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10 Tech How-To

Disable Night Shift for Certain Apps on Mac

Guide 10-30808 · Updated · Step by step

Night Shift on macOS shifts your display colors to warmer tones in the evening to reduce blue light exposure. While this is great for late-night reading, it can distort colors in photo editing, design work, or when watching movies. This guide shows you how to keep Night Shift on for most of your Mac but turn it off for specific apps, so you get the best of both worlds.

What You’ll Need

  • A Mac running macOS Sonoma or later (the feature is built into the OS).
  • Administrator access to change system settings (usually your normal login is enough).

Step-by-Step

  1. Open System Settings. Click the Apple menu (top-left corner) and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
  2. Go to Displays. In the sidebar, click Displays. You’ll see settings for your built-in display or external monitors.
  3. Find the Night Shift tab. Click the Night Shift tab (if you don’t see it, make sure your display supports it; most Macs do).
  4. Look for “Apps” section. Scroll down within the Night Shift settings. You’ll see a section labeled Apps or Turn Off For. This is where you manage exceptions.
  5. Add an app. Click the + button (or Add App). A list of your installed applications appears. Select the app you want to exclude from Night Shift (e.g., Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or Safari).
  6. Confirm your selection. Click Add (or Choose). The app now appears in the list of exceptions.
  7. Repeat for other apps. Add as many apps as you need. The exception applies immediately—no restart required.
  8. Test it. Open the app you added. The screen should show normal colors (no warm tint) even when Night Shift is active. Switch to another app, and the warm tint should return.

Common Mistakes

  • Looking in the wrong place: The exception list is not in the Night Shift tab of the Notification Center or in the menu bar; it’s only in System Settings → Displays → Night Shift.
  • Adding the wrong app: Make sure you select the actual app that displays the content. For example, if you want to edit photos in Photoshop, add Photoshop, not the Finder.
  • Assuming it works for all windows: The exception applies to the entire app, not individual windows. If you have two windows of the same app, both will be exempt.
  • Forgetting to update after macOS upgrade: After a major macOS update, the exception list may reset. Check it periodically.

Tips

  • Use it for color-critical work: Add apps like Photoshop, Lightroom, or DaVinci Resolve to ensure accurate color grading.
  • Keep it on for reading apps: For apps like Kindle or PDF readers, you probably want Night Shift on, so don’t add them.
  • Schedule exceptions: The exception works regardless of whether Night Shift is scheduled or manually toggled. If you turn Night Shift off manually, the exception is irrelevant.
  • Check third-party utilities: Some apps like f.lux have their own per-app exclusions, but the native macOS feature is simpler and doesn’t require extra software.

Troubleshooting

  • Exception not working: Make sure the app is closed and reopened after adding it. Some apps cache display settings; a restart of the app usually fixes it.
  • Can’t find the Apps section: If you don’t see the “Apps” section in Night Shift settings, your macOS version may be older. Update to the latest macOS via System Settings → General → Software Update.
  • App not in the list: The list shows apps that are currently installed. If the app is not there, it might be a background process or not a standard app. You can’t add system processes like WindowServer.
  • Night Shift is grayed out: This happens if your display doesn’t support Night Shift (e.g., some external monitors). Check if the feature works at all by toggling it manually. If it’s grayed out, you can’t use per-app exceptions either.
  • After update, exceptions gone: Re-add them. macOS updates sometimes reset display settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work on any Mac?

Yes, as long as your Mac supports Night Shift (most Macs from 2012 onward) and you’re running macOS Sonoma or later. Older versions of macOS don’t have the per-app exception feature.

Can I disable Night Shift for a specific website in Safari?

No, the per-app exception works at the app level. If you add Safari, Night Shift is off for all websites. To keep it on for most sites but off for one, you’d need a browser extension or a different approach.

Will this affect battery life?

No, disabling Night Shift for an app doesn’t change power consumption. It only changes the color temperature of the display.

Can I use this with True Tone?

Yes, the exception applies to Night Shift only. True Tone (which adjusts white balance to ambient light) is a separate setting and will still be active unless you disable it separately.

How do I remove an app from the exception list?

Go back to System Settings → Displays → Night Shift, find the app in the list, select it, and click the minus (–) button.

Is there a way to automate this based on time?

No, the exception is always on for the specified apps. If you want time-based control, you’d need to manually toggle Night Shift or use a third-party automation tool like Shortcuts.

Related

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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