Two Mac display features quietly make long days easier on your eyes: Night Shift warms the screen on a schedule so you sleep better, and True Tone keeps colors looking natural as your room lighting changes. Here is exactly how to turn each one on, tune it, and fix the usual snags.
Night Shift: warm the screen on a schedule
Night Shift shifts your display toward the warmer end of the color spectrum in the evening, cutting the blue light that keeps you awake. Every Mac running a modern version of macOS has it.
- Open the Apple menu → System Settings (called System Preferences on older macOS).
- Click Displays in the sidebar, then click the Night Shift… button in the lower-right.
- Set Schedule to Sunset to Sunrise (automatic, uses your location) or Custom if you want fixed hours.
- Drag the Color Temperature slider — further toward More Warm is easier on the eyes at night but tints whites orange.
- Flip Turn On Until Tomorrow any time you want it on right now, regardless of the schedule.
Shortcut: open Control Center in the menu bar → Display → toggle Night Shift without digging through Settings.
True Tone: colors that match your room
True Tone uses an ambient light sensor to adjust the display’s white balance to the light around you, so a white page looks like paper in any room instead of harsh blue. It is subtler than Night Shift and meant to run all the time.
- Go to System Settings → Displays.
- Toggle True Tone on (it sits right under the brightness slider).
Why some Macs don’t show a True Tone switch
True Tone needs the ambient light sensor and display hardware that arrived in 2018 and later Macs. If you don’t see the toggle, your Mac is older than that — Night Shift still works, but True Tone won’t appear. Every Apple-silicon Mac we sell supports it: an M1 MacBook Air from $569.99, the M2 Air from $974.99, and the M3 Air from $974.99 all include True Tone. If you’re shopping our Apple clearance section, any M1-or-newer machine has it built in.
Night Shift vs. True Tone — use both
They solve different problems and layer nicely: leave True Tone on all day for natural color, and let Night Shift ramp up in the evening for sleep. Night Shift changes warmth on a clock; True Tone reacts to your actual lighting in real time.
Common questions
Night Shift won’t turn on automatically
The Sunset to Sunrise schedule needs Location Services enabled: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → turn on System Services → Setting Time Zone. Without location, switch the schedule to Custom and set your own hours.
Does Night Shift or True Tone hurt color-critical work?
Yes — both shift white balance, so turn them off before photo or video color grading. Toggle True Tone off in Displays and set Night Shift to Off while you edit, then re-enable them after.
My external monitor doesn’t change
True Tone works only on Apple’s built-in displays and a few Apple external monitors with the sensor. Most third-party monitors won’t show a True Tone option. Night Shift does apply to most external displays.
Can I keep Night Shift softer during the day?
Night Shift is designed for evenings, but you can run it manually anytime via Control Center. For all-day eye comfort, the better tools are True Tone plus lowering brightness — see our guide on MacBook battery and display health.
Want more macOS tips? Try our walkthroughs on Quick Note and Split View. See all guides →