Mac screen looks yellow or the colours keep shifting

Why it happens

True Tone uses light sensors to match the screen to the room, the way paper looks warmer under a lamp. In warm indoor light that can make whites look yellow, and the tint drifts as the light changes. Some people like it, but you can switch it off any time.

How to fix it

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu and click Displays. If several screens are connected, click the one that looks yellow at the top.

2. Turn True Tone off. The change is gentle, so give your eyes a few seconds to notice it.

   Displays›True Tone

3. Look at a white page, such as a blank document. It should now look plain white and stay the same as the room gets lighter or darker.

Still not fixed?

1. Still orange, especially in the evening? That's Night Shift. Click Night Shift… in Displays, set Schedule to Off and turn off Turn on until tomorrow.

   Displays›Night Shift…

2. Check Color filters in Accessibility, under Display. If it's on, turn it off to remove any tint.

   Accessibility›Display›Color filters

3. Open the Color profile menu in Displays and pick the profile named after your display. A wrong profile can tint every colour.

   Displays›Color profile

4. Don't see True Tone at all? Only some screens have it, so many external monitors and older Macs won't show the switch.

5. If one part of the screen looks yellow or has blotches while the rest is fine, that's a display fault, not a setting. Contact Apple Support or a repair shop.