LED Lights Too Bright? How to Fix…

If your LED lights are too bright even with a dimmer switch installed, there's a simple solution. Some modern dimmers have trim adjustments to address the issue.

If your LED lights are too bright even with a dimmer switch installed, there may be a simple solution. Some modern dimmers have trim adjustments to address the issue. 

In this post, I’ll show you how to achieve the maximum dimming range for your recessed lights by setting the low-end and high-end trim for some of the most popular Lutron, Leviton, Eaton, and Kasa LED dimmer switches. 

Quick Jump to low-end trim adjustments:

Quick Jump to high-end trim adjustments:

What’s a Trim Setting on a Dimmer switch?

A trim setting is a manual adjustment available on some dimmer switches that allows you to fine-tune or “trim” the output of the dimmer at its lowest (low-end) and/or highest (high-end) settings.

Low-End Trim

The most important setting is the low-end trim, which allows you to increase or decrease the output of the dimmer at its lowest setting. It is one of the reasons I recommend using a quality brand dimmer like Leviton or Lutron. All of their LED dimmers include this feature. If you are using a different brand of dimmer, you’ll need to check the documentation provided by the manufacturer to see if there is a way to adjust the low-end trim.

Why is this necessary? 

LED lights will only dim down so far before they begin to flicker, flash, or turn off completely. The low-end threshold will vary depending on the dimming range of the LED fixtures and the number of fixtures in the circuit (load). Because of this variation, LED dimmers usually come preset with a generous low end cut-off point so they will not dim too low and cause the lights to flicker. This can make your LED lights too bright when dimmed. A manual low-end trim adjustment gives you the ability to tune the dimming range to your specific lights and load, resulting in the best possible dimming range for the circuit.

High-End Trim

A high-end trim adjustment gives you the ability to restrict the maximum output of a dimmer switch.This is less of a necessary feature because a dimmer switch already gives you the ability to restrict the maximum brightness by nature. That said, it can be useful in settings where lights will never need to be at their maximum brightness. For example, you may want to limit a dimmer switch that controls an accent light aimed at an art piece to a specific brightness. 

How to set the low-end trim On Dimmers

Lutron Diva LED+ (DVCL-153 models), Skylark Contour (CTCL-153 models), Lumea (LECL-153), and other LED+ (Formerly known as C·L Dimmers)

  1. Remove the faceplate to access the adjustment lever.
  2. Turn the light switch on and move the slider down to the bottom.
  3. Move the trim adjustment lever down until the lights are as dim as they will go without flickering or turning off completely.
  4. Turn the lights off and then on again to verify that all of the lights come on when the slider is at the bottom. If they don’t, adjust the lever up slightly and test again.
  5. Once all of the lights are dimming properly, reinstall the faceplate and you’re all set.

Lutron Maestro LED+ (MACL-153 models)

  1. Press and hold the ON/OFF button and the DOWN button until an Indicator Light blinks. The lights will turn OFF and then turn ON at the current low-end trim setting.
  2. Adjust light output using the dimming buttons (UP/DOWN) until the lights are as dim as they will go without flickering or turning off completely. Press and release the ON/OFF button to save the setting.
  3. Press and release the ON/OFF button to turn load OFF. Then press the UP button once to test the lowest setting of the dimmer. If all of the lights do not turn on or they are unstable, repeat the process and increase the low-end trim slightly.

Lutron Caseta & Caseta Pro Dimmers

  1. Press and hold the ON and the DOWN ARROW buttons at the same time until the small green light starts flashing.
  2. Tap the DOWN ARROW until the lights are as dim as they can be without flickering or turning off.
  3. Press and hold the OFF button until the green light turns off to save the setting.

Leviton Universal SureSlide Dimmers (6674 models)

  1. Set the dimmer to the OFF position. 
  2. Set the bulb selector switch to the LED/Incandescent position. 
  3. Push rocker switch to the ON position. 
  4. Set the bulb selector switch to the CFL position. 
  5. Raise or lower the slide control level until the lights are as dim as they will go without flickering or turning off completely. 
  6. Set the bulb selector switch back to LED/Incandescent position. 
  7. A momentary flash of the bulb will occur confirming the new setting.

Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi

  1. Open the MyLeviton smartphone app
  2. Tap on the the 3 little dots in the top right corner of the device tile
  3. Tap Device Setting>Advanced Settings>Dimming Range
  4. Adjust Minimum Level until the lights are as dim as they can be without flickering.

Eaton Universal Dimmers

  1. Turn OFF the dimmer by toggling the switch and lower the dimmer slider to the minimum level.
  2. Turn ON the dimmer and move the slider to the maximum level, then back to the minimum level, rapidly three times within 5 seconds.
  3. The dimmer enters the low-end trim level adjustment mode, and the connected light bulb will slowly ramp up to the maximum intensity and then back to the minimum intensity. During this time, the user cannot control the intensity by moving the slider.
  4. Move the dimmer slider until the lights are as dim as they can be without flickering or turning off, then remove your hand from the slider and wait 5 seconds.
  5. The dimmer will exit the low-end trim level adjustment mode, and the connected light bulb will slowly ramp up to the maximum intensity, and then ramp down to the minimum intensity. Now, the dimmer is in normal operation mode.
  6. The dimmer can enter the low-end trim level adjustment mode for only 30 seconds after it is turned ON. Once 30 seconds have passed, the user needs to repeat the steps above.

Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch

  1. Open the Kasa smartphone app.
  2. Tap on the dimmer switch to calibrate.
  3. Tap on the setting gear icon in the top right corner.
  4. Tap on Dimming Calibration.
  5. Tap on the top and bottom icons to set the lights as dim as they can be without flickering.
  6. Tap the test button to verify the new setting.

What if your LED lights are too bright at full brightness?

If your LED lights are too bright at the highest setting of your dimmer, several of the dimmers above also have a high-end trim setting. These include the Lutron Maestro LED+, Lutron Caseta, and Leviton Smart Wi-Fi dimmers. As mentioned previously, this is a less common issue because you can always dim the lights, but it is an option if you find your LED lights too bright and would like to limit the brightness.

How to set the high-end trim on dimmers

Lutron Maestro LED+ (MACL-153 models)

  1. Pull the FASS into the OFF position (out), and wait 5 seconds.
  2. Press and hold the ON/OFF button. While continuing to hold the ON/OFF button, push the FASS to the ON position (in) and continue to hold the ON/OFF button the bottom indicator light begins to blink slowly (approximately 5 seconds).
  3. Tap the UP button until the top indicator light is blinking slowly.
  4. Press the ON/OFF button once, and observe that the top indicator light is blinking quickly.
  5. Use the UP/DOWN buttons to set the maximum brightness of the lights.
  6. Press the ON/OFF button one more time to save the setting. 

Lutron Caseta & Caseta Pro

  1. Press and hold the ON and the UP ARROW buttons at the same time until the small green light starts flashing.
  2. Use the UP/ DOWN ARROW buttons to set the lights to the maximum brightness level.
  3. Press and hold the OFF button until the green light turns off.

Leviton Smart Wi-Fi dimmers

  1. Open the MyLeviton smartphone app
  2. Tap on the the 3 little dots in the top right corner of the device tile
  3. Tap Device Setting>Advanced Settings>Dimming Range
  4. Adjust Maximum Level to set the lights to the maximum brightness level.

Conclusion

Lighting that is too bright can be distracting and uncomfortable. Taking the time to set the dimming range for your lights is well-worth the minimal effort it takes. If you’re using an older dimmer switch or one that does not have trim settings, it would be worth the upgrade to install one of the LED dimmers mentioned above. 

Dimmers referenced in this article are available on Amazon