If you use NirSoft ControlMyMonitor through batch files and VCP codes and want the same DDC/CI control as an everyday app, MonitorPilot puts brightness, contrast, input source, volume, color temperature, and power for each external monitor into tray sliders, named profiles, global hotkeys, and an automation rules engine, with no commands to write. If you need raw access to every VCP code, scripting from the command line, or support for Windows versions before 11, ControlMyMonitor is free and remains the better tool for that.
Both talk to your monitor the same way. The difference is how much of the work you do yourself.
Control every DDC/CI monitor from the tray, with profiles, hotkeys, and rules.
Get it from Microsoft
What is ControlMyMonitor good at?
ControlMyMonitor by Nir Sofer is one of the best known DDC/CI tools for Windows. From its page:
- View and modify monitor settings (“VCP Features”) such as brightness, contrast, sharpness, color balance, OSD language, and input port, “from the GUI and from command-line.”
- Export and load all settings of a monitor as a configuration file.
- Command line:
/GetValue,/SetValueIfNeeded,/SwitchValue,/TurnOff,/TurnOn,/SwitchOffOn, and/Wait, among others. - Input Select is VCP code 60, and power uses code D6, for example
ControlMyMonitor.exe /SwitchValue "\\.\DISPLAY1\Monitor0" D6 1 5. - Tray icon option and a start hidden option.
- System requirements: “Any version of Windows, starting from Windows Vista and up to Windows 11. Hardware that supports DDC/CI.”
It is free, tiny, and precise. If you know which VCP code you want, nothing is faster.
One current note from the same page: in January 2026 NirSoft posted a notice for an AMD driver bug, saying that if you have an AMD graphics card and see “Error 87: The Parameter is incorrect,” you have to roll back to the previous driver until AMD releases a fix. That affects DDC/CI at the driver level, so check it before blaming any monitor tool.
What does MonitorPilot do differently?
MonitorPilot is a Windows 11 tray app for DDC/CI monitors. From its Microsoft Store listing and product page:
- Sliders per monitor for brightness, contrast, input source, volume, color temperature, and power.
- Named profiles you can switch with one click or a global hotkey.
- Rules engine with AND, OR, and NOT conditions on the running app, window title, time of day, sunrise and sunset, battery, idle time, full screen, and virtual desktop.
- Workspaces that restore after docking and report what could not be restored.
- EDID fingerprinting, so each physical monitor is recognized even when ports change.
- Software KVM input presets and sync groups that move several monitors together.
- Window management hotkeys: move to next monitor, snap, center, and window rules such as always opening an app on a given monitor.
- Identify overlay and a paced DDC queue so commands do not flood the monitor.
- Offline, no account, no telemetry, no kernel drivers, with a target of under 15 MB idle RAM.
How do ControlMyMonitor and MonitorPilot compare?
| ControlMyMonitor | MonitorPilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | One-time Store purchase |
| Interface | Table of VCP codes, plus command line | Tray sliders, profiles, hotkeys |
| Raw VCP access | Yes, every code the monitor exposes | Common controls only |
| Command line scripting | Yes, extensive | No; use rules and hotkeys |
| Brightness and contrast | Yes | Yes |
| Input switching | Yes, VCP 60 | Yes, plus KVM presets |
| Power off and on | Yes, /TurnOff and /TurnOn | Yes |
| Profiles | Save and load config files | Named profiles, hotkeys |
| Automatic rules (app, time, sunset, idle) | Build your own with Task Scheduler | Built-in rules engine |
| Multiple monitors together | Run commands per monitor | Sync groups |
| Recognize monitors after re-docking | Monitor strings and Short Monitor ID | EDID fingerprinting, Workspaces |
| Window management | No | Move, snap, center, window rules |
| Windows versions | Vista to Windows 11 | Windows 11 only |
How do I turn a ControlMyMonitor script into a MonitorPilot setup?
Most ControlMyMonitor scripts fall into a few patterns. Each has a direct equivalent:
| Your script does | In MonitorPilot |
|---|---|
| Set brightness 30 at night via Task Scheduler | A rule on time of day or sunset that applies a “Night” profile |
| Switch input 60 to HDMI with a hotkey tool | An input preset bound to a global hotkey |
/TurnOff the second monitor | The power control in the tray |
| Dim the side monitors when a game is full screen | A rule on the game’s process or full screen state that applies a profile |
| Load a .cfg after docking | A Workspace that restores after docking |
| Same brightness on all three monitors | A sync group |
Steps to migrate:
- List your scripts and what triggers each (hotkey, schedule, startup, manual).
- Install MonitorPilot and use the identify overlay to confirm which monitor is which.
- Create profiles for the brightness and color combinations your scripts set.
- Recreate triggers as hotkeys or rules.
- Disable the old scheduled tasks so two tools are not sending DDC/CI commands at the same time.
- Keep ControlMyMonitor installed for the odd VCP code MonitorPilot does not expose.
Profiles, rules, and hotkeys instead of scheduled batch files.
Get it from Microsoft
Why are DDC/CI values different between tools and monitors?
Because the monitor decides. Microsoft’s guide to the high-level monitor configuration functions says continuous settings like brightness have units that “are arbitrary and can vary from one manufacturer to another,” that “a monitor might not support all of the monitor configuration functions,” and that reading each setting “takes about 40 milliseconds.” Microsoft’s monitor configuration overview confirms the functions “use the Display Data Channel Command Interface (DDC/CI) to send commands to the monitor.”
So brightness 50 on one monitor is not the same as 50 on another, and some monitors expose controls others do not. A tool that paces its commands, as MonitorPilot’s DDC queue does, avoids flooding slow monitors.
When should I keep ControlMyMonitor?
Keep it, it is free and excellent, if you:
- Script everything and want DDC/CI in batch files, PowerShell, or other automation.
- Need a specific VCP code that a slider app does not expose, such as a manufacturer-specific setting.
- Run Windows 10 or older. MonitorPilot is Windows 11 only.
- Want a portable tool for a quick check on someone else’s PC.
When is MonitorPilot worth it?
MonitorPilot is worth it if you:
- Adjust monitors several times a day and want sliders and hotkeys, not commands.
- Want automatic changes by app, time, sunset, idle, battery, or full screen without building scheduled tasks.
- Dock and undock a laptop and want your monitors and windows restored.
- Have several monitors and want them adjusted together.
Laptop built-in panels generally do not support DDC/CI, so for those, use Windows’ own brightness control.
Frequently asked questions
Does MonitorPilot work with every monitor?
It works with monitors that support DDC/CI and have it turned on. Some monitors have a DDC/CI setting in their on-screen menu.
Can MonitorPilot run from the command line like ControlMyMonitor?
No. It uses tray controls, profiles, hotkeys, and rules instead.
Will both tools conflict?
They can if both send commands at the same moment. Use one for automation and the other only for manual checks.
Does MonitorPilot need a kernel driver?
No. It uses Windows’ DDC/CI support with no kernel drivers.
Try MonitorPilot
Get MonitorPilot from the Microsoft Store for Windows 11, and see the MonitorPilot product page. Also compared: Twinkle Tray and Monitorian.
Every external monitor, one tray icon, no scripts.
Get it from Microsoft
Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. NirSoft and ControlMyMonitor are the property of Nir Sofer. AMD is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. MonitorPilot is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Last updated 17 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.