How to Invert Colors on Windows 10 [And Create a Shortcut]

Windows 11 is a great operating system, but some users reported inverted colors on their screens. This is an unusual issue, and in today’s article, we’ll show you how to fix it properly.

This can be a huge problem, mainly because it is not pretty viewing your monitor in colors you are not used to. In addition, it sometimes feels like being forced to a dark mode even though you have not configured such a setting.

There are a few known triggers; we will cover these and give you the best resolutions in this article.

Why is my PC color inverted?

There are a few known reasons for this Windows problem. First, many users have attributed it to outdated or corrupted graphics drivers. In this case, an update or reinstallation is needed.

Additionally, it may be triggered by wrongly configured system settings. You must find what was improperly configured and restore it to its default.

Why do people use invert colors?

People who have particular vision impairments will find that this function is quite helpful. There are certain people who are extremely sensitive to light, for instance, and in most cases, switching the color scheme will have the effect of making the majority of the screen darker.

Additionally, it alters particular hues, which may provide difficulties for individuals who are colorblind.

Inverted colors can be a big problem on your PC, and speaking of display issues and colors, here are some similar problems that users reported:

• Inverted color scheme Windows 10 – This issue can appear if a high contrast theme is enabled. To fix the problem, check your Ease of Access settings and ensure that high contrast is disabled.
• Invert colors Windows 10 hotkey, keyboard shortcut – Sometimes, you can fix the problems with inverted colors simply by using a single keyboard shortcut. That shortcut is usually left Alt + left Shift + Print Screen, so feel free to try it.
• Inverted colors on Dell laptop, HP laptop – This issue can affect laptops as well, and if you encounter this problem, be sure to try some of our solutions.

So, let us now discuss what you can do when Windows 11 colors are messed up.

How do I change my invert colors back to normal?

1. Reinstall your graphics card drivers
2. Use the Magnifier tool
3. Change Ease of Access settings
4. Disable Visual notifications for sounds feature
5. Check your graphics card settings
6. Check your registry
7. Try running Windows in Safe Mode
8. Perform a System Restore
9. Inspect your hardware

1. Reinstall your graphics card drivers

1. Press Windows Key + X.
2. Choose Device Manager from the list.
   
3. Now you need to find your graphics card driver.
4. Once you find it, right-click it and choose Uninstall device from the menu.
   
5. If it’s available, check the Remove driver software for this device.
6. Now click on Uninstall to confirm.
   
7. After you remove the driver, click Scan for hardware changes icon to install the default driver.
   

By doing so, you’ll install the current driver and switch back to the default one.

If removing the driver solves the problem, it’s advised that you update it to the latest version. To do that, visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the latest driver for your model.

If you don’t know how to do that properly, you can always use third-party tools such as updating all your drivers automatically with just a couple of clicks.

Alternatively, you can use third-party software such as Outbyte Driver Updater to remove the driver and all associated files and registry entries.

It’s a portable tool with a very easy-to-use interface. Once the system scan is completed, Outbyte Driver Updater will check your drivers with the ones from its built-in database to fix them.

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2. Use the Magnifier tool

1. Press Windows Key + Esc key to open the Magnifier tool.
2. Now press Ctrl + Alt + I, and your invert all the colors on the screen.

If you’re having issues with inverted colors on your PC, it’s possible that the problem was caused by a Magnifier tool.

This built-in tool allows you to zoom certain parts of the screen to see them better.

However, the Magnifier tool can also invert your colors, and the steps above will help you how to reverse the colors using this tool.

3. Change Ease of Access settings

1. Open the Settings app. You can do that quickly by using Windows Key + I shortcut.
2. Navigate to the Ease of Access section.
   
   
3. From the menu on the left select High contrast.
4. In the right pane, disable the Turn on high contrast option.
   

If this option is already disabled, you can use Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen to turn off high contrast quickly.

Alternatively, you can set the high contrast theme to None and check if that solves the problem.

4. Disable Visual notifications for sounds feature

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter control panel.
2. Select Control Panel from the list.
   
3. Navigate to Ease of Access Center when Control Panel opens.
   
4. Select Use text or visual alternatives for sounds from the list.
   
5. Disable Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry), and click Apply and OK to save changes.
   

After making these changes, your colors shouldn’t be inverted, and the issue will be resolved.

5. Check your graphics card settings

According to users, sometimes inverted colors can appear on your PC due to your graphics card settings.

Almost all graphics cards have software that allows you to configure all sorts of graphics-related settings.

You may have the Stereoscopic 3D feature enabled if your colors are inverted.

To disable it, open Nvidia Control Panel or Catalyst Control Center and look for this feature. Once you find this feature, please disable it.

6. Check your registry

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter regedit.
2. Press Enter or click OK.
   
3. When Registry Editor opens, navigate to the path below.
   Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ScreenMagnifier
4. In the right pane, double-click the Invert DWORD to open its properties.
   
5. Once the properties window opens, ensure that the Value data is set to 0.
6. Click OK to save changes.

7. Try running Windows in Safe Mode

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to the Update & Security section.
   
2. Select Recovery from the menu on the left; click the Restart now button.
   
3. Select Troubleshoot.
   
4. Click on Advanced options.
   
5. Then choose Startup Settings, and click the Restart button.
6. Finally, select Safe Mode with Networking by pressing the appropriate keyboard key.
   

Once you start Windows in Safe Mode, check if the problem is still there. If the problem doesn’t appear in Safe Mode, your settings or drivers are causing the issue.

Read more about this topic

• Windows 10X 18941: the Windows 10 that almost looked like Windows 11
• How to Register a DLL: 3 Ways to Quickly do it
• Windows 10’s Recovery Environment updates are now available to download
• KB5046714, the final update to the Windows 10 Beta Channel, brings important updates to Microsoft Store

8. Perform a System Restore

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter system restore.
2. Now, choose to Create a restore point from the list of results.
   
3. Select the System Restore button.
   
   
4. Once the System Restore window opens, click the Next button to proceed.
   
5. Now check the Show more restore points option if it’s available.
6. Choose the restore point you want to revert to and click the Next button.
   
7. Finally, follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

Once you complete the restoration process, check if the problem is still there.

9. Inspect your hardware

Sometimes inverted colors can appear due to hardware issues. To check if your hardware is the problem, pay close attention if your colors are inverted during the boot sequence or in BIOS.

If this problem appears outside of Windows, it’s almost certain that there’s a problem with your hardware.

To troubleshoot the issue, ensure your cable is tightly connected to your monitor and PC.

Also, you might want to check your monitor and ensure it’s not faulty. Finally, you can connect your PC to your TV or any other display.

If the problem isn’t related to the monitor, your graphics card may be faulty.

Inverted colors are one of the symptoms of a faulty graphics card, so be sure that you check if your graphics card is seated correctly on your PC.

If you have an extra slot, you can try moving it to a different slot on your PC and check if that helps.

How do I fix inverted colors on Windows 11?

Above, we have shown fixes that apply to Windows 11 PCs. However, you must know that Windows 11 and 11 are very similar, and the triggers for this error on Windows 11 apply to the latest OS.

Hence, all the fixes mentioned above are relevant if you encounter a problem with the latest OS. However, you may experience slight UI differences on rare occasions, but you should generally apply the exact solutions.

How do I invert the colors on my computer?

1. Click the Start menu, search for Turn color filter, and select the top result.
   
2. Toggle on Turn color filter, then select the Inverted option.
   

Inverted colors can cause many problems, but in most cases, this issue is caused by your settings or your drivers.

However, if our solutions didn’t fix your problem, the hardware issue may be causing this problem.

Also, we encourage you to try any solutions that feel most appropriate to your case since we have not written these fixes in any particular order.

Lastly, we are curious about what worked for you; please tell us in the comments section.