Night Light in Windows 11: How to Turn It On, Schedule, and Adjust It

Windows 11 includes Night Light, a display feature that adjusts your screen’s color temperature to make it appear warmer, especially in the evening or at night. It reduces the amount of blue-toned light produced by the display and can make the screen more comfortable to look at in darker environments.

You can turn Night Light on manually from Quick Settings or schedule it to turn on automatically at a specific time. Windows 11 also lets you adjust the effect’s strength to make the screen warmer or cooler. In this guide, we’ll explain what Night Light does in Windows 11, how to turn it on, schedule it, adjust its strength, and troubleshoot common problems when it doesn’t work as expected.

What Is Night Light in Windows 11?

Night Light is a built-in Windows 11 display feature that gives your screen a warmer color appearance by reducing the amount of blue-toned light shown by the display.

It is designed for use during the evening or in low-light environments. Instead of changing the screen’s brightness, Night Light adjusts its color temperature, making whites and other colors appear warmer.

You can use Night Light in several ways:

• Turn it on manually when you want a warmer screen.
• Schedule it to turn on and off automatically.
• Adjust the strength to control how warm the display looks.
• Turn it off temporarily when color accuracy is more important, such as during photo or video editing.

Night Light is different from Dark Mode. Dark Mode changes the appearance of Windows and supported apps, while Night Light adjusts the display’s color temperature.

How to Turn On Night Light in Windows 11

The quickest way to enable Night Light is through Windows 11 Quick Settings. This lets you turn the feature on or off without opening the full Settings app.

From Quick Settings

1. Press Windows + A to open Quick Settings.
2. Find Night light.
3. Click Night light to turn it on.
4. Click it again to turn it off whenever you want.

If Night light is not visible in Quick Settings, click the pencil icon to edit Quick Settings and add it.

From Settings

You can also enable it from the display settings:

1. Open Settings with Windows + I.
2. Go to System > Display.
3. Turn on Night light.

From this page, you can also access settings to adjust the strength and schedule.

How to Schedule Night Light in Windows 11

If you use Night Light regularly in the evening, you can schedule Windows 11 to turn it on and off automatically. This means you don’t have to remember to enable it manually each night.

1. Open Settings with Windows + I.
2. Go to System > Display > Night light.
3. Turn on Schedule night light.
4. Choose one of the available scheduling options:
   • Sunset to sunrise — Windows automatically follows the local sunset and sunrise times.
   • Set hours — Choose the specific time when Night Light should turn on and off.
5. Close Settings.

For a fixed daily routine, Set hours gives you more control. If you want the schedule to follow seasonal changes in daylight, Sunset to sunrise is more convenient.

If the sunset-to-sunrise option is unavailable or doesn’t reflect the correct times, make sure Windows has the correct time zone, date, and location settings.

How to Adjust Night Light Strength in Windows 11

Windows 11 lets you control the intensity of Night Light. This is useful because some users may prefer a subtle warm tint, while others may want a stronger effect in the evening.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System > Display > Night light.
3. Make sure Night light is turned on.
4. Find the Strength slider.
5. Move the slider left or right until the display looks comfortable.

A lower strength produces a more subtle change, while a higher strength makes the screen noticeably warmer.

If you use your PC for tasks where color accuracy matters, such as photo editing or graphic design, you may want to temporarily turn Night Light off while working.

How to Turn Off Night Light Temporarily

If Night Light is scheduled to run automatically but you need the normal display colors for a while, you can turn it off temporarily without removing the schedule.

From Quick Settings

1. Press Windows + A.
2. Select Night light to turn it off.
3. When you’re ready, select Night light again to turn it back on.

From Settings

1. Open Settings > System > Display.
2. Turn Night light off.

Your schedule remains configured, so Windows can automatically turn Night Light back on at the next scheduled time.

You can also use the Night light settings page to change the schedule or disable it completely if you no longer want it to activate automatically.

What to Do If Night Light Is Not Working in Windows 11

Night Light may sometimes fail to turn on, remain stuck in the wrong state, or appear unavailable in Windows 11. Display driver problems, Windows updates, incorrect time settings, or display configuration issues can cause the feature to behave unexpectedly.

Restart Windows

A temporary Windows display or graphics process problem can prevent Night Light from applying correctly. Save your work, restart the PC, and test Night Light again.

Update the Display Driver

Open Device Manager > Display adapters, right-click your graphics device, and select Update driver. You can also check your PC or graphics manufacturer’s website for a newer driver.

Check Date, Time, and Time Zone

If you use the Sunset to sunrise schedule, incorrect time or time-zone settings can cause Night Light to activate at the wrong time.

Go to Settings > Time & language > Date & time and make sure the date, time, and time zone are correct.

Check for Windows Updates

Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates and install available updates. Restart Windows afterward and test the feature again.

If Night Light remains unavailable or unresponsive after these steps, the display driver or another graphics-related component may require further troubleshooting.

Night Light Is Greyed Out in Windows 11

If the Night Light option is greyed out or you cannot change its settings, Windows may not be detecting the display correctly or the graphics driver may not support the feature properly.

Try these steps:

1. Disconnect any unnecessary external display and check Night Light on the main screen.
2. Restart the computer and test the setting again.
3. Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters.
4. Right-click your graphics device and select Update driver.
5. If the problem started immediately after a driver update, open Properties > Driver and check whether Roll Back Driver is available.
6. Install any pending Windows 11 updates from Settings > Windows Update.
7. If you are using an external monitor, check whether your graphics driver and monitor connection are working correctly.

Night Light availability can also vary depending on the display hardware and graphics driver. If the option remains unavailable after updating the driver, check your PC or graphics card manufacturer’s support information for display driver compatibility.

Frequently Asked Questions