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 XDR.)
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.
Screen still blinding at the bottom of the slider? Why the minimum is too bright →