OpenDMG
FreeDisplay icon

FreeDisplay for Mac

Free menu bar app for managing display settings and monitor controls.

By hakanotal. Free and open source, MIT licence.

Get it with OpenDMG View source on GitHub

FreeDisplay at a glance

Version
2.3
Released
7 October 2026
Download size
2.0 MB
Works on
Apple silicon and Intel
Licence
MIT
Category
Utilities
Developer
hakanotal
GitHub stars
11

About FreeDisplay

Free & open-source alternative to BetterDisplay for macOS

Screenshots

FreeDisplay screenshot 1

How to install FreeDisplay on a Mac

  1. Get OpenDMG. It is a free app store for open source Mac apps. Download OpenDMG.
  2. Search for FreeDisplay and press Get. OpenDMG downloads version 2.3 from hakanotal's own GitHub release.
  3. Open it. The download is checked against its SHA-256 fingerprint and its signature is checked on your Mac before it lands in Applications.

Updates to FreeDisplay show up in OpenDMG and install with one button. No account is needed.

Prefer to do it by hand? The developer's file is on GitHub: FreeDisplay-2.3.dmg (2.0 MB).

What is new in FreeDisplay 2.3

Fixes and speed-ups from a full review of every file.

- **Brightness drives the right monitor**: on Apple Silicon the monitor matching never worked, so DDC paired monitors with displays by position. With two monitors, or a monitor plus a virtual display, Sidecar or AirPlay screen, a slider could change the wrong screen or fall back to software dimming. Monitors are now matched by their own identity (vendor, model, serial, name)
- **Smoother, faster brightness**: DDC commands no longer queue up behind each other: only the latest value is sent, spaced the way monitors expect, so dragging the slider or holding the brightness keys keeps up. Quick key presses no longer lose steps. Brightness keys keep working while the app is busy (for example during an administrator prompt)
- **Apple displays**: Studio Display, Pro Display XDR and UltraFine now change their own backlight instead of being dimmed in software
- **Night mode and dimming stay on**: arranging displays, changing the main display, opening or closing the lid, switching the color profile, display sleep, resolution changes and waking no longer reset night mode, software dimming or image adjustments (on one display or all), and waking no longer flashes full brightness for a few seconds
…

More Utilities apps

All Utilities apps