One of the features that went by nearly unnoticed with the introduction of macOS Sierra in 2016 was Night Shift for Mac. What Mac Night Shift does is it helps alleviate the strain on your eyes when the environment around you gets darker (at night) and also doesn’t block the production of melatonin, which controls the quality of your sleep.
Basically, Night Mode for Mac is like a MacBook blue light filter. It’s distinctly different from the Dark Mode that was released with macOS Mojave. Although Dark Mode is much easier on your eyes at night as well, it’s not a blue light filter for Mac. In fact, Night Shift and Dark Mode are activated separately but could (and should) totally be used in tandem.
In the last few years, more and more Night Shift apps have flooded the market. None of them are featured in the App Store though, as they breach Apple’s sandbox requirements. So be careful trying to download third-party software with Mac blue light filters — better stick with the native Apple offering, which is actually pretty simple and effective.
Similarly, lots of popular web apps, from YouTube to Reddit to Google Chrome itself, now offer their own versions of Dark Mode, which all of us should use at night. Let’s dive in and explore them all.
This is supposed to help you sleep because the “Blue Light” emanating from a computer can disturb your ability to sleep. Because I have started using my iMac more at night, I have decided to activate the “Night Shift” feature. Here is how that is done. MacOS Night Shift. You access Night Shift in the “System Preferences Displays”. Jan 21, 2017 Overall, it’s a great way to get that Night Shift effect on your desktop or laptop, which is highly recommended if you are an all-day computer user. Until Apple brings Night Shift to macOS. Go to System Preference on your Mac. Click on Displays and choose Night Shift tab. Then you can set the Night Shift schedule or manually turn on Night Shift until tomorrow. Pull down the Schedule section, you can choose either “Custom” or “Sunset to Sunrise”. Apr 17, 2017 Night Shift requirements: How to use Night Shift on your Mac - Apple Support. Apr 16, 2017 9:49 PM Reply Helpful. Thread reply - more options. Link to this Post; User profile for user: Eau Rouge. An app people have been using for a while and does the same job as Night Shift and is a bit more more flexible, you can get it here. Jul 13, 2018 Make sure that your Mac meets the system requirements for Night Shift, then follow these steps: Choose Apple menu () System Preferences, then click Displays. Click the Night Shift tab.
How To Enable Night Mode On Mac
To start with, it’s important to note that not all older Macs support Night Shift. While you have to be on macOS Mojave to turn it on, you also have to have MacBook Air, Pro, Mac mini, or iMac no earlier than mid-2012; Mac Pro of at least late 2013; or MacBook from 2015 onwards.
Now that you’ve verified your Mac is eligible:
- Open System Preferences ➙ Displays
- Go to the Night Shift tab
- Turn the Schedule to either Custom, if you want to specify when the Night Shift for Mac will be on, or Sunset to Sunrise, in which the Mac Night Shift will turn on automatically at night
- Specify the Color Temperature you’d like the Night Shift to use. In the beginning, try to position the slider somewhere between the middle and More Warm.
You can activate the Mac blue light filter at any time by swiping two fingers left from the right side of your trackpad to open the Notification Center and then scrolling to the top and setting Night Shift to On.
While you’re making changes in settings, here’s how to enable Dark Mode too if you feel like it:
- Navigate to General in System Preferences
- Click on Dark in Appearance
- Adjust Accent and Highlight colors as you see fit
How to turn on Night Mode on YouTube
Among the apps we spend a lot of time in at night, YouTube is probably the winner. Luckily, for some time now they have been offering a Night Mode on their website as well as mobile apps.
To turn on YouTube Night Mode on the web:
- Log in to your account at youtube.com
- Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner
- Select Dark theme and then toggle it on
Activating YouTube Night Mode on your iPhone is practically the same:
- Tap on the icon of your profile
- Go to Settings
- Toggle the Dark theme on
Activate Reddit Night Mode in two clicks
Reddit might as well be the number one reason we spend hours going down the rabbit hole instead of sleeping. But if we’re doing it anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to activate the night mode, so at least it’s easier to fall asleep later on.
The best thing about Reddit Night Mode is that it’s available to registered users and guests alike, so you don’t have to create a profile to enjoy it.
To enable Reddit Night Mode:
- Go to reddit.com
- Click on the profile icon in the top right
- Switch Night Mode to on
Use Chrome Night Mode for easier browsing
You might ask how about Chrome Night Mode? As of early 2019, the official support for Chrome Night Mode doesn’t exist, although it’s rumored to be included in Chrome 74 (so if this version is already released, check there first). However, there currently are dozens of high-quality plugins that do the job perfectly fine.
As of today, Google Chrome lets third-party developers release two variations of Night Mode: extensions and themes.
Night Shift App Macbook
Themes have been a Google Chrome staple since forever and basically change the interface color of the app itself. Some of them have even been developed by Google.
Extensions let you change the background color of any webpage, which is the most prevalent element and should have the most effect.
To change either theme or extension to Chrome Night Mode:
- Go to Window ➙ Extensions
- Click Open Chrome Web Store
- Click on Themes, choose Just Black published by Google (or any other one), and click Add to Chrome
- Go back, click on Extensions, and search for “dark theme”
- Select Add to Chrome on any extension you like (e.g. Dark Theme for Chrome) and then press “Add extension” in the pop-up window
Enable dark interface in DCommander
As the most robust file manager around, used frequently at nights in developer environments, DCommander too has released its version of a dark theme.
DCommander features a dual-pane interface that lets you manage files easily side by side and perform quick batch operations while holding everything you need in view. Needless to say, this amount of information gets increasingly hard on your eyes at night.
To activate dark theme in DCommander:
- Click on DCommander in menu bar ➙ Preferences
- In Overview, switch the dropdown menu to Dark next to User Interface Appearance
Dim out what’s not essential
Now that you have the Night Mode for Mac, along with YouTube, Chrome, Reddit, and DCommander, what else can you do to make work more pleasant at night?
If you have a bright desktop picture or you’re using some apps that don’t feature their own night modes, you can offset their deficiencies with HazeOver.
HazeOver is a brilliant utility that simply lets you keep your current active window in focus and dims the rest of the screen to your liking. It not only helps your eyes adjust better at night but also encourages you to stay concentrated on one task at a time during the day too.
There’s nothing you have to do to use HazeOver besides downloading it. Keep it open in your menu bar, and it will activate automatically.
In the end, besides activating Dark Mode and Night Shift for Mac, explore all the apps you use regularly and see if they have implemented their own versions of night mode. You know that YouTube, Chrome, Reddit, and DCommander already do. And then don’t forget to get HazeOver for total screen dimming control.
Best of all, both DCommander and HazeOver are available to you for free through Setapp, a large platform of more than 150 Mac utilities and apps that can save the day in any circumstance. Now that the evening is coming and you still have lots of work to wrap up, let the Dark Mode do its job!
Studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your computer's clock and geolocation to determine when it's sunset in your location. It then automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum. In the morning it returns the display to its regular settings.
How to set up Night Shift
Make sure that your Mac meets the system requirements for Night Shift, then follow these steps:
- Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Displays.
- Click the Night Shift tab.
Schedule: Create a custom Night Shift schedule or have Night Shift turn on automatically from sunset to sunrise.
Manual: Control Night Shift manually.
- If Night Shift is off, select the checkbox to turn Night Shift on until 7 a.m. If you're using a schedule, Night Shift automatically turns off at the scheduled time.
- If Night Shift is on, deselect the checkbox to turn Night Shift off. If you're using a schedule, Night Shift turns on again at the scheduled time.
Color Temperature: Drag the slider to make the color temperature more or less warm when Night Shift is on. Warmer color temperatures show more yellow and less blue.
You can control the Manual setting from Notification Center as well. Click the Notification Center icon in the menu bar, or swipe left with two fingers from the right side of your trackpad. Then scroll up to reveal the Night Shift setting.
System requirements for Night Shift
Night Shift requires macOS Sierra 10.12.4 and one of these Mac computers, using the built-in display or the displays listed:
- MacBook models from early 2015 or later
- MacBook Air models from mid 2012 or later
- MacBook Pro models from mid 2012 or later
- Mac mini models from late 2012 or later
- iMac models from late 2012 or later
- Mac Pro models from late 2013 or later
Night Shift Apple Macbook
- Apple LED Cinema Display
- Apple Thunderbolt Display
- LG UltraFine 5K Display
- LG UltraFine 4K Display
Shift On Mac Keyboard
Learn more
- Learn how to use Night Shift on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- If you have a Mac that supports True Tone, you can use True Tone and Night Shift at the same time.