Where to find color filters on your iPhone

Color filters live in Settings under Accessibility, not in your camera app or display settings. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then scroll down to Color Filters. The toggle at the top turns the feature on and off. Once you turn it on, you can switch between different filter types without going back into Settings — you can do it from Control Center instead, which is faster.

If you use color filters regularly, add them to Control Center so you can reach them in two taps from anywhere on your phone. Go to Settings, tap Control Center, then tap the green plus sign next to Color Filters. Now when you swipe down from the top-right corner (or up from the bottom on older iPhones), Color Filters will appear as a button you can tap to cycle through your options.

Key Takeaways

  • Color filters are in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters, not in the camera app.
  • Once you turn on Color Filters, you can switch between filter types from Control Center without opening Settings again.
  • iPhone offers six filter types: Grayscale, Red/Green, Green/Red, Blue/Yellow, Color Tint, and Desaturate.
  • You can adjust the intensity of most filters by moving a slider, so a filter can be subtle or strong depending on what you need.
  • Color filters affect everything on your screen, including apps, photos, and videos — not just one app at a time.

The six filter types and what each one does

Grayscale removes all color and shows only black, white, and gray. This is useful if you have color blindness or want to reduce screen stimulation. It affects your entire display.

Red/Green and Green/Red are for people with red-green color blindness. Red/Green shifts reds toward yellow and greens toward blue so you can tell them apart. Green/Red does the opposite. Only one of these will feel right for your vision — you may need to try both to see which one works.

Blue/Yellow is for blue-yellow color blindness and shifts blues toward pink and yellows toward blue. Like the red-green filters, you may need to test it to know if it helps.

Color Tint lets you add a tint across your entire screen — useful if you want a warmer or cooler tone. You control the hue and intensity with sliders.

Desaturate reduces color saturation without removing it entirely, so colors are muted but still present. It is less extreme than Grayscale and can reduce eye strain for some people.

How to adjust filter intensity

Most filters include a slider that controls how strong the effect is. When you open Color Filters in Settings, you will see a slider labeled Intensity (or Hue for Color Tint). Drag it left to make the filter weaker or right to make it stronger. A setting of 50% means the filter is halfway applied; 100% means it is at full strength.

If you add Color Filters to Control Center, you can tap the button to cycle through your saved filters, but you cannot adjust intensity from Control Center itself — you have to go back into Settings to change the slider. If you find yourself tweaking intensity often, keep Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters bookmarked in your mind so you can reach it quickly.

Turning filters on and off quickly

Once Color Filters is in your Control Center, the fastest way to toggle it is to open Control Center and tap the Color Filters button. Each tap cycles to the next filter in your list. If you only use one filter, tapping it once turns it on and tapping again turns it off.

You can also turn Color Filters on or off from Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters by toggling the switch at the top. This method is slower but works if you do not have Control Center set up yet.

What happens when you use a filter

Color filters affect your entire screen — every app, every photo, every video, and every notification. You cannot explore a filter to just one app or just your camera. If you turn on Grayscale, everything you see will be in black and white until you turn it off.

Filters do not change the actual colors in your photos or videos. They only change how your screen displays them. If you take a photo while a filter is on, the photo itself will be in full color — the filter was just changing what you saw on your screen while you took it.

Using filters with Night Shift and True Tone

Color Filters work alongside Night Shift (which makes your screen warmer in the evening) and True Tone (which adjusts color temperature based on your environment). You can use all three at the same time, though the effects will layer on top of each other and may look unusual.

If you use Night Shift and a color filter together, the filter is applied first, then Night Shift is applied on top. This means a Grayscale filter plus Night Shift will show you black, white, gray, and warm tones all mixed together. Test the combination on your own phone to see if it works for you.

Resetting filters to default

If you want to remove all your color filter settings and start over, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and toggle the main switch off. This disables the feature entirely. To turn it back on later, toggle the switch on again — your previous filter choice will still be there.

There is no separate "reset" button for color filters. If you want to clear your settings completely, the only way is to turn the feature off and back on, which preserves your last selection. If you want to try a different filter type, just tap the dropdown menu under Color Filters and choose a new one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different filters for different apps?

No. Color filters explore to your entire screen at once. You cannot set Grayscale for one app and Red/Green for another. If you need different filters for different situations, you will have to manually switch between them using Control Center.

Will a color filter drain my battery?

Color filters have minimal impact on battery life. The processing happens on your display driver, not your main processor, so the drain is negligible. You can leave a filter on all day without noticing a difference in battery performance.

Do color filters work on the lock screen?

Yes. Once you turn on a color filter, it applies to your lock screen, home screen, and every app. The filter is active across your entire phone until you turn it off.

Can I save multiple filter settings and switch between them?

You can only have one filter active at a time, but you can switch between different filter types when ready using Control Center. You cannot save custom combinations or presets — each time you choose a filter, you get the default version of that filter with whatever intensity you last set it to.

What if the color filter makes my screen look worse?

Try a different filter type. Red/Green and Green/Red are designed for different types of color blindness, so one may work better than the other for your vision. If none of the preset filters help, turn the feature off and explore other accessibility options in Settings > Accessibility, such as Increase Contrast or Reduce Transparency.