Settings & Customization

July 26, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide covers all the options available in Dimly's Settings window (Settings → open from the panel or press Cmd + ,).

General

Enable this to start Dimly automatically every time you log in. Recommended if you rely on hotkeys or scheduled profiles.

When enabled (default), the Dimly icon is visible in the menu bar. You can hide it for a cleaner menu bar - Dimly keeps running in the background and all hotkeys remain active. Open the panel by pressing your toggle hotkey.

Hide Dock icon

Hides Dimly from the Dock and the App Switcher (Cmd + Tab). Useful for keeping Dimly out of sight while it runs quietly in the background.

Enabling both Hide menu bar icon and Hide Dock icon puts Dimly into Stealth Mode - fully hidden, only accessible via hotkeys.

Quick Actions visibility

Controls when the Quick Actions section appears in the panel:

Option	Behavior
Hide in compact	Quick Actions only appear in Simple and Advanced mode
Only in advanced	Quick Actions only appear in Advanced mode
Show on every screen	Quick Actions always visible in all panel modes

Settings Backup

Back up or restore your Dimly settings at any time.

Two categories are exported/imported independently:

General settings - app behavior, hotkeys, and interface options
Monitor settings - display names, ordering, and per-monitor options

To export: check the categories you want, then click Export. Dimly saves a .dimly backup file.

To import: check the categories you want to restore, click Import, then choose the backup file. Only the selected categories are overwritten - the rest stay unchanged.

Back up before making major changes so you can restore your settings if needed.

Displays

The Displays tab lists all currently connected monitors and any previously seen monitors.

Per-display options

For each connected display you can:

Rename - give the display a friendly name (e.g., "Left Monitor", "TV")
Show in Dimly - toggle whether this monitor appears in the panel's display list
Overlay Only (Never Sleep) - force this display to always use overlay mode, never hardware sleep
Standby / Wake - put the display to sleep or wake it directly from Settings

Previously Seen Monitors

Dimly remembers monitors for 90 days after they were last connected. Previously seen monitors appear in this section with the date they were last seen.

Click Forget to remove a monitor's saved name, preferences, and brightness history. If it reconnects later, it starts fresh with default settings.

LUTs

See the dedicated LUT Library guide for importing, assigning, and backing up LUTs.

Visuals

Appearance

Choose how Dimly's panel looks:

Option	Behavior
Like system	Follows macOS's current appearance (light or dark)
Always light	Forces the light theme
Always dark	Forces the dark theme

Transitions

Fade out on sleep/blackout - adds a smooth fade when a display goes to sleep or gets blacked out.

Fade in on wake/restore - adds a smooth fade when a display wakes or comes back from blackout.

Transition speed - controls how fast brightness changes and profile applies animate:

Speed	Feel
Instant	No animation
Fast	Quick fade
Balanced	Default, natural feel
Smooth	Slower, more relaxed
Cinematic	Very slow, dramatic fade

Smart Buttons

Smart buttons - turn Smart Buttons on or off globally. When off, no profile quick-access buttons appear in the panel.

Limit - the maximum number of Smart Buttons shown (default 8). Adjustable if you want to limit clutter.

Colorless mode - removes individual colors from Smart Buttons and shows them in a neutral style.

To set colors for individual buttons, go to Settings → Profiles and click the color swatch next to each profile that has Show as smart button enabled.

The GitHub repository (source code, changelog, and releases)
Bug report and feedback submission
Donation link (Ko-Fi)

Use Check for Updates (in the App section of the panel) to check if a newer version is available. Updates are delivered via Sparkle with signed binaries.