Your MacBook screen is pink, or has a yellow, green or blue tint. White no longer looks white, or part of the screen has a different colour from the rest. Often that comes from a setting such as Night Shift, True Tone or a colour filter. Sometimes it is the screen or the display cable. This article explains how to find out why the colours on your MacBook are off and what to do about it.
Blue Apple repairs MacBook screens in Amsterdam.
Step 1: Night Shift and True Tone
- Night Shift makes the screen warmer and yellower, often automatically in the evening. Turn it off in System Settings, Displays, Night Shift.
- True Tone adapts colour to the light in the room. In a room with coloured lights the screen can take on a tint. Turn it off temporarily under Displays.
Step 2: colour profile
System Settings, Displays has a Colour Profile menu (on some models under the presets). Choose your MacBook's standard profile, such as "Color LCD" or "Apple XDR Display". A wrong or custom profile can shift all colours.
Step 3: colour filters and accessibility
System Settings, Accessibility, Display has colour filters, invert colours and colour tint. If a filter or tint is on, the whole screen looks different. Turn them off.
Step 4: restart and external display
Restart your MacBook. Then connect an external display. If the colours on the external display are fine, the built-in screen or its cable is to blame. If they look odd there too, software or the graphics chip is more likely.
A pink edge or line
If not the whole screen is pink, but one side, an edge or a line, it is usually hardware: a display cable that does not make good contact, or damage in the panel. If it gets worse when you move the lid, that points to the cable. Also see Flexgate and lines on the screen.
A pink picture on an external display via HDMI
If it is a TV or monitor over HDMI that looks pink or purple, the Mac sometimes sends the wrong colour format. Try another cable or adapter, check the colour range (full or limited RGB) in the display's settings, and reconnect it. See connecting to a monitor or TV.
Colours after a screen repair
If colours have been different since the screen was replaced, the replacement screen may render colour differently, or True Tone may no longer work. Also read original or compatible screen.
Colour in one app or everywhere?
If you only see the odd colour in one app, for example in Photos or a browser, it is that app: a filter, an edited photo or an app colour setting. Also check whether you use an extension or app that adjusts screen colour, such as a blue-light app. Turn it off and see whether it makes a difference. A screenshot helps too: view it on another device. If the screenshot has the right colours, the problem is in the screen itself.
Calibrating colours
If you work with photos or video, you can calibrate your screen. Under Displays, Colour Profile you can create your own profile. For truly accurate colour, use a calibration device. For daily use the standard profile is best.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
We test the screen, the display cable and the graphics output, and tell you whether the screen or cable needs replacing and what that costs. More on our page about MacBook screen repair.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my screen yellow in the evening?
Night Shift is probably on with a schedule. That is a setting, not a fault.
My screen is pink at startup, even before login. What does that mean?
Then it is not your account settings, but more likely the screen, cable or graphics chip.
Can an update change the colours?
Sometimes a colour profile is reset. Then choose the standard profile again.
