Control Samsung Smart Monitor from Mac (M9, M8, M7, M5)

Samsung Smart Monitors are popular with Mac users for good reason. They look great on a desk, work as a standalone display, and the M8 and ViewFinity S9 in particular punch well above their price bracket for creative work. But there is one consistent frustration Mac users run into after buying one: you cannot adjust the brightness from macOS.

There is no slider in System Settings. The brightness keys on your keyboard do nothing. The only option out of the box is the physical OSD buttons on the back of the monitor, which is exactly as annoying as it sounds.

DisplayBuddy fixes this with a direct Wi-Fi connection to your Samsung monitor.

Why Mac Cannot Control Samsung Smart Monitor Brightness by Default

Most external monitors support a protocol called DDC/CI (Display Data Channel Command Interface), which lets software on your computer send commands directly to the monitor: adjust brightness, change contrast, switch input, and so on. That is how apps like DisplayBuddy, BetterDisplay, and MonitorControl work with most displays.

Samsung Smart Monitors do not support DDC/CI. Samsung chose not to implement it, which means standard brightness control software cannot talk to these monitors at all. The monitor is essentially invisible to macOS as far as hardware brightness control goes.

DisplayBuddy solves this differently. Instead of using DDC/CI, DisplayBuddy connects to Samsung Smart Monitors over Wi-Fi using the same protocol Samsung's own remote control app uses. This gives you full hardware control of the monitor directly from your Mac, no physical buttons required.

(Note: If you have a standard Samsung monitor without Smart TV features, it likely uses standard protocols. See our guide on controlling Samsung monitor brightness on macOS instead.)

Supported Samsung Smart Monitor Models

DisplayBuddy supports the following Samsung Smart Monitor models:

Your Mac and your Samsung Smart Monitor need to be on the same Wi-Fi network for the connection to work.

How to Set Up Samsung Smart Monitor Control in DisplayBuddy

Setting up takes about two minutes:

1. Make sure your Samsung Smart Monitor and your Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi network
2. Open DisplayBuddy and go to Settings, then Samsung Smart TV Control
3. Click Scan for Devices. DisplayBuddy will search your network for compatible Samsung monitors
4. Select your monitor from the list and click Connect
5. Your Samsung monitor will show a permission dialog on screen. Click Allow to complete the pairing

Once connected, your Samsung monitor will appear in DisplayBuddy's menu bar alongside any other displays you have connected.

What You Can Control

After connecting, DisplayBuddy gives you full control over your Samsung Smart Monitor directly from the Mac menu bar:

• Brightness: Adjust the actual backlight brightness of the panel, not a software overlay
• Contrast: Fine-tune the contrast ratio without going into the OSD
• Volume: Control the built-in speakers or connected audio devices
• Input Source: Switch between inputs directly from the menu bar
• Power: Turn the monitor off without touching the physical buttons

You can also use DisplayBuddy's Presets feature to save configurations and switch between them instantly. For example, a "Work" preset with high brightness and an "Evening" preset with reduced brightness and volume, switchable with a single keyboard shortcut.

Using Presets with Your Samsung Smart Monitor

Presets are the most-used feature in DisplayBuddy, and they work particularly well with Samsung Smart Monitors. Because brightness control is not available natively in macOS for these displays, most users end up going into the OSD every time they want to adjust settings for a different environment.

With Presets, you configure your preferred brightness, contrast, and volume for each context once, then switch between them instantly:

• Save a "Daytime" preset with brightness at 80% for working during the day
• Save an "Evening" preset with brightness at 30% and volume lowered for late-night use
• Switch between them from the menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut. No OSD, no buttons

If you use multiple monitors alongside your Samsung Smart Monitor, DisplayBuddy's Sync feature can keep all displays in step when you adjust one. Particularly useful on mixed setups where you have a Samsung next to a Dell or LG.

Setting the Control Mode

DisplayBuddy lets you choose how it communicates with your monitor. For Samsung Smart Monitors, you want Samsung Smart selected in the Control Mode dropdown. The other options (DDC/CI, Apple Display Protocol, and Software Control) apply to different monitor types and connection methods.

If you see your Samsung monitor listed in DisplayBuddy but the sliders are not responding, check that Control Mode is set to Samsung Smart. Switching from DDC/CI to Samsung Smart is the fix in most cases where the monitor is detected but not responding correctly.

Resetting the Connection

If you need to reset the connection to your Samsung Smart Monitor, go to Settings, then Samsung Smart TV Control, and click Disconnect. Then follow the setup steps above to reconnect.

Control your Samsung Smart Monitor

Brightness, volume, and presets without touching the buttons.

Get DisplayBuddy →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Problems: Samsung Smart Monitor Brightness on Mac

Brightness keys do not work on Mac

This is the most common issue. Samsung Smart Monitors do not support DDC/CI, so keyboard brightness keys and the macOS brightness slider in Control Center have no effect. Some users work around this with two separate apps (one for brightness and one for volume), but that means managing two apps, two settings panels, and two potential points of failure every time something updates. DisplayBuddy's Wi-Fi connection handles brightness, contrast, and volume in one place, which is why it has become the go-to solution for Samsung Smart Monitor users on Mac.

Monitor not found during scan

If DisplayBuddy cannot find your monitor during the scan, check that both your Mac and your Samsung monitor are on the same Wi-Fi network. Some routers use separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, so make sure both devices are on the same band. If the issue persists, go to Settings, then Samsung Smart TV Control, click Disconnect, and run the scan again.