A colorless (black and white) screen on a Windows computer can result from various settings, including color filters or grayscale mode being accidentally enabled. Here’s how you can troubleshoot and restore color to your screen:
Disable Color Filters
Windows 10 and Windows 11 include a color filter setting primarily used to help with color blindness and other vision challenges, but if enabled accidentally, it can make your screen appear grayscale.
Windows 10:
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Open Settings: Press
Windows key + Ito open Settings. -
Ease of Access: Go to “Ease of Access.”
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Color & High Contrast: Click on “Color & high contrast” from the left sidebar.
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Turn Off Color Filters: Make sure the toggle under “Color filters” is set to Off.
Windows 11:
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Open Settings: Press
Windows key + Ito open Settings. -
Accessibility: Select “Accessibility” from the sidebar.
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Color Filters: Click on “Color filters.”
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Disable Color Filters: Ensure the “Color filters” switch is turned off.
Check Graphics Settings
If disabling color filters doesn’t work, your graphics card settings might be set to grayscale.
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NVIDIA Control Panel: Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel. Go to “Display” > “Adjust desktop color settings.” Check that “Digital vibrance” is not set to the lowest. It should typically be at 50% or higher.
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AMD Radeon Settings: Right-click on the desktop and select AMD Radeon Settings. Look for color settings under “Display.” Make sure color temperature and saturation are correctly set.
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Intel Graphics Settings: Right-click on the desktop and choose Intel Graphics Settings. Check under “Display” for color settings and adjust if necessary.
High Contrast Mode
Ensure that High Contrast Mode is not enabled, as this can also lead to a black-and-white screen.
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Windows 10 & 11: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes. Make sure no high-contrast theme is selected.
Update or Reinstall Graphics Drivers
Outdated or corrupted graphics drivers can cause display issues.
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Device Manager: Right-click on the Start button and select “Device Manager.”
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Display Adapters: Expand “Display adapters,” right-click on your graphics card, and choose “Update driver.” If an update doesn’t fix the issue, you can also try “Uninstall device” and then restart your PC to reinstall the driver automatically.
Monitor Settings
If your monitor has buttons for adjusting display settings, make sure that the color settings directly on the monitor haven’t been changed to grayscale.
By following these steps, you should be able to restore color to your Windows computer's screen. If the screen remains colorless after these troubleshooting steps, there might be a hardware issue with the monitor or graphics card, requiring professional support.
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This article is part of our general tech support series to ensure that you get the best support possible even if it's not for OneLaunch.