TotalXDR For Mac

HDR/XDR displays support higher brightness in order to highlight differences between dark and bright areas, but the extra brightness range is normally only used when viewing HDR content.

TotalXDR is intended to help you out in situations when you need your display to be as bright as possible. It unlocks the peak brightness of 1000 nits no matter what type of content is on the screen, making it easier to use when outdoors or when there’s a lot of ambient light.

The app supports MacBook Pro 2021 and 2023, as well as the Pro Display XDR external monitor. To use it, simply go to the menu bar and enable XDR Always On for the built-in display, external monitor, or both.

Needless to say, you should not try to watch HDR content when this feature is used, as peak brightness will be enabled for the entire monitor, and HDR requires specific areas of the screen to be brighter or dimmer.

TotalXDR isn’t meant to be used at all times, but it can be very helpful in situations when even your Mac’s normally bright screen doesn’t have enough visibility. It’s a very lightweight app, written in Swift for the best native experience.