Which Macs does Sun Screen work on?

The 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, from the 2021 M1 Pro and M1 Max models onwards, using the built in Liquid Retina XDR display, on macOS Tahoe or later. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display opens Sun Screen but has no boost to give, because its screen already reaches 2000 nits on its own.

Sun ScreenFor the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro

Working outside with your Mac?Get up to 2x the brightness.

Q: How much brighter does it go?

Up to sixteen steps past full brightness. macOS normally holds everyday apps at 500 or 600 nits and keeps the rest of the panel for HDR video. Sun Screen opens that headroom for everything on screen, up to around twice the brightness depending on the model.

Q: Does Sun Screen need any permissions?

No. It asks for no permissions, never connects to the internet and never reads your keyboard.

Sun Screen takes the XDR display on your 14 inch or 16 inch MacBook Pro past full brightness, so you can keep working on the balcony, by the window, at the beach or in the park.

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Your screen can go much brighter than macOS lets it.

The Liquid Retina XDR panel in the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro can reach 1000 nits across the whole screen, but macOS holds everyday apps at 500 or 600 and keeps the rest for HDR video. Sun Screen puts that headroom to work for everything on screen, right when you need it.

The Sun Screen menu bar item with its Boost slider on a MacBook Pro

Sixteen steps past full

Turn the brightness all the way up, click the sun in the menu bar and drag the Boost slider. Or press Control Option Command Up Arrow from any app.

Kind to your battery

By default the boost stops on battery below 20% or in Low Power Mode. Choose charger only, or always allow it.

Stays out of the way

Just a small sun in the menu bar, and you can hide that too. The boost steps aside when your Mac sleeps or locks and can come back when you return.

Private by design

No account, no analytics, no tracking. Sun Screen never connects to the internet, asks for no permissions and never reads your keyboard.

What you need

A 14 inch or 16 inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, from the 2021 M1 Pro and M1 Max models onwards, using its built in Liquid Retina XDR display.
macOS Tahoe or later.
The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display (M5 Pro and M5 Max) opens Sun Screen but has no boost to give: macOS already takes that screen to 2000 nits on its own, so Sun Screen simply says so.

Sun Screen does not work on the 13 inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook Neo or iMac, because their screens have no brightness above full to give. It does not work on external displays either, XDR ones included.

How to use it

Open Sun Screen. A short welcome explains it. No permission is requested.
Turn the display brightness all the way up.
Click the sun in the menu bar and drag the Boost slider to the right, up to sixteen steps past full. Boost On starts it at the last level you used.
Or press Control Option Command Up Arrow for a step brighter and Control Option Command Down Arrow for a step back. A panel at the top right shows the level.
Choose End Boost, or turn the brightness down, to go back to normal.

Settings

Open Sun Screen when I log in. Off until you turn it on.
Show Sun Screen in the menu bar. On until you turn it off.
On battery. Stop the boost below 20% or in Low Power Mode (the default), only boost on the charger, or always allow it.
Bring the boost back after sleep, locking the screen or closing the lid.
Shortcuts. Change or turn off the two keyboard shortcuts.

Questions

How much brighter does it go?

Up to sixteen steps past full brightness. Depending on the model that is up to around twice the brightness macOS normally allows, using the headroom the panel keeps for HDR video.

Does the boost use more battery?

Yes. A brighter screen uses more power, so by default Sun Screen stops the boost on battery below 20% or in Low Power Mode. You can change that in its settings.

Why can't I see the boost in a screenshot?

The extra brightness is in the light your display gives off, so screenshots and screen recordings look normal. The slider and the panel show the level.

The boost switched itself off.

Sun Screen steps aside when the screen is no longer at full brightness, for example when automatic brightness or Control Centre turns it down, and when your Mac sleeps or locks. It can bring the boost back when you return.

Does Sun Screen need any permissions?

No. It asks for nothing, never connects to the internet and never reads your keyboard.

How do I remove Sun Screen?

Click the sun in the menu bar and choose Quit Sun Screen, then drag it from Applications to the Bin.