Change Displays preferences on Mac
On your Mac, use Displays System Preferences to adjust resolution and brightness, and to set other options designed to support a variety of professional media types and related production workflows.
From the Presets menu, you can choose from several built-in reference modes based on industry standards that define the optimal display characteristics and viewing conditions for each media workflow. For each mode, your display adjusts its color and brightness characteristics to match the requirements for that media workflow. To ensure consistency across your workflow, the number of options available in Displays preferences changes or is limited, depending on the mode you select.
Note: Several of the reference modes are intended to be used in controlled viewing conditions typically found in professional content production environments. Using a mode in the incorrect viewing condition or with the wrong media type may produce unsatisfactory results.
To change these preferences, choose Apple menu 
. When your Mac is connected to a display, choose Apple menu , then click Display Settings.
Some of these options only appear when you’re using a supported Mac or when you’re connected to a supported display.
Note: Not all options described here appear for all display or Mac models, and some options appear only when your Mac is connected to a display.
Option | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Use as | Set up your display to mirror or extend your desktop or to act as your main display. This option only appears when you have an external display connected to your Mac. See Use one or more external displays with your Mac. | ||||||||||
Resolution | Choose the amount of detail your display shows. Select “Default for display” to automatically use the best resolution for the display, or select Scaled to manually choose between larger text or more space onscreen. | ||||||||||
Show all resolutions | Show all available resolutions, including low-resolution modes. | ||||||||||
Brightness | Controls how light or dark your screen appears. Move the slider to the right to make the screen brighter or to the left to make it darker. For alternative ways to adjust brightness, see Change your Mac display’s brightness. | ||||||||||
Automatically adjust brightness | The display brightness and black level adjust automatically based on current ambient lighting conditions. | ||||||||||
True Tone | Automatically adjusts the colors on the display based on current ambient lighting conditions. | ||||||||||
Presets | Pro Display XDR (P3-1600 nits): Configures the display for general use in office and home environments. This mode is based on the wide color P3 color primaries used by Apple displays, automatically adjusts to varying lighting conditions, and includes Extreme Dynamic Range support up to 1600 nits (peak). Apple Display XDR (P3-1600 nits): Configures the display for general use in office and home environments. This mode is based on the wide color P3 color primaries used by Apple displays, automatically adjusts to varying lighting conditions, and includes Extreme Dynamic Range support up to 1600 nits (peak). Apple Display (P3-600 nits): Configures the display for general use in office and home environments. This mode is based on the wide color P3 color primaries, automatically adjusts to varying lighting conditions, and supports a brightness range of up to 600 nits. Apple Display (P3-500 nits): Configures the display for general use in office and home environments. This mode is based on the wide color P3 color primaries, automatically adjusts to varying lighting conditions, and supports a brightness range of up to 500 nits, typical of Apple built-in displays. HDR Video (P3-ST 2084): Configures the display for use in 4K or ultra high-definition video production workflows up to 1000 nits (full-screen sustained) using the wide color P3 primaries and the high dynamic range SMPTE ST-2084 EOTF. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per ITU-R BT.2100. HDTV Video (BT.709-BT.1886): Configures the display for use in high-definition video production workflows targeting the ITU-R BT.709 and BT.1886 recommendations. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per ITU-R BT.2035. NTSC Video (BT.601 SMPTE-C): Configures the display for use in standard definition or archival video production workflows targeting the ITU-R BT.601 recommendation and SMPTE-C color primaries. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per ITU-R BT.2035. PAL & SECAM Video (BT.601 EBU): Configures the display for use in standard definition or archival video production workflows targeting the ITU-R BT.601 recommendation and EBU Tech 3213 color primaries. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per ITU-R BT.2035. Digital Cinema (P3-DCI): Configures the display for use in motion picture and post-production workflows using the P3 theatrical color space and digital cinema whitepoint. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per SMPTE RP 431-2:2011. Digital Cinema (P3-D65): Configures the display for use in motion picture and post-production workflows using the P3 theatrical color space with the D65 whitepoint. This mode is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up per SMPTE RP 431-2:2011. Design & Print (P3-D50): Configures the display for use in graphic design, printing, and publishing workflows. This mode uses wide color P3 primaries with the D50 whitepoint typically used to evaluate the color of printed output. It is for use in a controlled viewing environment set up in accordance with ISO 3664:2009. Photography (P3-D65): Configures the display for use in typical digital photography workflows. This mode uses wide color P3 primaries with the D65 whitepoint typically used for screen-based viewing. It is for use in appropriately set up and controlled viewing environments. Internet & Web (sRGB): Configures the display for use in content creation workflows targeting the web or other internet-based usages. This mode uses the broadly supported sRGB (IEC 61966-2-1:1999) color space per the W3C CSS Color Module Level 3 recommendation. It is for use in appropriately set up and controlled viewing environments (64 lux is recommended). | ||||||||||
Customize Presets | Allows you to create custom reference modes. See Create custom reference modes. | ||||||||||
Rotate or Rotation (depending on your display) | Rotate the image shown on your display by the chosen amount. See Rotate the image on your Mac display. This button only appears if an external display is connected to your Mac. | ||||||||||
Refresh Rate | Set how frequently your screen is redrawn. You can choose a dynamic refresh rate, known as ProMotion, or select a fixed refresh rate. If frame accuracy is desired, select the refresh rate based on the frames per second (fps) of the media you’re working with. | ||||||||||
Show Sidebar | Show the sidebar on your iPad, then choose a location from the pop-up menu. This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display. | ||||||||||
Show Touch Bar | Show the Touch Bar on your iPad, then choose a location from the pop-up menu. When you use an app that supports the Touch Bar on your iPad, the Touch Bar is shown in the location you specified. The buttons available in the Touch Bar vary depending on the current app and task. This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display. | ||||||||||
Enable double tap on Apple Pencil | Select the checkbox if you want to be able to double-tap the lower section of Apple Pencil to switch drawing tools in some apps (if your Apple Pencil supports it). See the Apple Support article Connect Apple Pencil with your iPad. This option only appears if you’re using your iPad as a second display. | ||||||||||
Night Shift | Shifts your display to the warmer end of the color spectrum. Warmer screen colors are easier on your eyes when you use your Mac at night or in low-light conditions. See Use Night Shift. | ||||||||||
Detect Displays | Scans for all the displays connected to your Mac. Press and hold the Option key to make this button appear in place of the Night Shift button, then click Detect Displays if your Mac doesn’t recognize a display you just connected. | ||||||||||
Universal Control | Set Universal Control options for your display. See Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across devices with Universal Control on Mac. | ||||||||||