Frequently asked questions
Everything you might want to know about Amber Mode before you download it.
Amber Mode is a macOS menu bar app that lays a warm amber-orange filter and a subtle paper-grain texture over your screen. It makes a bright LCD feel less like a flashlight and more like reading on warm paper after dark.
Night Shift, the Mac's blue light filter, only nudges the color temperature slightly warmer. Amber Mode goes much further: a deep amber tone plus a real paper-grain texture overlay, with mood presets and sliders for warmth, texture, contrast, and clarity. Night Shift takes a little blue out, Amber Mode is built to make the whole screen feel like paper.
Honest answer, it's a comfort thing, not a medical one. Amber Mode is not a medical device and we make no clinical claims about reducing eye strain, protecting your retina, or improving sleep. What it does is make a bright LCD feel softer and more paper-like at night, which a lot of people find more comfortable to read on. If you have any actual eye concerns, please talk to a doctor.
Yes. Amber Mode layers on top of whatever your display is already doing, so you can keep Night Shift or True Tone on if you like. Most people find Amber Mode on its own is more than enough.
No. The filter and texture overlay are lightweight and have no perceptible impact on performance, frame rate, or battery life.
Amber Mode runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Yes. Pick a mood (Sunset, Candle, or Reading) for a one-tap look, or fine-tune Warmth, Texture, Contrast, and Clarity with the sliders. You can toggle the whole filter on or off any time from the menu bar.
Yes, Amber Mode is completely free. Download it and go, no account or payment needed.
No. The app runs entirely on your Mac and collects no data, no analytics, and no personal information. See the Privacy Policy for the full details.