Night Light in Windows 11 reduces blue light emissions from your screen, helping reduce eye strain and improve sleep quality during nighttime usage. When enabled, it applies a warmer color tone to the display based on a schedule or manual setting. However, some users report that Night Light won’t turn on, is grayed out, doesn’t follow the schedule, or stops working after a Windows update.
This issue is usually caused by outdated graphics drivers, corrupted display settings, incorrect time configuration, disabled location services, or system glitches. In most cases, Night Light problems can be resolved without reinstalling Windows.
If Night Light is not working in Windows 11, follow the detailed troubleshooting steps below.
How to Fix Night Light Not Working in Windows 11
Work through the solutions in order. After completing each step, test Night Light from Settings > System > Display.
1. Restart Your PC
Temporary system or graphics glitches can prevent Night Light from activating properly.
- Press Windows + X.
- Select Shut down or sign out > Restart.
- After rebooting, press Windows + I.
- Go to System > Display.
- Toggle Night light on and check if it works.
If the issue was temporary, this may fix it immediately.
2. Check Night Light Settings
Sometimes the feature is enabled but misconfigured.
- Press Windows + I.
- Go to System > Display.
- Click Night light.
- Ensure the feature is turned On.
- Adjust the Strength slider.
- If using a schedule, verify the timing is correct.
If Night Light is grayed out, continue to the next steps.
3. Turn Off HDR
HDR can interfere with Night Light functionality.
- Open Settings.
- Go to System > Display.
- Click your active display.
- Turn off Use HDR.
- Try enabling Night Light again.
HDR and Night Light sometimes conflict on certain GPUs.
4. Update Graphics Drivers
Outdated or corrupted display drivers are a common cause.
- Press Windows + X.
- Select Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters.
- Right-click your graphics card.
- Select Update driver.
- Choose Search automatically for drivers.
- Restart your PC.
For best results, download the latest drivers directly from your GPU manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel).
5. Reinstall Graphics Driver
If updating doesn’t work, reinstall the driver.
- Open Device Manager.
- Right-click your graphics adapter.
- Select Uninstall device.
- Restart your PC.
Windows will automatically reinstall the driver.
6. Reset Night Light Settings via Registry
Corrupted registry entries can break Night Light.
- Press Windows + R.
- Type:
regedit - Press Enter.
- Navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore\Store\DefaultAccount\Cloud - Delete the following folders if present:
- default$windows.data.bluelightreduction.settings
- default$windows.data.bluelightreduction.bluelightreductionstate
- Restart your PC.
Windows will regenerate fresh Night Light settings.
7. Check Date, Time, and Location Settings
Night Light scheduling depends on accurate time and location.
- Press Windows + I.
- Go to Time & language > Date & time.
- Enable Set time automatically.
- Go to Privacy & security > Location.
- Turn Location services On.
Incorrect system time can prevent scheduled Night Light from activating.
8. Run System File Checker (SFC)
System corruption may interfere with display features.
- Press Windows + S and search for Command Prompt.
- Right-click and select Run as administrator.
- Enter:
sfc /scannow - Press Enter.
- Restart your PC after completion.
If corrupted files are found, Windows will repair them.
9. Install Windows Updates
Night Light issues sometimes result from bugs fixed in updates.
- Press Windows + I.
- Go to Windows Update.
- Click Check for updates.
- Install available updates.
- Restart your PC.
Keeping Windows updated improves feature stability.
Conclusion
When Night Light is not working in Windows 11, the issue is typically caused by outdated graphics drivers, HDR conflicts, corrupted registry settings, incorrect time configuration, or temporary system glitches. In most cases, updating display drivers or resetting Night Light settings resolves the issue quickly.
By following the structured troubleshooting steps above, you should be able to restore Night Light functionality and reduce eye strain during nighttime use. If the issue persists even after reinstalling drivers and running system scans, deeper system repair may be required.
