Night Light Not Working on Windows 11? Built-in Fixes First

1. Check the basics

1. Switch it on. Select the Network or Speakers icon on the right side of the taskbar, use the down arrow on the right to scroll to Night light, and select it. Or go to Start > Settings > System > Display and turn on Night light.
2. Raise the strength. In Settings > System > Display > Night light, move the Strength slider. A low setting is easy to miss.
3. Check the schedule. In the same place, turn on Schedule night light, then choose Sunset to sunrise, or choose Set hours and enter your own on and off times. If Night Light comes on at the wrong time, check your time and time zone under Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
4. Restart Windows, then check the toggle again.

2. If the toggle is greyed out, update the display driver

Microsoft says that if the Night light toggle is greyed out, you may need to update your display driver. Windows Update delivers driver updates for most hardware, so check there first. Then use Device Manager:

1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click your display adapter and select Update driver, then Search automatically for updated driver software.

If the problem began after a recent update, Microsoft says reinstalling the previous driver often resolves it. In Device Manager, right-click the adapter, select Properties, open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver (you need to be signed in as an administrator). If that isn't available, you can instead select Uninstall device, restart Windows, and let Windows reinstall the driver.

3. If you use DisplayLink or Basic Display drivers

Microsoft's note on this is short: Night light isn't available if your device uses certain drivers, like DisplayLink or Basic Display. If that is your situation, the steps above may not bring the toggle back.

4. When Night Light works but isn't enough

Microsoft's Night light settings are a toggle, a Strength slider and a schedule. They don't include a separate brightness setting, a way to pause it for a photo editor or a game, or hotkeys. If one slider is enough, stay with it. It's built in and needs no install. Our Solace Dusk vs Windows Night Light page compares them side by side.

5. An optional app: Solace Dusk

Disclosure: we (SolaceSoftware) make and sell Solace Dusk.

Solace Dusk sits in the system tray and follows the sun where you live. It works through the display gamma ramp rather than the Night Light toggle.

• Follows sunrise and sunset for your city or coordinates, or a manual schedule. The city is looked up offline in a built-in list of about 34,000 cities.
• Your day and night settings. Choose day and night color temperature, brightness, transition length and offset.
• Pauses while chosen apps or any fullscreen app are in front, and can be disabled for a while or until sunrise from the tray. Those options are in the app; we didn't trigger them on our test PC.
• Global hotkeys to toggle it and nudge warmth or brightness. They stay off until you set them.
• No updater, no account, no network calls, so your location never leaves your PC.

Tested: in Denver, the offline city lookup gave the correct sunrise (7:04 AM) and sunset (6:28 PM) for Oct 10, and the 24-hour preview ran day, night, day.

Be clear about what this is and isn't:

• We haven't tested Solace Dusk with DisplayLink or Basic Display drivers, and we haven't tested it against every broken driver. Treat it as something that may help, not a guaranteed fix for Night Light.
• It changes display color gamma. It doesn't change your monitor's backlight. Very warm settings may need Windows' extended gamma range, which Solace Dusk can turn on once with administrator approval.
• It is a comfort setting, not a medical or sleep treatment.
• You need Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit. The download is about 23 MB, and the shop page lists the size and SHA-256 of the exact ZIP you download. The app isn't code-signed yet, so on first launch Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.

$13.79 USD once. No subscription and no automatic renewal. 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Refund terms.

See Solace Dusk: $13.79 once

or buy on Shopify

Questions before you buy: solacesoftware@smilingface.cloud

6. Questions

Why is Night Light greyed out?

Microsoft says you may need to update your display driver, and that Night light isn't available with certain drivers, like DisplayLink or Basic Display. See steps 2 and 3.

Will Solace Dusk fix a Night Light that won't turn on?

It isn't a repair for Night Light. It warms the screen another way, through the display gamma ramp, so it may help when the toggle is stuck. We haven't tested it with DisplayLink or Basic Display drivers or with every broken driver, so it may help but isn't guaranteed.

Does Solace Dusk work on a second monitor?

We haven't tested it with more than one monitor, so we can't say.

Does Solace Dusk send my location anywhere?

No. It has no updater, no account and no network calls, and the city lookup is offline, so your location never leaves your PC.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. There is a 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. See the Refund terms.

7. Quick answer

• Built in: Settings > System > Display > Night light. Turn it on and raise Strength.
• Greyed out? Update the display driver in Device Manager under Display adapters.
• DisplayLink or Basic Display driver? Microsoft says Night light isn't available with those.
• For a sun-following schedule with separate day and night warmth and brightness: Solace Dusk, $13.79 once, 14-day money-back guarantee. Untested with DisplayLink and Basic Display drivers.