Night Light on Windows 11 is a handy feature if you often use your computer at night, but it’s not the best implementation of this function. I use the free f.lux instead of Night Light on Windows 11; here’s why.
1
f.lux Has More Customization Options
The most common argument you’ll hear in favor of f.lux over Night Light is that f.lux has far more customization options than the native Windows implementation. You can change anything from the color temperature of your screen to when exactly the color temperature changes and how many times.
To be fair, the Windows implementation does allow you to set up a strength and schedule for when Night Light kicks in, but f.lux takes this to a whole new level. You can select presets for when the color temperature changes, such as if you’re working late or want to reduce eye strain.
Instead of simply syncing with the sunrise and sunset of your given location, f.lux lets you choose when you’ll wake up to start using your computer and adjusts the color temperature accordingly. There are plenty of options for selecting the color temperature itself. With a bit of tinkering, you’ll be making the most out of F.lux and protecting yourself from blue light.
2
Night Light Can Interrupt Full-Screen Apps
I’ve had a bad experience with Night Light and games—more accurately, full-screen apps in general. The Windows implementation changes the color of your screen regardless of what you’re doing. So if you’re playing games or watching movies at night, expect a yellow tint on your screen.
I’ve seen finicky behavior from Night Light with full-screen apps. Sometimes games will run just fine. Other times, there will be a yellow tint on my monitor and I have to manually disable Night Light for it to go away.
f.lux, however, handles full-screen apps much better. I use a dual-monitor setup (down from my original four screens), and f.lux resets the color temperature on my main monitor every time a game or full-screen program is running. Meanwhile, f.lux maintains its coloring on my second monitor—something the Windows feature doesn’t do.
3
F.lux Is More Consistent
Adding to the previous point, f.lux is a lot more consistent at managing your desktop’s color temperature. At times, if you switch off your PC when Night Light is active, you might still find it enabled when you restart your computer, even in broad daylight.
The Windows feature also kicks in rather abruptly, simply changing the color temperature of your screen the exact minute the sun sets. This change is extremely jarring to my eyes, compared to the smooth transitions f.lux brings. As the sun sets or rises, f.lux gradually changes the color temperature, so you don’t even realize the change.
There are far fewer crashes, bugs, and glitches when using f.lux. Plus, it also includes keyboard shortcuts to disable the service, change the brightness, or adjust the color temperature on the fly. So even if the program gets the color wrong or doesn’t switch automatically, you don’t have to dig around in menus.
4
F.lux Can Control Your Smart Bulbs Too
Finally, F.lux comes with a ton of additional functionality you won’t find in Night Light. This includes the ability to sync your Phillips Hue smart bulbs to your desktop’s color temperature, making for a seamless lighting switch between day and night.
You’ll find these settings in the Connected Lighting tab in f.lux’s options. You can set the lighting color according to your desktop, and even select what lights to turn off when the sun is up. This feature also works with Philips Color Kinetics intelliWhite, YeeLight, and LIFX lights.
Overall, f.lux is a free program that’s easy to use and lightweight. It helps greatly if you use your computer at night all the time. Switching your computer’s color temperature can help you sleep better, too—the blue light our computers emit isn’t great for sleep, especially when you’re staring at your monitor at three in the morning.
