Eclipse · Night dimming
Dim your Mac below the minimum.
macOS won't let the brightness slider drop past a fixed floor — and in a dark room, even the lowest setting can feel harsh. LUMEL's Eclipse mode dims your Mac below that minimum, and unlike single-purpose dimmers it can also brighten beyond the max. Free to download, no account, no data collected.
Updated June 2026 · Free · Pro unlock $2.99
Why your Mac won't go dark enough
Apple sets a hard minimum on the brightness slider. It's fine in a lit room, but at night — reading in bed, working in a dark cabin, sitting beside someone asleep — that floor is still too bright, and it's a common cause of eye strain and headaches.
It's getting more noticeable, not less: Apple's newest MacBook Pro displays were widely covered for going brighter outdoors and even dimmer in low light — proof that both ends of the range matter. But the slider still stops where macOS decides.
LUMEL Eclipse goes past that floor. It lays a precise dimming layer over your screen — no system tweaks, no private APIs — so you can take brightness as low as you actually need.
How to dim below the minimum
- 1
Download LUMEL free
Get it from the Mac App Store — no account, no sign-up.
- 2
Open it from the menu bar
LUMEL lives in your menu bar. Click the icon to open the slider.
- 3
Switch to Eclipse
Tap Eclipse — the night-dimming direction.
- 4
Drag below the minimum
Pull the slider past the macOS floor until the room feels right. That's it.
Eclipse dimming works on any Mac LUMEL runs on — including MacBook Air.
One app for brighter and darker
Other tools only dim. LUMEL also has Boost mode — push a supported XDR display brighter than macOS allows for sunlight. Night and day, one menu-bar app, one tap.
Questions, answered
Can you really dim a Mac below the minimum brightness?
Yes. macOS stops the brightness slider at a fixed floor, but LUMEL's Eclipse mode draws a precise dimming layer over your display so it can go well below that minimum — without touching any system files or private APIs.
Is dimming below the minimum bad for my eyes or screen?
It's better for your eyes — a dimmer screen in a dark room reduces strain and glare. And it's harmless to the display: Eclipse only darkens what's shown, it never changes the backlight hardware, and the mini-LED/LCD panels it supports don't suffer OLED-style burn-in.
Does it work on a MacBook Air?
Yes — Eclipse dimming works on any Mac LUMEL runs on, including MacBook Air. (The opposite Boost mode needs an XDR/EDR display such as the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro, Pro Display XDR, or Studio Display.)
Is it free?
Yes. Eclipse night-dimming is completely free, with no limits and no expiry. LUMEL is free to download; only full-screen Boost is a one-time $2.99 upgrade.
Can the same app also make my Mac brighter?
Yes, and that's what sets LUMEL apart. Most dimming apps only go darker. LUMEL also has a Boost mode that pushes supported XDR displays brighter than macOS allows — so one app covers both night and day.
Take your screen below the floor.
Free to download. Eclipse dimming is free, forever.