r/windowsapps • u/EzioAitha • 1d ago

Developer Dimly - I made a tiny Windows utility that dims your monitors when you step away.

Post image

I built Dimly, a lightweight Windows app that automatically dims your monitors after your PC has been idle for a set amount of time, then restores the previous brightness when you return.

It’s designed for people who want to reduce screen brightness while away from their desk without putting their computer to sleep or turning off their displays completely.

Features:

  • Automatically dims your screens after inactivity
  • Restores the previous brightness when you return
  • Supports laptops and multiple-monitor setups
  • Uses hardware brightness control where available
  • Falls back to a software overlay when hardware control isn’t supported
  • No installer or administrator permissions required
  • Single-file executable
  • Open source and MIT licensed

I created it because I wanted a simple, portable utility that worked across different monitor setups without running in the background as a heavy application.

I’m looking for people to try it, especially those using:

  • External monitors connected through docks
  • KVM switches
  • Laptops with external displays
  • Monitors that support DDC/CI

GitHub and download:
Dimly

I’d appreciate feedback about monitor compatibility, brightness control, bugs, and anything that could make the app more useful.

13 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

2

u/sakt1moko 1d ago

Vibecoded?

Looks good mate

2

u/EzioAitha 1d ago

Yes, Thanks for looking into the post. Hope you like the app.

1

u/Useful-Flow-8737 1d ago

is this even a question

2

u/Android-mods 13h ago

I always scan everything with VT and it flagged it with a score of 9/68 and Bitdefender flagged it as well I'm assuming its a false positive but just wanted to ask for clarity

3

u/EzioAitha 13h ago

Yeah. Due to this:

Windows SmartScreen will warn about an unrecognised publisher, because the executable is not code-signed (a certificate costs several hundred pounds a year). Choose More info → Run anyway, or build it yourself from source in one command — see Building.

So if you have any suspicions, you can build and compile it yourself. Follow above link.
Thanks.

2

u/Android-mods 13h ago

Appreciate the reply

1

u/EzioAitha 9h ago

Hi all, I have updated the app to V1.1.

Dimly v1.1

Please grab the latest one. It has an improved dim detection system. Thanks.