Windows 11 retains plenty of accessibility settings from Windows 10, with the Night Light facility being one of them. It was first introduced in Windows 10 to lower the amount of blue light on your computer screen. For the uninitiated, blue light refers to the high energy waves belonging to the visible spectrum of light that's emitted by your PC's display.

Among other problems, blue light is known to cause eye strain if you use your system for hours in dark surroundings. It can even disrupt your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle by lowering the amount of melatonin produced by your body. Windows 11’s Night Light feature decreases the harmful effects of blue light by switching your screen’s colors to warmer and reddish hues. This article goes over all possible ways for you to enable night light on your Windows 11 system.

How to enable Night Light using Quick Settings

The most straightforward way to turn on the Night Light is via Quick Settings.

1. Press Win + A to open Quick Settings at the bottom right portion of the screen.
2. The Night Light button will be available in the first row of the list of icons. Pressing it once will enable it for your display.

This method is only useful if you don’t mind using the default Night Light configuration. So, I'd suggest sticking to this method after you've set up a custom Night Light profile using Settings.

How to enable Night Light using Settings

Enabling the Night Light feature via Settings is the longer of the two native methods provided by Windows 11, but it can also allow you to tweak the Night Light configuration to suit your needs.

1. Type settings into the Search bar and click on Settings.
2. Select the System tab and choose the Display settings.
3. Press the Night light toggle to turn it on.

How to change the color temperature of Night Light

Windows 11 allows you to modify the strength of the Night Light to adjust the color temperature of the screen when it is enabled. You can follow these steps to modify its color tones.

1. Click on the arrow icon at the end of the Night Light tab.
2. You can adjust the color temperature of the Night Light using the Strength slider.
3. Dragging the slider toward the left will reduce the blue light filter effect, while moving it toward the right will make the colors warmer.

How to schedule Night Light

Windows 11 also provides the facility to auto-enable the Night Light at specific times. You can set the start and shutdown times or have the OS turn it on from sunset to sunrise.

1. Press the Arrow button at the end of the Night Light tab.
2. Click on the Schedule night light button to automatically enable the feature from sunset to sunrise. You will need to turn on the location settings for this option to show up.
3. Alternatively, you can manually enter the startup and shutdown times if you want a more precise schedule for the Night Light.

What to do if the Night Light fails to turn on

Fixing issues caused by GPU settings

Sometimes, the Night Light facility might not work even after enabling it. The override to reference mode option in your GPU's display settings is the most common culprit behind this issue. We'll go over the exact steps to disable this setting in the Nvidia Control Panel, though the overall procedure should be the same regardless of your GPU's manufacturer.

1. Click on the Show hidden icons option on the Taskbar and double-click on the NVIDIA Settings icon.
2. Navigate to the Adjust display color settings tab.
3. Make sure the Override to reference mode option is disabled. If it's not, be sure to turn it off before clicking on the Apply button.

Fixing broken registry records

The Night Light settings being grayed out is another common error that's caused by compatibility issues with your display drivers or incorrect registry values. In this case, you can restore the options by modifying certain values in the built-in registry editor on Windows 11.

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Run.
2. Type regedit and press OK.
3. Copy and paste the following text into the Search bar:

    Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore\Store\DefaultAccount\Cloud

4. Delete the folders named

   default$windows.data.bluelightreduction.bluelightreductionstate

   default$windows.data.bluelightreduction.settings

5. Restart your system.

Fixing issues caused by docking stations

The night light toggle can also be grayed out if you are using DisplayLink docking stations to connect your laptop to an external monitor. Fortunately, you can enable night light as long as your DisplayLink drivers are version 9.0 or higher.

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Run.
2. Type regedit and press OK.
3. Copy and paste the following text into the Search bar:

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\DisplayLink\Core

4. Right-click on the Core folder and create a new string value with the name EnableGammaRamp.
5. Set the Value data as true and click OK.
6. Disconnect your display cables before restarting your system. Be sure to plug them back once your PC boots up.

How to enable night light using third-party applications

If you're dissatisfied with the native Night Light settings on Windows 11, you might want to switch to a third-party application. Besides boasting multiple customization options to shield your eyes from blue light, these apps are also useful if the default Night Light settings are grayed out, and you don’t wish to mess with the registry editor.

I would recommend using f.lux as it is an easy-to-use software that dynamically adjusts the color temperature depending on the time of the day. The app is also compatible with smart lighting technology, allowing you to sync your f.lux settings with the lights in your house. Alternatively, you can also use Redshift. Unlike f.lux, Redshift is included in the repositories of Arch, Fedora, Debian, and many other Linux distributions. Redshift is perfect if you want a lightweight app that can control the night light using simple terminal commands.

Enabling Night Light to protect your eyes and improve your sleep

It may take a while to adjust to the warmer tones of night light when you're using your desktop PC or great laptop, but turning it on is well worth the hassle as it lowers your eye strain if you frequently work late at night.

If you want to look into other personalization settings available on Windows 11, be sure to check our guide on customizing the operating system.