Settings

Settings control how the screen and sound fade, and what your computer does at the end. Most people never need to change them, but they're there if you want a slower fade, a darker screen or a different bedtime routine.

Opening Settings

Click the settings button in the top-right corner of the main window.
Or choose Settings… from the Nightcap menu in the menu bar or system tray.
Or press ⌘ , on a Mac, or Ctrl , on Windows and Linux, while the main window is open.

There's no save button. Changes take effect straight away, even for a timer that's already running, and Nightcap remembers them next time.

Screen brightness

The screen brightness settings Nightcap starts with.

Dim screen before sleep: Turns screen dimming on or off. This is the same switch as Dim screen in the main window. On to start with.
Start dimming: How long before the end of the timer the screen begins to dim, from 5 minutes to an hour. Starts at 20 minutes before.
Dim over: How long the dimming takes from start to finish, from 1 minute to an hour. A longer fade is harder to notice. It can't be longer than the start time above. Starts at 15 minutes.
Dim to: How dark the screen gets, from 0% (as dark as it will go) up to 90%. Starts at 10%.

If your screen doesn't support brightness control, you'll see a note here saying Nightcap will use a dark overlay instead. See What happens at bedtime for more.

Volume

These work just like the screen settings, but for sound.

Lower volume before sleep: Turns the volume fade on or off. This is the same switch as Lower volume in the main window. On to start with.
Start lowering: How long before the end the volume begins to drop. Starts at 15 minutes before.
Lower over: How long the volume takes to come down. Starts at 10 minutes.
Lower to: How quiet it gets, from 0% (silent) up to 90%. Starts at 20%.

When the timer ends

Action: Sleep, Hibernate or Shut Down. This is the same choice as When finished in the main window. Starts as Sleep. Using the timer explains each one.
Restore brightness and volume after canceling or waking: When this is on, Nightcap puts the screen and sound back the way they were when you cancel a timer or wake your computer. On to start with.

Show time remaining in the menu bar: Shows the countdown next to the moon icon in the Mac menu bar. Turn it off if you'd rather just see the icon. On to start with.

Going back to the standard settings

There's no reset button, but the values on this page are the ones Nightcap starts with, so you can set them back by hand.