MacBook screen settings for migraine: True Tone, Night Shift, motion

Updated 2026-11-02

Quick answerOn a MacBook, open System Settings, Displays, to set brightness and turn on True Tone, which adapts color and intensity to room light. Night Shift warms the screen on a schedule, and Accessibility, Display, Reduce motion stops many animations. Matching screen brightness to the room has the most support among these.

Brightness and True Tone

  1. Apple menu > System Settings > Displays.
  2. Drag Brightness down to match the room.
  3. Turn on True Tone.

Night Shift and motion

  1. Displays > Night Shift: set a schedule and color temperature.
  2. Accessibility > Display: turn on Reduce motion.

Good to know

  • True Tone adjusts color and intensity to ambient light using the Mac's sensors.

FAQ

Should I use Night Shift for migraine?

Warm light wasn't gentler than white in Noseda 2016, so use moderate warmth.

Does Reduce motion affect websites?

Sites that respect the reduced-motion setting will show fewer animations.

Sources

  • Apple Support: Use True Tone on Mac. Link
  • Apple Mac User Guide: Change your display's brightness. Link
  • Apple Support: Use Night Shift on your Mac. Link
  • Apple Mac User Guide: Customize onscreen motion. Link
  • Noseda R, … Burstein R. Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways. Brain, 2016. Link

Not a medical device and not medical advice. Migraine Mode is a screen-comfort tool: it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent migraine or any other condition, and it does not replace a doctor. Its settings are based on studies of light, colour, flicker, patterns and motion; the extension itself has not been clinically tested. When to see a doctor.