For MacBook Pro XDR displays
Your screen can go 70% brighter.
macOS just won’t let it.
Your XDR panel is rated for 1,000 nits — macOS caps everyday content at ~600. MaxCandela unlocks the difference with one click in your menu bar. Full brightness, true colors, zero setup.
How dark it is now vs. how bright it gets
Drag the slider — the left is your screen at its normal cap, the right is the same desktop with MaxCandela on.
Same Mac, same wallpaper — only the brightness changes. The app boosts every app and window, system-wide.
Don’t take our word for it — feel it
This page can boost itself the same way, right in your browser. Press the button and imagine your whole Mac like this.
The web demo brightens this page only. The Mac app brightens everything, system-wide.
Built for one job, done right
Your whole Mac, brighter
The menu-bar app boosts everything — desktop, every app, every window. Not just one browser tab.
One click
A single ☀️ toggle in your menu bar. Click to unlock full brightness, click again to go back. Double-click for status, purchases and quit — that’s the whole UI.
True colors
Color-calibrated boost that preserves your display’s ColorSync profile. Brighter — never washed out.
Looks after your Mac
Never exceeds the limits macOS enforces for HDR. As your Mac warms up it eases the boost off, and if it gets genuinely hot it briefly dims the screen below normal to help it cool — then restores everything.
Nothing to configure
Follows your display’s live headroom automatically — including thermal dips and recovery. Set it, forget it.
Private by default
No screen recording, no account, no personal data. The app never sees your screen content — it only lifts it. Anonymous usage stats only, as described in our privacy policy.
Simple pricing
Free for 5 days, everything unlocked. Then pick what suits you. Requires a MacBook Pro 14″/16″ (2021 or later) or Pro Display XDR — check with the demo above before you buy.
Monthly
$0.99/month
- ✓ Full brightness unlock
- ✓ All future updates
- ✓ Cancel anytime in the App Store
Lifetime
$9.99 once
- ✓ Full brightness unlock, forever
- ✓ All future updates
- ✓ Pays for itself in 11 months
Purchases via Apple. One purchase covers every Mac on your Apple ID. Requires macOS 15.6+ and an HDR/XDR display (MacBook Pro 14″/16″ 2021 or later, or Pro Display XDR). Subscriptions renew monthly and can be cancelled anytime in App Store → Subscriptions; payment is charged to your Apple Account. See our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Questions, answered
Is this safe for my display?
Yes. MaxCandela uses the same HDR headroom macOS itself uses for HDR video, and never exceeds the limit the OS reports. If your Mac gets hot, MaxCandela follows the OS down automatically.
What happens if my Mac gets hot?
MaxCandela looks after it. As your Mac warms up it eases the boost off, and if it gets genuinely hot it lowers brightness a little to help it cool — the same way phones do — then brings everything back once the temperature drops. It all happens automatically, and you can turn the boost off any time.
When I turn the boost off, does my screen stay dimmed?
No. Turning MaxCandela off puts your display back exactly where it was — at your normal brightness, with nothing dimmed. MaxCandela never lowers your baseline; it only adds brightness on top while it’s on, then hands everything back untouched. If the screen looks a little dim for a second right after, that’s just your eyes adjusting from the brighter level — the display itself is unchanged. (The only time it dips below normal is the automatic thermal protection above, which restores itself too.)
Which Macs are supported?
You need a Mac with an HDR-capable display: a MacBook Pro 14″ or 16″ (2021 or later) with the Liquid Retina XDR display, or a Pro Display XDR — those go up to ~1,000 nits sustained instead of the usual ~600. MacBook Air, iMac, and ordinary external monitors have no HDR headroom to unlock, so MaxCandela can’t brighten them. The app tells you straight away if your display isn’t supported, and the browser demo above is an honest test — if it doesn’t brighten your screen, the app won’t either.
Will it drain my battery?
Brightness costs power — the boost uses more battery, just like HDR video playback does. Toggle it off when you don’t need it; one click.
How does the free trial work?
Download free from the Mac App Store and get 5 days with everything unlocked. After that, keep it for $0.99/month or unlock it forever for $9.99. One purchase works on all Macs signed into your Apple ID.
Why doesn’t macOS just allow this?
macOS reserves the panel’s extra brightness for HDR content to protect battery and thermals by default. MaxCandela lets you choose when everyday content deserves the same headroom.