In W10 I enabled a focus mode setting that dims all background windows... now I cant find it again!

Richdog · 27 Mar 2021 at 19:18

Hi guys. I'm having a weird little blip where I clicked to activate some kind of focus mode setting that dims all inactive/background windows. It's annoying as hell and now I cant for the life of me find it again to disable it. I tried googling all kinds of things like "windows 10 focus window dim" etc and all I get are links to 3rd party tools. However this was not a 3rd party tool, it was built into Windows and I am sure it had focus somewhere in the name. I can't find it with a search of the settings though as it just shows me a different kind of "focus assist" mode related to notifications.

Can anyone please save my sanity and tell me if they know which setting this is and where it's located?

Servo · 27 Mar 2021 at 22:09

might be focus assist, when in use it changes the name (I think)
Right hand bottom of task bar, click on the box and it should be there.
It has a moon icon on it

Richdog · 28 Mar 2021 at 08:24

Servo said:
might be focus assist, when in use it changes the name (I think)
Right hand bottom of task bar, click on the box and it should be there.
It has a moon icon on it

Hi chap thanks for the reply but as I wrote sadly that's not it.

Donnie Fisher · 28 Mar 2021 at 10:16

You've not inadvertently enabled some sort of high contrast mode / theme or anything have you? I would imagine that the sort of setting you may have flipped might be hidden down in accessibility options of windows.

Maybe if you changed the themes back and forth between a range of different types, it might reset some of the settings ?

Richdog · 28 Mar 2021 at 11:15

Donnie Fisher said:
You've not inadvertently enabled some sort of high contrast mode / theme or anything have you? I would imagine that the sort of setting you may have flipped might be hidden down in accessibility options of windows.

Maybe if you changed the themes back and forth between a range of different types, it might reset some of the settings ?

Nope its not high contrast, it is a specific slider setting to dim background windows so that only the active window is lit. It's driving me nuts.

I would have thought it would be under the "multitasking" settings but it isn't.

I will see if I can reset things back to defaults, good idea. Thanks!

Donnie Fisher · 29 Mar 2021 at 11:19

I dont think I've ever seen a setting like that in windows unless its some sort of add on.

Richdog · 29 Mar 2021 at 11:32

Donnie Fisher said:
I dont think I've ever seen a setting like that in windows unless its some sort of add on.

Now I am starting to get worried. I was so sure it was in W10... the only other thing it could be would be the HP software (most of which I uninstalled). I will take a look! :eek:

Donnie Fisher · 29 Mar 2021 at 14:05

I've looked round, and I just cant see anything like that in my settings. What's in you app list ... nothing sneaky hiding in there?

Richdog · 29 Mar 2021 at 20:25

Thanks guys but I checked every single thing I cold think of and can only come to the conclusion that:

1) I uninstalled some HP software that enabled it, without disabling it first.
2) It was some Windows preview feature that disappeared when I upgraded Home to Pro.

I just spent the last few hours reformatting everything and now it's running sweet as a nut. This will possibly forever be a mystery. Thanks to everyone who replied to try and help I really appreciate it.

Donnie Fisher · 29 Mar 2021 at 21:44

Strange. Having a look around there does seem to be a number of untapped registry options that affect various dimming when you Alt-tab between apps etc ... as you say maybe it was a util or something that adjusted one of them.

Richdog · 29 Mar 2021 at 21:46

Donnie Fisher said:
Strange. Having a look around there does seem to be a number of untapped registry options that affect various dimming when you Alt-tab between apps etc ... as you say maybe it was a util or something that adjusted one of them.

Very weird... but I do a have a memory lodged in my brain of changing a windows setting slider. I'm not going crazy, I'm not going crazy... *rocks slowly back and forth*

Donnie Fisher · 29 Mar 2021 at 22:54

Yeah yeah yeah ... get back in that corner and face the wall rocking slowly.

( It actually sounds like a useful feature. )

thenewoc · 29 Mar 2021 at 22:57

Maybe Xbox gamebar feature or screen snipping tool or OBS?

Journey · 29 Mar 2021 at 23:03

Used to use an app called Turn of the Lights or Le Dimmer, very much looks like part of Windows once installed, maybe it was one of those.

thenewoc · 29 Mar 2021 at 23:07

or is it an option within PowerToys?

Donnie Fisher · 29 Mar 2021 at 23:15

Could it be adaptive brightness you're remembering?

https://appuals.com/fix-windows-10-adaptive-brightness-wont-turn-off/

Richdog · 30 Mar 2021 at 04:44

Journey said:
Used to use an app called Turn of the Lights or Le Dimmer, very much looks like part of Windows once installed, maybe it was one of those.

I saw those when I googling but I didn't install or uninstall either of them. It was a brand new HP notebook so it was something part of that process.

Donnie Fisher said:
Could it be adaptive brightness you're remembering?

https://appuals.com/fix-windows-10-adaptive-brightness-wont-turn-off/

Unless that specifically dims inactive windows then I doubt it. This feature was specific for that function and you could have 2 windows sid by side and it would dim the unselected one, whichever that was.

So weird.

Orcvader · 31 Mar 2021 at 11:00

Looks like it was a HP thing: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsex...tre-x360-14-expands-spectre-and-envy-line-up/

Focus mode dims background apps not in use while keeping the app currently being used bright. This also helps battery life by dimming parts of the screen that are not in use.

Richdog · 31 Mar 2021 at 12:04

Orcvader said:
Looks like it was a HP thing: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsex...tre-x360-14-expands-spectre-and-envy-line-up/

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU yes thanks that must be it! It must have been in a tool that I uninstalled without disabling the feature! You sir deserve a virtual beer on me. Please take the rest of the day off.