Enable color filters (accessibility) on Windows 11

Color filters can help people with vision problems to better distinguish elements on the screen, and here's how to enable the feature on Windows 11.

Windows 11 color filters
Windows 11 color filters
  • To enable color filters on Windows 11, open Settings > Accessibility > Color filters, turn on “Color filters,” and choose a filter that best suits your situation.
  • Color filters available include “Red-green (green weak, deuteranopia),” “Red-green (red weak, protanopia),” “Blue-yellow (tritanopia),” “Grayscale,” “Grayscale inverted,” and “Inverted.”

On Windows 11, you can choose to use different color filters on the screen, and in this guide, you will learn how. Color filters are an accessibility feature that allows users to change the colors that appear on the screen using various filters, each with its unique effect to help people with vision problems (such as color blindness or for people sensitive to bright light) to distinguish between elements that differ only by color.

This guide will teach you the steps to enable and choose between different color filters available on Windows 11.

Enable color filters on Windows 11

To turn on color filters on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Accessibility.

  3. Click the Color filters tab.

  4. Turn on the Color filters toggle switch.

    Color filters enabled

  5. Choose the filter that best suits your needs, including “Red-green (green weak, deuteranopia),” “Red-green (red weak, protanopia),” “Blue-yellow (tritanopia),” “Grayscale,” “Grayscale inverted,” and “Inverted.”

  6. (Optional) Turn on the “Keyboard shortcut for filters” toggle switch to use the “Windows key + Ctrl + C” shortcut to turn on and off the filter.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will change the color palette on the screen, depending on the filter section, to help people with vision problems, such as color blindness, or those with sensitivity to bright light.

Color filters change intensity
Color filters change intensity

It’s important to note that starting with build 25921 (in the Canary Channel) and higher releases, Microsoft plans to include new settings to change the intensity of the colors when choosing the Red-green (green weak, deuteranopia),” “Red-green (red weak, protanopia),” or “Blue-yellow (tritanopia)” option, which you can always reset using the “Reset intensity and color boost to defaults” setting.

If you want to reduce the blue light emissions on the screen by using warmer colors, you have to enable the Night Light feature.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].