The Buttons on Your Monitor - Brightness, Input and 'No Signal'
Last verified: October 2026
Those tiny, hidden buttons control brightness, which device shows on screen, and the menu — and 'No Signal' almost never means a broken screen. This plain-English guide walks you through all of it. Rather have a hand? Call (330) 200-8042.
Your Monitor's Buttons, at a Glance
The buttons on a monitor are almost always hidden — under the bottom edge, around the back-right, or shrunk down to a single little joystick — and that makes them feel mysterious. They are not. There are only a handful: brightness, the input (which tells the screen which device to show), and a menu. The scariest message of all, No Signal, almost always means the wrong input or a loose cable — not a broken screen. This guide shows you where the buttons hide and how to use them calmly. There's a printable 29-page version up top.
Common Questions
1 Where are the buttons on my monitor?
Usually hidden. Feel along the bottom edge under the frame, and around the lower-right of the back. Many newer screens use a single little joystick on the back instead of a row of buttons. Press any one and an on-screen guide often shows what each does.
2 My screen says 'No Signal' — is it broken?
Almost certainly not. A broken screen couldn't show you words at all. It means the screen isn't getting a picture on the input it's set to. Switch the input to the socket your computer uses, and reseat the cable at both ends.
3 How do I change the brightness?
Open the menu with a button or the joystick, find Brightness (often a sun symbol), and nudge the bar up or down. A good target is about as bright as white paper held next to the screen in the same room light.
4 What does 'switching the input' mean?
A monitor has several sockets (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C). The input or source setting tells the screen which socket — and so which device — to show. Point it at the socket your computer is plugged into.
5 I changed a setting and now it looks wrong. Did I break it?
No — these buttons can't harm the screen. Open the menu and choose Reset or Factory Settings, and every picture setting goes back to how it started. It won't touch anything on your computer.
6 How do I get out of a menu I didn't mean to open?
Press the button marked Exit, Back, or Menu — or nudge the joystick left — until it closes. Or simply take your hands off: the menu clears itself after a few idle seconds and changes nothing.
Would You Rather I Just Help?
A black screen or a stubborn button doesn't have to ruin your day. I'll show you where your buttons hide, get the brightness and input set the way you like, and leave you a simple note so it never flusters you again — with nothing to sell you. $99 flat for a visit, or often $49 right on your screen, 30-day come-back-free.
Would you rather I just do this for you?
No shame in it — plenty of folks would rather hand it off, and that's what I'm here for. I'll come to your home, set it up right, and make sure it's working before I leave. Flat $99 per visit — no jargon, no upsell, and every visit is 30-day come-back-free.
Not a hardware job? I can often fix it remotely for $49 — a secure screen-share, up to 2 hours, that you watch the whole time and can end whenever (included free for $39/mo Support Plan members, and it counts toward the $99 if it turns out I need to come out).