December 9, 2021

How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

Microsoft has developed Grayscale mode for people affected with color blindness. Grayscale mode is also effective for people affected with ADHD. It is said that changing the display color to black and white rather than bright light would help in concentrating more while performing long tasks. Taking back to the older days, the system display looks black and white using a color matrix effect. Do you want to change your PC display to Windows 10 grayscale? You are at the right place. Continue reading to enable Windows 10 grayscale mode.

How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

This feature is also called Color blind mode. Below are the methods to change your system into Grayscale mode.

Method 1: Through Windows Settings

You can easily change the screen color to black and white on PC as follows:

1. Press the Windows + I keys together to open Settings.

2. Click on Ease of Access, among other options listed here.

Launch Settings and navigate to the Ease of Access. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

3. Then, click on Color filters in the left pane.

4. Switch On the toggle for Turn on color filters, shown highlighted.

Click Color filters on the left pane of the screen. Toggle on the bar for Turn on color filters.

5. Select Grayscale in the Select a color filter to see elements on the screen better section.

Select Grayscale under Select a color filter to see elements on the screen better category.

Also Read: How to Change Screen Brightness on Windows 11

Method 2: Through Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also easily toggle between Windows 10 grayscale effects and default settings using keyboard shortcuts. You can simply press Windows + Ctrl + C keys simultaneously to toggle between the black and white setting & default colored setting. To turn on your screen black and white on PC, and enable this shortcut, follow the given steps:

1. Launch Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters as earlier.

2. Switch the toggle on for Turn on color filters.

Click Color filters on the left pane of the screen. Toggle on the bar for Turn on color filters. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

3. Select Grayscale in the Select a color filter to see elements on the screen better section.

4. Check the box next to Allow the shortcut key to toggle filter on or off.

Check the box next to Allow the shortcut key to toggle filter on or off |

5. Hereon, press Windows + Ctrl + C keys simultaneously to turn On and Off the Windows 10 grayscale filter.

Also Read: How to Download Themes for Windows 10

Method 3: Altering Registry Keys

The changes made by this method will be permanent. Follow the instructions carefully to change your screen black and white on Windows PC:

1. Press Windows + R keys together to open Run dialog box.

2. Type regedit and press Enter key to open Registry Editor.

Press Windows and R to open the Run command box. Type regedit and press Enter. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

3. Confirm the User Account Control prompt by clicking Yes.

4. Navigate to the following path.

ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftColorFiltering

Note: The given path will be available only after you have turned on color filters as shown in Method 1.

Navigate to the following path to enable Windows 10 grayscale

5. On the right side of the screen, you can find two registry keys, Active and HotkeyEnabled. Double-click on the Active registry key.

6. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, change the Value data: to 1 to enable color filtering. Click on OK, as depicted below.

Change the Value data to 1 to enable the color filitering. Click Ok to enable Windows 10 grayscale. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

7. Now, double-click on the HotkeyEnabled registry key. A pop-up opens similar to the previous one, as shown below.

8. Change the Value data: to 0 to apply Grayscale. Click on OK and exit.

Change the Value data to 0 to apply Grayscale. Click OK to enable Windows 10 grayscale. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

Note: The numbers in the Value data represent the following color filters.

  • 0-Grayscale
  • 1-Invert
  • 2-Grayscale inverted
  • 3-Deuteranopia
  • 4-Protanopia
  • 5-Tritanopia

Also Read: How to Open Registry Editor in Windows 11

Method 4: Altering Group Policy Editor

Similar to the method of using registry keys, the changes made by this method will also be permanent. Follow the instructions very carefully to turn your Windows desktop/laptop screen black and white on PC:

1. Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open Run dialog box.

2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open Local Group Policy Editor.

Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. A Local Group Policy Editor window opens. Windows 10 Grayscale

3. Go to User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesControl Panel, as shown.

Go to the following path User configuration then Administrative Templates then Control Panel.How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

4. Click Hide specified Control Panel items in the right pane.

Click Hide specificied Control Panel items on the right pane. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

5. In Hide specified Control Panel items window, check the Enabled option.

6. Then, click the Show… button next to the List of disallowed Control Panel items under Options category.

Click the Show button next to the List of disallowed Control Panel items under the Options category. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

7. In Show Contents window, add the value as Microsoft EaseOfAccessCenter and click OK.

Again, a new tab opens. Add the value Microsoft EaseOfAccessCenter and click OK to enable Windows 10 grayscale. How to Turn Your Screen Black and White on PC

8. Restart your PC to implement these changes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Will the shortcut key be used for other color filters?

Ans. Yes, the shortcut keys can be used for other color filters also. Select the desired color filter by following Methods 1 and 2. For instance, if you select Grayscale inverted, then Windows + Ctrl + C will toggle between Grayscale inverted and default settings.

Q2. What are the other color filters available in Windows 10?

Ans. Windows 10 provides us with six different color filters that are listed below:

  • Grayscale
  • Invert
  • Grayscale inverted
  • Deuteranopia
  • Protanopia
  • Tritanopia

Q3. What if the shortcut key did not toggle back to the default settings?

Ans. Ensure that the box next to Allow the shortcut key to toggle filter on or off is checked. If the shortcut does not work to change back to default settings, try updating the graphics driver instead.

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We hope that this guide helped you to turn your screen black and white on PC. Let us know which method helped you the best. Leave your queries or suggestions in the comment section below, if any.