Computer Screen Goes Black and White (Greyscale) In Windows 10

Computer screen goes greyscaleComputer screen goes greyscale

One of our readers had an issue with his computer. He told me that his computer screen went black and white (grayscale) suddenly and he has no idea what has gone wrong. He reinstalled the graphics card driver, looked into graphics card properties thoroughly but didn’t find a solution.

In this article we will discuss two solutions to the issue of screen going black and white in Windows 10.

Computer display turning grayscale

The Windows 10 Fall Creators update brings some exciting features for users. Unfortunately, some features get turned on mistakenly using unintended keyboard shortcuts. This issue arises from the same cause. Windows 10 Fall Creators Update has a color filters feature. The user can turn on/off color filters in Windows 10. This feature is especially useful for visually impaired people who want a high contrast display.

Turn on/off Windows 10 color filters

To turn on or off Windows 10 color filters, follow the instructions below:

  1. Go to Start Menu –> Settings ( Win Key + X + N)
  2. Select Ease Of Access settings

    Settings finding Ease of Access
    Settings finding Ease of Access
  3. Select Color & High Contrast from the left hand menu
  4. On this screen, you will be able to turn on color filters

    Windows 10 color filters
    Windows 10 color filters

There are a lot of filters but since grayscale filter is selected by default, enabling the toggle button will make your screen black and white. Other filters include the following:

  1. Grayscale
  2. Invert
  3. Grayscale Inverted
  4. Deuteranopia
  5. Protanopia
  6. Tritanopia

Keyboard shortcut for enabling/disabling Windows 10 color filters

Most probably, you had enabled Windows 10 color filters using a keyboard shortcut key mistakenly. To enable or disable color filters in Windows 10, just press Windows Key + Ctrl + C. This will enable color filters. If they are already enabled, pressing the same key sequence will disable the color filters.

Microsoft To Launch Redesigned Wind...
Microsoft To Launch Redesigned Windows 11 Setup Experience

Conclusion

Hopefully this will solve your computer screen going black and white or grayscale.This Windows 10 setting is permanent and will not revert even after restarting your computer. You will have to manually disable this setting if it is enabled mistakenly.

Please note that the color filters feature is only available in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (Version 1709). If you can’t find it then you don’t have the latest version of Windows. You may download and install the latest Windows 10 from here.

If you liked this post, Share it on:

Get Updates in Your Inbox

Sign up for the regular updates and be the first to know about the latest tech information

Usman Khurshid
Usman Khurshid is a seasoned IT Pro with over 15 years of experience in the IT industry. He has experience in everything from IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. He is also certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching.

3 comments

  • Charles
    Charles

    My ASUS laptop UX501VW had the screen turn gray with lines and the computer would stop working. I went to the ASUS web site and downloaded each available driver for my model. I had to download, extract and install using the exe file one at a time. The problem went away.

  • Sean Gabel
    Sean Gabel

    I am a new windows user and this was a great help. Especially the screenshots. Did exactly that and the screen is normal again.

Leave a Reply to Usman Khurshid (Cancel Reply)