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Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow?

Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?

During the day, computer screens look good—they're designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn't be looking at the sun.

f.lux

F.lux fixes this: it makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

It's even possible that you're staying up too late because of your computer. You could use f.lux because it makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your computer look better.

f.lux makes your computer screen look like the room you're in, all the time. When the sun sets, it makes your computer look like your indoor lights. In the morning, it makes things look like sunlight again.

Tell f.lux what kind of lighting you have, and where you live. Then forget about it. F.lux will do the rest, automatically.

Configuring f.lux

1) How do I find or change settings?
Settings are located in a menu to the left of your system clock. In Windows, this is at the bottom right corner of your screen. On a Mac, it's at the upper right. NOTE: f.lux does not appear in your dock, settings, or your alt-tab menu. Currently settings are only acessible through the taskbar.

2) I installed this but it looks too pink/orange.
On first use, it can take a while to adjust to the halogen settings. Try adjusting the color temperature sliders under Settings until you find one you like. Start with fluorescent or halogen and change it when your eyes adjust. When you disable f.lux, your screen will return to your normal calibration. We're used to looking at very blue computer screens, so it can seem unnatural at first. Most LCD displays are calibrated to display at 6500K, which has even more blue than noon sunlight (5500K).

3) My cursor is blue on Windows. Why?
This happens when your videocard displays your cursor in hardware. We're looking into a workaround.

4) What is the right color setting for me?
You're at the right color when your monitor screen color looks like the pages of a book under your room lights. We're all used to monitors giving off a 6500K glow, which is even bluer than sunlight. If the default settings of f.lux feel too extreme to you, try setting it to fluorescent, and once your eyes adjust, set it to a warmer temperature. Some studies indicate blue light is beneficial during the day, but late at night it can negatively affect your sleep pattern. Our unofficial study indicates that f.lux makes your computer look nicer in a dark room.

5) This changes too fast, it always shocks me.
The f.lux transition can be CPU intensive, so f.lux tries to be polite about it. To make it slow, you can use the special 1-hour slow transition option under settings instead.

6) I work nights. How do I flip the day and night settings?
PC f.lux users can unlock the color temperature sliders by holding down the control key while setting your temperature, so night can be swapped with day. We're working on a feature that lets you control time settings more closely.