Why Use Night Light on Windows 11
Night Light is a built-in Windows 11 feature that shifts your screen colours towards warmer, more yellow and orange tones in the evening. It reduces the amount of blue light your display gives off and makes the screen feel softer in a dark room. You do not need to install any extra app or pay for anything, because it is already part of Windows 11.
A bright, cool-white screen can feel uncomfortable late at night, especially when the rest of the room is dark. Your eyes have to work harder to adjust to the contrast between the glowing screen and the darkness around it. A warmer screen is usually easier to look at for long stretches.
Night Light does not filter out all blue light, and it is not a medical treatment or a guaranteed sleep cure. It simply changes the colour temperature of your display so that whites look warmer and blues look softer. Alongside habits such as lowering your brightness and taking regular breaks, it can make late-night computer use more comfortable.
This guide shows you how to use Night Light on Windows 11 from start to finish: how to turn it on and off, set it to switch on automatically at sunset or at hours you choose, adjust the strength slider, and use it with HDR and multiple monitors. It also covers the most common problems and how to fix them.
Before You Start
Night Light is a system-wide display setting, not a per-app setting. When it is on, it warms the colours on your whole screen at once, including Windows, your browser, and every app you have open. You cannot turn it on for one app and leave it off for another using Windows alone.
Step 1: Check that you are running Windows 11. Night Light is also available on Windows 10, but the menus in this guide follow Windows 11. Press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to System, then About.
Step 2: Make sure your display driver is installed. Night Light depends on your graphics driver. If Windows is using the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, or a driver for a USB display adapter such as DisplayLink, Night Light may be missing or greyed out.
Step 3: Decide how you want to use it. Some people switch Night Light on by hand each evening. Others set a schedule once and never think about it again. If you want the schedule to follow sunset and sunrise, Windows needs location services turned on.
If you use an external monitor, a docking station, or an HDR display, Night Light may behave differently on each screen. It usually works on a laptop’s built-in display and on monitors connected directly by HDMI or DisplayPort, but it may not work through some USB display adapters.
How to Turn Night Light On and Off in Windows 11
There are two ways to turn Night Light on and off. Quick Settings is the fastest way for a one-off switch, while the Settings app is the better place to go the first time, because it also gives you the strength slider and the schedule options.
Step 1: Open Quick Settings. Press Windows key + A, or click the battery, network, and volume icons together in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar.
Step 2: Find the Night light tile. Look through the tiles in the Quick Settings panel for one labelled Night light. If you do not see it, click the pencil icon to edit the panel and add it.
Step 3: Click the Night light tile to turn it on. The tile highlights when Night Light is on, and your screen shifts to a warmer tone within a second or two. Click the tile again to turn it off.
Step 4: Open Settings for the full controls. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. You can also right-click the Start button and choose Settings.
Step 5: Go to System, then Display. In the left-hand menu of Settings, click System, then click Display at the top of the list. The Display page opens with the Brightness & color section near the top.
Step 6: Turn on the Night light switch. Under Brightness & color, find Night light. Click the switch next to it to turn it on. The word next to the switch changes from Off to On, and the screen warms straight away.
Step 7: Open the Night light page for more options. Click the words Night light, or the small arrow at the right-hand end of the row, rather than the switch itself. This opens the Night light page, with the Turn on now button, the Strength slider, and the schedule settings.
Step 8: Check that the change took effect. Look at a white window, such as a blank document or a web page. With Night Light on, whites should look warm, creamy, or slightly orange.
Which method should you use day to day
Use Quick Settings to switch Night Light on for the evening and off again in the morning. Use the Settings app to change how warm the screen gets or set up a schedule, because those options are not available from the Quick Settings tile.
How to Set a Night Light Schedule in Windows 11
A schedule is the most convenient way to use Night Light, because Windows turns it on in the evening and off in the morning without you having to remember. You can choose Sunset to sunrise, which follows the daylight hours for your location, or Set hours, which lets you pick your own times.
Step 1: Open the Night light page. Press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to System, then Display, then click Night light.
Step 2: Turn on Schedule night light. Scroll down to the Schedule section and turn on the switch labelled Schedule night light. Two choices appear underneath: Sunset to sunrise and Set hours.
Step 3: Choose Sunset to sunrise if you want automatic timing. Select Sunset to sunrise and Windows will work out your local sunset and sunrise times and show them in brackets, for example “Sunset to sunrise (7:12 PM – 7:24 AM).” The times shift through the year on their own.
Step 4: Turn on location services if Sunset to sunrise is greyed out. The sunset option needs to know where you are, so it requires location services. Go to Settings, then Privacy & security, then Location, and turn on Location services.
Step 5: Choose Set hours if you prefer fixed times. Select Set hours if you keep a regular routine, travel often, or would rather not turn on location services. These times stay the same until you change them.
Step 6: Enter your switch-on and switch-off times. Next to Turn on, choose the hour, minutes, and AM or PM, for example 10:00 PM. Next to Turn off, choose the morning time, for example 6:30 AM.
Step 7: Test the schedule with Turn on now. Click Turn on now at the top of the Night light page to preview the warm tint without waiting for the evening. The button changes to Turn off now. Click it again to switch Night Light off and let the schedule take over.
Sunset to sunrise or Set hours: which is better
Sunset to sunrise suits most people, because it follows the seasons and you never have to adjust it. Set hours is better if your routine is fixed, or if you do not want Windows to use your location.
How to Adjust Night Light Strength in Windows 11
The Strength slider controls how warm your screen becomes when Night Light is on. Moving it to the right makes the screen warmer and more orange, while moving it to the left makes it closer to its normal colours. Windows remembers the strength you choose and uses it every time Night Light switches on, whether by hand or by schedule.
Step 1: Open the Night light page. Press Windows key + I to open Settings, then go to System, then Display, then click Night light.
Step 2: Turn Night Light on so you can see the effect. Click Turn on now at the top of the page. The screen warms immediately, which makes it much easier to judge the slider.
Step 3: Drag the Strength slider to the right for a warmer screen. Click and drag the slider to the right to increase the warmth. The screen updates as you drag, so you can watch the colours change in real time.
Step 4: Drag the slider to the left for a gentler tint. If the screen looks too orange, drag the slider back to the left until whites look warm but still readable. A lower strength gives a subtle golden tint.
Step 5: Test the setting against what you actually do at night. Open the apps you use most in the evening, such as your browser or a document, and check that text is still easy to read and that photos still look acceptable.
Step 6: Leave the slider where it feels comfortable. There is nothing more to save. Windows applies the strength straight away and remembers it. If you change your mind later, return to the same page and drag the slider again.
How to choose a strength that works for you
A low strength is a good starting point if you are new to Night Light or do photo work in the evening. A middle strength suits most people for reading and late-night work. A high strength is best in a dark room just before bed.
How to Use Night Light with HDR, Multiple Monitors, and Apps
Night Light is a system-wide setting, so it applies to your whole screen rather than to one app at a time. That simple design works well on a single laptop screen, but it raises a few questions when you have an HDR display, two or more monitors, or apps that manage their own colours.
Step 1: Understand that Night Light has no per-app setting. Windows 11 does not let you turn Night Light on for one app and off for another. When it is on, every app, window, and menu is warmed at the same time. If you need accurate colours in one app, turn Night Light off while you work in it.
Step 2: Check how Night Light behaves with HDR. On some HDR setups, Night Light may look weaker than usual, may not apply at all, or may switch off when HDR video starts playing. This happens because HDR uses a different colour pipeline from normal SDR content.
Step 3: Turn HDR off for a test if the tint is missing. Go to Settings, then System, then Display, and select the HDR display. Turn off the HDR switch and switch Night Light on again. If the warm tint returns, HDR was interfering with it.
Step 4: Check each monitor separately. If you use more than one monitor, open Settings, then System, then Display, and click each monitor in the diagram at the top of the page. Night Light normally applies to all connected displays, but it may not apply to a monitor connected through a USB display adapter or a DisplayLink dock.
Step 5: Connect the monitor directly if Night Light does not work on it. Where possible, connect the monitor straight to your PC with HDMI or DisplayPort and test Night Light again. If it works on a direct connection but not through the dock, the adapter is the limit. Many monitors also have their own low blue light mode in their on-screen menu.
Step 6: Check for apps that manage colours themselves. Some apps, such as f.lux, monitor control utilities, graphics card colour tools, and manufacturer display software, can override or conflict with Night Light. If Night Light turns on but your screen does not change, close or pause any such app and try again.
Night Light and dark mode: do you need both
Night Light and dark mode do different jobs, and they work well together. Dark mode changes app backgrounds from white to dark grey or black, which reduces glare, while Night Light warms the colours that remain. Turn on dark mode under Settings, then Personalization, then Colors.
Common Problems and How to Fix Them
Night Light is greyed out or missing. This usually means Windows cannot control your display through the current driver. Update it first: right-click Start, choose Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click your graphics adapter, and choose Update driver. Then restart your PC. If you use a DisplayLink dock, check the maker’s site for a newer driver.
Night Light is on but the screen does not change. Check the Strength slider first. If it is set all the way to the left, the effect is almost invisible, so drag it to the right. Then check whether HDR is on, because HDR can weaken or block the warm tint on some displays. Also check for another app that manages colours, such as f.lux, and close it for a test.
Night Light turns itself off. Check the schedule first. If Schedule night light is on and the switch-off time has been reached, Windows is simply following your settings. Also check whether HDR video has started playing, since Night Light may turn off or pause while HDR content plays on some setups. A third-party colour app can also switch it off.
Night Light will not turn on at sunset. The Sunset to sunrise option needs location services. Go to Settings, then Privacy & security, then Location, and make sure Location services is turned on. Also check that your date, time, and time zone are correct under Settings, then Time & language, then Date & time. If you do not want to use location services, switch the schedule to Set hours instead.
Night Light works on one monitor but not the other. This is common with mixed setups. Select each monitor in Settings, then System, then Display, and check whether the effect differs between them. A monitor connected through a USB adapter or a DisplayLink dock may not support Night Light at all, while one connected directly by HDMI or DisplayPort works normally. For the affected screen, use the monitor’s own low blue light mode from its on-screen menu.
Night Light makes everything too orange. Lower the Strength slider rather than switching Night Light off. A middle or low strength is usually enough to soften the screen without making whites look muddy. Also check that you are not running Night Light and a third-party blue light app at the same time, because the two effects stack and the result looks far stronger than either one alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Night Light block all blue light? No. Night Light reduces blue light by shifting your screen towards warmer colours, but it does not remove it completely. Think of it as making the screen gentler on your eyes in the evening, not as a filter that blocks every trace of blue light. Lowering your brightness and taking breaks still matter.
Will Night Light help me sleep better? It may make late-night screen use more comfortable, but it is not a medical sleep treatment and there is no guarantee it will improve your sleep. Reducing screen time before bed and keeping a regular sleep routine still matter most.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for Night Light? There is no single built-in shortcut that toggles Night Light directly. The quickest keyboard route is Windows key + A to open Quick Settings, then click the Night light tile. You can also press Windows key + I to open Settings and go to System, then Display, then Night light.
Can I set a different Night Light strength for each monitor? No. Windows applies one Night Light strength to the whole system. You cannot set a different warmth for each display from the Night Light page. If one monitor looks too warm and another looks fine, adjust the strength to a level that suits both.
Does Night Light work with HDR? It depends on your display. On some HDR setups Night Light works normally, while on others it looks weak, does not apply, or switches off when HDR video plays. If the warm tint disappears during HDR video, try turning HDR off for the evening under Settings, then System, then Display.
Final Thoughts
Night Light is one of the simplest comfort features in Windows 11. Turn it on from Quick Settings with Windows key + A, or from Settings under System, then Display, then Night light. Set a schedule once, either Sunset to sunrise or your own hours, and adjust the Strength slider until the warmth feels right for your room and your eyes.
It will not remove all blue light or fix your sleep on its own, but used every evening it makes the screen noticeably easier to live with after dark. Set it up today, leave the schedule running, and let Windows handle the rest.
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