macOS · Display & Sound
Automatically adjust display color to ambient light
True Tone uses the Mac's ambient light sensors to automatically adjust the display's white balance to match the surrounding lighting conditions, making white appear consistently natural under different light sources.
How to open True Tone
- Open System Settings → Displays
- Locate the True Tone toggle for a supported display
- Turn True Tone on or off
- Move between differently lit rooms to observe the automatic adjustment
What you should know
- Simple on/off toggle available on supported Mac displays and built-in laptop screens
- Uses ambient light sensors to continuously adjust white balance in real time
- Available separately from Night Shift, which is time-based rather than light-based
- Only available on Macs and displays with the required ambient light sensor hardware
Why it matters
Without True Tone, a display's white point stays fixed regardless of the room's lighting, which can make the screen look unnaturally blue-tinted under warm indoor lighting or unnaturally warm under cool daylight. By dynamically adjusting to match ambient light, True Tone keeps colors, and especially whites, looking more consistent and natural to the eye as you move between rooms or as lighting changes throughout the day.
Best practices
- Leave True Tone enabled for general use to reduce perceived color shifts between environments
- Disable True Tone temporarily for color-critical work like photo editing or print-matching
- Keep the ambient light sensor unobstructed, since covering it can cause inconsistent adjustments
- Use alongside Night Shift for a fuller adaptive color experience across day and night
Common problems and fixes
- True Tone option is missing from Displays settings
- Confirm your specific Mac model and display include an ambient light sensor, since not all models support the feature.
- Colors shift noticeably when moving between rooms
- This is expected True Tone behavior as it responds to different ambient lighting; disable it if consistent, unadjusted color is required.
- True Tone appears to have no effect
- Check that the ambient light sensor is not covered by a case, sticker, or external attachment near the camera housing.
Tips and tricks
- Toggle True Tone off briefly to compare how much it is currently adjusting your display's white balance.
- Combine with Reference Mode, on supported Pro Display models, for the most accurate professional color workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Is True Tone the same as Night Shift?
No, True Tone reacts to ambient light in real time, while Night Shift follows a time-based schedule regardless of actual room lighting.
Does True Tone work on all external displays?
No, it requires specific Apple-made or compatible displays with an ambient light sensor and supporting hardware.
Should I turn off True Tone for photo editing?
Yes, for the most accurate and consistent color evaluation, professionals typically disable True Tone along with Night Shift.
Related settings
- Night ShiftNight Shift automatically shifts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum in the evening, based on a schedule or sunset-to-sunrise timing, to reduce blue light exposure before bed.
- Displays SettingsDisplays settings let you change resolution, brightness, arrangement of multiple monitors, and features like Night Shift and True Tone for more comfortable viewing.
- AppearanceAppearance settings control whether macOS uses a Light or Dark theme, or automatically switches between them based on time of day, along with accent color, highlight color, and sidebar icon size preferences.
More Display & Sound guides for macOS
- Sound & NotificationsSound settings control input/output devices and alert volume, while Notifications & Focus let you decide which apps can interrupt you and when — including scheduled Focus modes like Work or Sleep.
- FocusFocus lets you silence notifications and distractions while you concentrate on a specific task, like work, personal time, or sleep. You can allow only certain people and apps through, and each Focus can turn on automatically on a schedule or when you open a certain app.
- WallpaperWallpaper settings let you choose a still image, Apple's dynamic or live wallpapers that change with time of day, or your own photo collection to display as the Desktop background, with independent options per display.
- Sound Output & InputSound Output & Input settings let you select which speakers or headphones play audio and which microphone captures it, and adjust device-specific levels like output volume balance and input gain.
- Sound Effects & Alert VolumeSound Effects settings control which alert sound plays for system notifications and errors, its volume relative to media playback, and whether interface actions like Trash emptying play a sound.
- Notification Center WidgetsNotification Center's widget gallery lets you add, remove, and resize glanceable widgets for weather, calendar, reminders, and other apps, arranged in a stack you can scroll through.