game longer. Makes sense? Well…kind of.

And, oh, here’s a fun bit: you can still use your old Joy-Cons with the Switch 2. A little nostalgia never hurt anyone.