twinkle-tray

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta6:

• VCP codes reported by each display are now listed in the Features tab in Settings.
• On fresh installs, beta releases will default to the beta update channel.
• When upgrading from v1.15.5 or older, your hotkeys will be preserved in case you downgrade later.
• The scrollable area of sliders now better reflects default Windows behavior. (Thanks @Shayan-To!)
• Improved tray icon handling after hardware changes and waking from sleep.
• Fixed WMI-Bridge incorrectly being reported as available when it isn't.
• Fixed internal displays not showing in the hotkey monitor list.
• Updated localizations.
• Updated dependencies.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

New in v1.15.5

Fixes & improvements:

• Fixed hidden displays being affected by brightness updates.
• The scrollable area of sliders now better reflects default Windows behavior. (Thanks @Shayan-To!)
• Improved settings handling when downgrading from v1.16.0+.
• Crashing should no longer leave behind .node files in the user's "temp" folder.
• Updated localizations.

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta5.2:

• Further tuned speed/stability of DDC/CI detection
• Added support for Apple Studio Displays (thanks @jridgewell)
• Added support for multiple EXEs in profile paths
• Added option for fullscreen apps to block idle detection
• Reworked known bad monitor blocking system, including more troubleshooting options
• Switched CLI IPC to use a named pipe instead of UDP
• Updated dependencies

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta5.2:

• Fixed "Animate between times" not setting brightness to expected values.
• Improved detection of monitor hardware changes.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta4:

• Implemented a (hopefully) more accurate, but significantly slower process for detecting DDC/CI enabled displays. There's a toggle in the Troubleshooting settings to turn it off, but feedback would be appreciated if you're experiencing issues with this new process.
• Various fixes to the new hotkey functionality.
• Added a "Get coordinates" button for the sun-position scheduling feature. This uses Cloudflare to estimate your coordinates based on your IP.
• Improved error handling in the Settings window to hopefully make reporting any issues easier and not end up with a completely useless window.
• Reduced the startup time for Twinkle Tray's icon/UI to be visible. However, due to the new DDC/CI detection process, the brightness controls will take a few seconds longer than before to become available.
• The "Get Current Brightness" toggle now also applies to active non-brightness DDC/CI features. The setting has been renamed to match the new functionality.
• Several settings have been renamed to make their current value clearer.
• Custom DDC/CI features should now be possible on displays that don't use a standard brightness VCP code. Further work is still needed.
• Adjusted the timing/logic of handling hardware changes to hopefully cause fewer issues with slow displays.
• Added a potential workaround for DEL41D9 monitors not waking up due to brightness values being re-applied at a bad time.
• Added a workaround for FUS06AB monitors using a non-standard brightness VCP code.
• Added a debug option to show the console window.
• Fixed Linked Levels not working.
• Fixed monitor IDs being tracked inconsistently.
• Fixed taskbar height being incorrectly calculated in Windows 11 under certain conditions.
• Disabled "high contrast" accessibility option in Windows affecting Twinkle Tray, as it broke the UI.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta5.1:

• Fixed custom VCP hotkeys not working under certain conditions.
• Fixed monitor detection issues related to capability strings and null handles.
• Various minor fixes.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta4:

• Implemented a (hopefully) more accurate, but significantly slower process for detecting DDC/CI enabled displays. There's a toggle in the Troubleshooting settings to turn it off, but feedback would be appreciated if you're experiencing issues with this new process.
• Various fixes to the new hotkey functionality.
• Added a "Get coordinates" button for the sun-position scheduling feature. This uses Cloudflare to estimate your coordinates based on your IP.
• Improved error handling in the Settings window to hopefully make reporting any issues easier and not end up with a completely useless window.
• Reduced the startup time for Twinkle Tray's icon/UI to be visible. However, due to the new DDC/CI detection process, the brightness controls will take a few seconds longer than before to become available.
• The "Get Current Brightness" toggle now also applies to active non-brightness DDC/CI features. The setting has been renamed to match the new functionality.
• Several settings have been renamed to make their current value clearer.
• Custom DDC/CI features should now be possible on displays that don't use a standard brightness VCP code. Further work is still needed.
• Adjusted the timing/logic of handling hardware changes to hopefully cause fewer issues with slow displays.
• Added a potential workaround for DEL41D9 monitors not waking up due to brightness values being re-applied at a bad time.
• Added a workaround for FUS06AB monitors using a non-standard brightness VCP code.
• Added a debug option to show the console window.
• Fixed Linked Levels not working.
• Fixed monitor IDs being tracked inconsistently.
• Fixed taskbar height being incorrectly calculated in Windows 11 under certain conditions.
• Disabled "high contrast" accessibility option in Windows affecting Twinkle Tray, as it broke the UI.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta5:

• Fixed "lastKnowDisplays" startup error.
• Fixed settings window not displaying when hotkeys list is invalid.
• Fixed hotkeys format not being upgraded from v1.15.4 if none were previously set.
• Fixed updater not downloading as of beta5.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta4:

• Implemented a (hopefully) more accurate, but significantly slower process for detecting DDC/CI enabled displays. There's a toggle in the Troubleshooting settings to turn it off, but feedback would be appreciated if you're experiencing issues with this new process.
• Various fixes to the new hotkey functionality.
• Added a "Get coordinates" button for the sun-position scheduling feature. This uses Cloudflare to estimate your coordinates based on your IP.
• Improved error handling in the Settings window to hopefully make reporting any issues easier and not end up with a completely useless window.
• Reduced the startup time for Twinkle Tray's icon/UI to be visible. However, due to the new DDC/CI detection process, the brightness controls will take a few seconds longer than before to become available.
• The "Get Current Brightness" toggle now also applies to active non-brightness DDC/CI features. The setting has been renamed to match the new functionality.
• Several settings have been renamed to make their current value clearer.
• Custom DDC/CI features should now be possible on displays that don't use a standard brightness VCP code. Further work is still needed.
• Adjusted the timing/logic of handling hardware changes to hopefully cause fewer issues with slow displays.
• Added a potential workaround for DEL41D9 monitors not waking up due to brightness values being re-applied at a bad time.
• Added a workaround for FUS06AB monitors using a non-standard brightness VCP code.
• Added a debug option to show the console window.
• Fixed Linked Levels not working.
• Fixed monitor IDs being tracked inconsistently.
• Fixed taskbar height being incorrectly calculated in Windows 11 under certain conditions.
• Disabled "high contrast" accessibility option in Windows affecting Twinkle Tray, as it broke the UI.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

The Twinkle Tray beta versions are for testing new features and gathering feedback. It is strongly recommended you install the latest non-beta version for regular use.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta4:

• Implemented a (hopefully) more accurate, but significantly slower process for detecting DDC/CI enabled displays. There's a toggle in the Troubleshooting settings to turn it off, but feedback would be appreciated if you're experiencing issues with this new process.
• Various fixes to the new hotkey functionality.
• Added a "Get coordinates" button for the sun-position scheduling feature. This uses Cloudflare to estimate your coordinates based on your IP.
• Improved error handling in the Settings window to hopefully make reporting any issues easier and not end up with a completely useless window.
• Reduced the startup time for Twinkle Tray's icon/UI to be visible. However, due to the new DDC/CI detection process, the brightness controls will take a few seconds longer than before to become available.
• The "Get Current Brightness" toggle now also applies to active non-brightness DDC/CI features. The setting has been renamed to match the new functionality.
• Several settings have been renamed to make their current value clearer.
• Custom DDC/CI features should now be possible on displays that don't use a standard brightness VCP code. Further work is still needed.
• Adjusted the timing/logic of handling hardware changes to hopefully cause fewer issues with slow displays.
• Added a potential workaround for DEL41D9 monitors not waking up due to brightness values being re-applied at a bad time.
• Added a workaround for FUS06AB monitors using a non-standard brightness VCP code.
• Added a debug option to show the console window.
• Fixed Linked Levels not working.
• Fixed monitor IDs being tracked inconsistently.
• Fixed taskbar height being incorrectly calculated in Windows 11 under certain conditions.
• Disabled "high contrast" accessibility option in Windows affecting Twinkle Tray, as it broke the UI.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta3:

• Redesigned the settings window to better match Windows 11 and account for the new v1.16.0 features.
• Added support for multiple actions per hotkey. Please note that actions set up in earlier beta version will need to be manually recreated in this beta. If you're upgrading from v1.15.4 then your existing hotkeys will be migrated.
• Added a configurable cap when linking a DDC/CI feature to brightness. For example, you can set contrast to increase up until 50% and then stay the same for all brightness values after 50%.
• Added an option to control the default aggressiveness of the hotkey overlay showing over apps. Changing this isn't recommended, but is available for troubleshooting.
• Replaced "disable overlay" Troubleshooting option with a new "Default overlay behavior" option.
• Improved compatibility with large numbers of connected DDC/CI-enabled displays.
• Fixed min/max feature values not being used.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta2:

• Added "Refresh Displays" hotkey action.
• Fixed Twinkle Tray not starting if no hotkeys had been set prior to v1.16.0.
• Fixed "aggressive" overlay type not working as intended.
• Fixed multiple profiles being deleted at once.
• Fixed non-brightness VCP codes not being tracked properly when changed through Twinkle Tray.
• Fixed profiles with empty paths getting triggered on any window.
• Fixed contrast/volume hotkeys not activating.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

Changes since v1.16.0-beta1:

• Fixed broken app updater.
• Fixed broken WMIC communication.
• Fixed profile name input losing focus when entering text.
• Fixed profile delete button not working.

Please see the v1.16.0-beta1 release notes for important information about this update.

New in v1.16.0-beta1

New features & improvements:

• Added support for user-defined custom DDC/CI features per display. If you supply a valid VCP code (decimal or hexadecimal), a new slider will be added to the brightness flyout.
• Implemented additional customizations to DDC/CI features (contrast, volume, and custom). You can now set min/max values, and link the feature to the brightness slider. As an example, you could link contrast with brightness, so you can reach lower perceived brightness levels on your monitor than with brightness adjustments alone.
• Overhauled the hotkeys system. You can now assign multiple monitors per hotkey, set/adjust brightness to any value, and send arbitrary VCP codes (contrast, volume, power state, etc).
• Implemented per-app brightness profiles. When a specific app is the focused window, a user-defined brightness profile can apply to all displays. The original brightness will be restored when switching back from the app. This should be especially useful for games. Please note that Twinkle Tray does not track which display the app is on. There are no plans for that functionality at this time.
• Additionally, profiles can be saved to the system tray right-click menu to quickly switch the brightness of multiple monitors to the user-defined profiles.
• Added option to trigger brightness changes according to the sun's position. Please note that Twinkle Tray cannot get your coordinates. You must provide them yourself.
• Improved accuracy and details for CLI commands.
• Twinkle Tray now uses an internal UDP server for certain CLI commands. By default, it will not open ports to your local or external networks. It only communicates over localhost. If you would like to implement a UDP client for external brightness/DDC control, documentation will be available in the future.
• Changing the power state of a monitor via DDC/CI will now attempt to toggle the display back on, if applicable. You may need to adjust the new "Power State Signal" setting in order for it to work for your monitor(s). Please keep in mind that not all displays correctly support this DDC/CI command and can cause your display to become unresponsive. There is nothing Twinkle Tray can do to further improve compatibility for this DDC/CI command.
• The code for the Mica blur effect has been refactored to use fewer resources and apply quicker at startup.
• The amount of brightness changed when using the tray scroll shortcut is now adjustable.
• Several dependencies have been removed or replaced, reducing the app's size.
• Hidden displays will no longer be affected by brightness updates.

Other information:

• The UIs for the new features are not final.
• Twinkle Tray now reliably builds using the stable Node/Electron versions (as of writing). Additionally, a GitHub Actions CI process has been implemented to monitor successful building. Artifacts from this CI process are not considered stable Twinkle Tray builds. I will not provide any support for builds generated from the CI process.
• It is strongly recommended that you use a DDC/CI app such as ControlMyMonitor to understand the capabilities of your display prior to setting up VCP code hotkeys. Twinkly Tray's UI is not designed for quick and arbitrary DDC/CI adjustments outside of brightness control. Twinkle Tray cannot help you if you send a VCP code that makes your display unusable.

New in v1.15.4

Fixes & improvements:

• Added support for --panel command line argument. (Thanks @sidevesh)
• Updated analytics code.
• Updated localizations.

New in v1.15.3

Fixes & improvements:

• Improved reliability of restoring brightness from idle detection.
• Updated localizations.

New in v1.15.2

Fixes & improvements:

• Reduced CPU usage when the native Windows theme changes.

New in v1.15.1

Fixes & improvements:

• Improved idle handling when idle dimming feature is disabled.
• Fixed regression in resuming from idle dimming under certain conditions.
• Adjusted Windows 11 drop shadow styling for light/dark mode.
• Updated localizations.

New in v1.15.0

New features & improvements:

• Implemented new UI for the hotkey overlay when using the Windows 11 style.
• Refactored the Time of Day Adjustments code to be more reliable.
• Time of Day Adjustments will now use the user's transition setting under most conditions.
• Added option to animate between the current and next Time of Day Adjustment time throughout the day.
• Implemented CLI option to trigger current Time of Day Adjustment.
• Refactored the Idle Detection system and UI to be more flexible and precise.
• Added options to the system tray right-click menu for pausing Idle Detection and Time of Day Adjustments.
• Added option to switch to Beta update channel (not available for Microsoft Store version).
• Fixed a bug that could cause excessive CPU/RAM usage at startup.
• Improved focus handling.
• Updated localizations.

Other information:

• The new Windows 11 hotkey overlay is not intended to be a 1:1 recreation of the native brightness/volume flyout. Please don't open an issue that it isn't exactly the same. Bug reports are welcome.
• The new Time of Day Adjustment animation setting will more actively keep your scheduled brightness in sync. This may increase CPU usage. It will also be more difficult to manually set brightness due to the scheduled brightness kicking in every minute or so.

New in v1.15.0 Beta 2

New features & improvements:

• Fixed an idle detection bug.
• Fixed UI bug with right-click menu.
• Improved focus handling.

See v1.15.0 Beta 1 for more release notes.

New in v1.15.0 Beta 1

New features & improvements:

• Implemented new UI for the hotkey overlay when using the Windows 11 style.
• Refactored the Time of Day Adjustments code to be more reliable.
• Time of Day Adjustments will now use the user's transition setting under most conditions.
• Added option to animate between the current and next Time of Day Adjustment time throughout the day.
• Implemented CLI option to trigger current Time of Day Adjustment.
• Refactored the Idle Detection system and UI to be more flexible and precise.
• Added options to the system tray right-click menu for pausing Idle Detection and Time of Day Adjustments.
• Fixed a bug that could cause excessive CPU/RAM usage at startup.
• Updated localizations.

Other information:

• The new Windows 11 hotkey overlay is not intended to be a 1:1 recreation of the native brightness/volume flyout. Please don't open an issue that it isn't exactly the same. Bug reports are welcome.
• The new Time of Day Adjustment animation setting will more actively keep your scheduled brightness in sync. This may increase CPU usage. It will also be more difficult to manually set brightness due to the scheduled brightness kicking in every minute or so.

New in v1.14.8

Fixes & improvements:

• Fixed error on waking from sleep when using Windows 10 theme.
• Disabled undesired ability to zoom panel.
• Adjusted VCP codes used for display power state.
• Implemented new CPU/memory optimizations.
• Added error catching on idle detection code.
• Adjusted monitor detection code.
• Updated localizations.
• Updated dependencies.

New in v1.14.7

Fixes & improvements:

• Fixed bug when taskbar is anchored to the top of the screen.
• Fixed fullscreen app issues (again).
• Fixed wrong font being displayed when Segoe Fluent Icons is installed but not Segoe UI Variable.
• Fixed --VCP command line flag.
• Minor memory improvements.