Night Shift shifts the Mac display toward warmer colors in the evening, reducing the cooler blue tone that can feel harsh at night. You can turn it on manually or schedule it to run automatically.
Night Shift works on compatible Macs and displays running macOS Sierra or later.
Does This Affect You?
Use Night Shift if the screen feels too blue or bright at night and you want macOS to warm the display without changing brightness manually.
Turn On Night Shift Manually
- Open System Settings.
- Choose Displays.
- Click Night Shift.
- Turn on the manual option or Turn On Until Tomorrow if shown.
- Move the Color Temperature slider toward More Warm or Less Warm.
The display color changes immediately, though the effect may feel subtle until your eyes adjust.
Set a Night Shift Schedule
- Open System Settings > Displays > Night Shift.
- Open the Schedule menu.
- Choose Sunset to Sunrise to use local evening and morning times.
- Choose Custom to set your own start and end times.
- Adjust the warmth slider and close settings.
Night Shift Notes
Sunset to Sunrise Missing
If that schedule option is unavailable, enable Location Services for system settings under Privacy & Security so the Mac can determine local sunset and sunrise.
Color-Sensitive Work
Turn Night Shift off while editing photos, designing graphics, or doing any task where accurate color matters.
Night Shift vs Dark Mode vs True Tone
Night Shift changes color temperature. Dark Mode changes the interface theme. True Tone adjusts white balance to room lighting on supported displays. They can run together.
External Displays
Night Shift may affect external monitors, but support depends on the display and connection. Some third-party screens do not shift exactly like the built-in display.
Sources
- Apple Support: Adjust Night Shift settings on Mac
- Apple Support: Use Dark Mode and Night Shift together
- Apple: Display settings overview