Do you often find yourself unable to sleep or lack concentration due to the blue light from your laptop or tablet’s screen? If so, then you might need to enable the Windows 11 Night Light feature. Microsoft first introduced its Night Mode feature in 2017 as part of its Windows 10 Creator’s Update and further refined it for the Windows 11 release. This Night Mode feature, now more aptly referred to as the Windows 11 Night Light acclimates your display to reduce the blue light emittance and help you sleep better at night.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain how you can enable, customize, and use Windows 11 Night Light. We’ll look into how Night Light can improve your sleep and productivity as well as its potential risks. Let’s get started.
What is Windows 11 Night Light?
Night Light is a feature in Windows 11 that is designed to filter the blue light in an effort to reduce eye strain and improve sleep quality for users. It works by gradually decreasing the color temperature of the display to a dimmer, warmer orange hue after sunset.
When enabled, the Windows 11 Night Light feature will work automatically, depending on your local timezone. It will change the color of your display during sunset and sunrise, but you can adjust the color temperature according to your preference from cool blue to excessively warm as well.
Benefits of Using Windows 11 Night Light
There are many benefits of enabling Windows 11 Night Light.
First and foremost, blue light exposure has been linked to sleep deprivation, which can cause long-term health complications. By reducing the blue light emittance from your device, you can sleep and rest better at night.
Using Windows 11 Night Light will also allow you to get more productivity out of your day as it can help improve your concentration and focus. Spending too much time staring at your screen can cause digital eye strain, and Night Light makes the display more comfortable to look at.
Finally, using Night Light can help reduce the development of age-related eye disorders like cataracts, macular degeneration, and myopia.
Risks of Using Windows 11 Night Light
While there are plenty of benefits to using Windows 11 Night Light, there are some potential risks too.
The main issue is that by automatically changing the color of your display, it could potentially interfere with the color accuracy of images or videos you may be viewing, depending on the amount of blue light being filtered.
You may also experience a loss of contrast between colors and the inability to spot minute details in images or video, as the Night Light feature tends to reduce the color saturation levels as well.
Finally, some users have reported experiencing headaches and migraines due to a sudden change in the display’s hue.
How to Enable Windows 11 Night Light
Fortunately, enabling Windows 11 Night Light is incredibly easy — here’s how.
Step 1: Access the Windows 11 Settings page
First, you’ll need to access the Windows 11 Settings page by either selecting the Start button and then selecting Settings, or pressing the Windows key and I together.
Step 2: Select “System”
Once you’re on the Settings page, click on “System” for further options.
Step 3: Select “Display” and then “Night Light Settings”
Once you’re on the System page, click on “Display” and then select “Night Light Settings” from the menu.
Step 4: Enable Night Light and customize the settings
After you’ve accessed the Night Light Settings page, click on the toggle switch to enable Night Light. As the name implies, Night Light helps reduce the blue light emission and can be customized by changing the intensity and color temperature. You can also set a schedule that will automatically turn Night Light on or off, depending on your local sunrise and sunset times.
Once you’re done, click the “Done” button and you’re good to go.
And that’s all it takes to enable the Windows 11 Night Light feature. As you can see, this feature is incredibly easy to use, and the benefits of having it enabled far outweigh its risks. So, if you think your sleep quality or productivity could use some improvement, be sure to try it out.
Night Light is a great way to reduce your blue light exposure and improve your sleep, concentration, and overall health. There’s no excuse not to use it!
Good luck enabling and using Windows 11 Night Light.
