Adjust the screen brightness and color on iPad

On iPad, dim the screen to extend battery life, set Dark Mode, and use Night Shift. On supported models, use True Tone to automatically adapt the color and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment.

Turn Dark Mode on or off

Dark Mode gives the entire iPad experience a dark color scheme that’s perfect for low-light environments. You can turn on Dark Mode from Control Center or set it to turn on automatically at night (or on a custom schedule) in Settings. With Dark Mode turned on, you can use your iPad while, for example, reading in bed, without disturbing the person next to you.

Do any of the following:

  • Open Control Center, touch and hold the Brightness button, then tap the Appearance button to turn Dark Mode on or off.

  • Go to Settings  > Display & Brightness, then select Dark to turn on Dark Mode or select Light to turn it off.

The iPad Home Screen with Dark Mode turned on.

Schedule Dark Mode to turn on and off automatically

  1. Go to Settings  > Display & Brightness.

  2. Turn on Automatic, then tap Options.

  3. Select either Sunset to Sunrise or Custom Schedule.

    If you choose Custom Schedule, tap the options to schedule the times you want Dark Mode to turn on and off.

    If you select Sunset to Sunrise, iPad uses the data from your clock and geolocation to determine when it’s nighttime for you.

Adjust the screen brightness manually

To make your iPad screen dimmer or brighter, do one of the following:

  • Open Control Center, then drag the Brightness button.

  • Go to Settings  > Display & Brightness, then drag the slider.

Adjust the screen brightness automatically

iPad adjusts the screen brightness for current light conditions using the built-in ambient light sensor.

  1. Go to Settings  > Accessibility.

  2. Tap Display & Text Size, then turn on Auto-Brightness.

Turn True Tone on or off

On supported models, turn on True Tone to automatically adapt the color and intensity of the display to match the light in your environment.

Do any of the following:

  • Open Control Center, touch and hold the Brightness button, then tap the True Tone button to turn True Tone on or off.

  • Go to Settings  > Display & Brightness, then turn True Tone on or off.

Turn Night Shift on or off

You can turn on Night Shift manually, which is helpful when you’re in a darkened room during the day.

Open Control Center, touch and hold the Brightness button, then tap the Night Shift button.

Schedule Night Shift to turn on and off automatically

Use Night Shift to shift the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum at night and make viewing the screen easier on your eyes.

  1. Go to Settings  > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.

  2. Turn on Scheduled.

  3. To adjust the color balance for Night Shift, drag the slider below Color Temperature toward the warmer or cooler end of the spectrum.

  4. Tap From, then select either Sunset to Sunrise or Custom Schedule.

    If you choose Custom Schedule, tap the options to schedule the times you want Night Shift to turn on and off.

    If you select Sunset to Sunrise, iPad uses the data from your clock and geolocation to determine when it’s nighttime for you.

    Note: The Sunset to Sunrise option isn’t available if you turned off Location Services in Settings  > Privacy, or if you turned off Setting Time Zone in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services.