Turn off inverted colours on your Mac's screen

Why it happens

Invert colors is an accessibility feature that flips every colour on screen, which some people find easier to read. It's easy to turn on by accident with a keyboard shortcut or the Accessibility Shortcut. Your screen isn't broken, it's just a setting.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Accessibility in the sidebar. The colours may look strange while you do this, but the menus work as normal.

2. Click Display, then turn off Invert colors. Your screen goes back to normal straight away.

   Accessibility›Display›Invert colors

3. If you have the keyboard shortcut switched on, pressing Control-Option-Command-8 also turns it off and on. You'll find it in Keyboard Shortcuts under Accessibility.

   Keyboard›Keyboard Shortcuts…

Invert colors is in the same place on macOS 26 and 27. On macOS 27, the Light and Dark choice at the top of the Appearance page sits in a row that is itself labelled Appearance.

Still not fixed?

1. Screen grey, black and white, or tinted instead? That's Color filters, in the same Display section. Turn it off.

   Accessibility›Display›Color filters

2. If it keeps coming back, check the Accessibility Shortcut. Untick Invert colors there so pressing the shortcut keys doesn't turn it on.

   Accessibility›Shortcut

3. Dark windows with light text, but photos look normal? That's Dark Mode, not inverted colours. Choose Light in Appearance settings.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Appearance

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Appearance›Appearance

4. If the colours look wrong even on the Apple logo while your Mac starts up, before any settings load, the screen or its cable may be faulty. That's hardware, so contact Apple Support or a repair shop.