Where to find the invert colors setting

The invert colors feature on your iPhone reverses the colors on your screen — black becomes white, white becomes black, and other colors flip to their opposites. This setting lives in Accessibility, not in Display settings, because Apple built it mainly to reduce eye strain for people with light sensitivity or certain vision conditions.

You reach it through Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Invert Colors. The toggle appears near the bottom of that screen. Turning it on inverts your entire display when ready; turning it off returns everything to normal colors.

The setting works across your whole phone — every app, every screen, every notification. Once you turn it on, it stays on until you turn it off again, even after you restart your device.

Key Takeaways

  • Invert Colors is found in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, not in the main Display settings.
  • The toggle switches your entire screen to inverted colors when ready and affects every app and screen on your phone.
  • You can also reach Invert Colors through Control Center if you add it as a shortcut first.
  • Some apps may look strange or harder to read with colors inverted, so test it before relying on it daily.
  • Turning on Invert Colors does not change how your phone appears to other people if you share your screen or take screenshots.

Using Control Center for faster access

If you use Invert Colors often, adding it to Control Center saves you from diving into Settings each time. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls, then scroll down to find Accessibility Shortcuts and tap the green plus button next to it.

Once you add Accessibility Shortcuts to Control Center, swipe down from the top right of your screen (or up from the bottom on older iPhones) to open Control Center. Tap the Accessibility Shortcuts icon — it looks like a person in a circle — then tap Invert Colors to toggle it on or off when ready.

What happens to photos and videos

When you turn on Invert Colors, photos and videos in your camera roll, Messages, and other apps will display with inverted colors too. This can make them look strange or hard to recognize. The original files themselves are not changed — only what you see on screen is inverted.

If you take a screenshot while Invert Colors is on, the screenshot will show the inverted version. If you want to share a photo or screenshot with someone else, they will see the normal colors on their device, not the inverted version.

Smart Invert as an alternative

Apple also offers Smart Invert, which inverts colors but tries to keep images, videos, and some app icons looking normal. It is gentler on the eyes for some people because it does not flip every single color on the screen.

Smart Invert is in the same location: Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Smart Invert. You can turn on either Invert Colors or Smart Invert, but not both at the same time. If one is already on, turning on the other will turn the first one off.

Testing Invert Colors with your apps

Before you rely on Invert Colors as your daily setting, spend a few minutes using your most-used apps with it turned on. Some apps — especially those with custom designs or lots of images — may become harder to read or look broken.

Banking apps, photo editors, and map apps sometimes display poorly with inverted colors. If you find that certain apps are unusable, you may want to use Invert Colors only when you need it, or explore Smart Invert instead.

Turning Invert Colors off

To turn off Invert Colors, go back to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle Invert Colors off. If you added it to Control Center, you can also open Control Center, tap Accessibility Shortcuts, and tap Invert Colors again to turn it off.

Your screen returns to normal colors when ready. Any apps you had open stay open — nothing closes or resets when you toggle the setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Invert Colors work in Dark Mode too?

Yes. Invert Colors inverts whatever is currently on your screen, whether that is Light Mode or Dark Mode. If Dark Mode is on and you turn on Invert Colors, the dark grays and blacks flip to light colors. The two settings work independently.

Will Invert Colors drain my battery faster?

No. Inverting colors on an LCD screen uses the same amount of power as displaying normal colors. On newer iPhones with OLED screens, inverting colors might use slightly less power because OLED pixels can turn completely off, but the difference is too small to notice in daily use.

Can I set Invert Colors to turn on at a specific time?

Not directly through the Invert Colors setting itself. However, you can create an automation in the Shortcuts app that turns Invert Colors on at a certain time each day. Open Shortcuts, go to Automation, create a new automation, and set it to run an Accessibility action that toggles Invert Colors.

What if Invert Colors is on but some apps still show normal colors?

Some apps override system-wide color settings and display their own colors. This is rare but happens with certain games and specialized apps. If an app looks wrong, try closing and reopening it, or check if the app has its own color or theme settings you can adjust.