How to Manually Dim the Xbox One Screen

By default, your Xbox One will automatically dim the screen after a set amount of time. This saves on energy and can help prevent issues like image retention in certain types of TVs. Instead of waiting for the screen to automatically dim, however, there’s a way to manually trigger it at any time.

Follow along in this article to see how it works.

Manually Dimming an Xbox One Screen

1. To manually dim your Xbox One screen, grab your controller and hold down the Xbox button until you see the power screen. This is normally where you can choose to power off your controller or the Xbox One console itself.
2. Instead of choosing one of those options, however, instead press the X button on your controller. This will instantly put the Xbox One into idle mode and dim the screen.

While your screen is dimmed, new notifications will appear in large text on the right side of the screen. This allows you to easily keep track of your Xbox downloads, messages, invites, and other events from across the room.

Unlike normal notifications, the Xbox One will keep all of your notifications active while in idle mode so that you don’t miss anything important while you’re away from the screen. You can cycle through your notifications by using the left and right bumpers on your controller and use the Y button to launch them.

Change Xbox One Automatic Screen Dimming Time

If you prefer to let your Xbox One dim the screen automatically after a certain period of inactivity, you can change that option in Settings.

1. Just head to Settings > Preferences > Idle Options.
2. Here, you can change the amount of time before the Xbox One will dim the screen, with options of 2, 10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes.

You can also use the option on the left to disable the aforementioned idle notifications if you prefer a more private experience.

Dimming the Xbox One Screen

It’s generally best to power off your devices when you know you won’t be using them soon, but this option to manually trigger the Xbox One’s idle screen dimming is handy for times when you need to quickly step away but don’t want to wait on a complete power cycle.