Why I Use f.lux Instead of Night Light on Windows 11

Night Light in Windows 11 is a useful feature if you often use your computer at night, but it is not the best implementation of this feature. I use the free one f.lux instead of Night Light in Windows 11; here’s why.

1

f.lux has more customization options

The most common argument you’ll hear in favor of f.lux over Night Light is that f.lux has many more customization options than the native Windows implementation. You can change anything from the color temperature of your screen to when exactly the color temperature changes and how often.

To be fair, the Windows implementation allows you to set a strength and schedule for when the Night Light comes on, but f.lux takes this to a whole new level. You can select presets for when the color temperature changes, such as if you work late or want to reduce eye strain.

Instead of simply synchronizing with the sunrise and sunset of your given location, f.lux lets you choose when you wake up to start using your computer and adjusts the color temperature accordingly. There are several options for selecting the color temperature itself. With a bit of sarcasm, you will get the most out of F.lux and protect from blue light.

2

Night Light can interrupt Full-Screen Apps

I had a bad experience with Night Light and games – more precisely, full-screen apps in general. The Windows implementation changes the color of your screen regardless of what you do. So if you are gaming or watching movies at night, expect a yellow tint on your screen.

I’ve seen finicky behavior from Night Light with full-screen apps. Sometimes games work well. Other times, there will be a yellow tint on my monitor and I have to manually turn off Night Light to make it go away.

f.lux, however, handles full-screen apps much better. I used a dual monitor setup (down from my original four screens), and f.lux resets the color temperature on my main monitor whenever a game or full-screen program is running. Meanwhile, f.lux maintains its color on my second monitor, something the Windows feature doesn’t do.

3

F.lux is more consistent

Adding to the previous point, f.lux is much more consistent in managing the color temperature of your desktop. Sometimes, if you turn off your PC when Night Light is on, you may still find it turned on when you restart your computer, even in daylight.

The Windows feature is also activated quite abruptly, only changing the color temperature of your screen the exact minute the sun goes down. This change is extremely jarring to my eyes, compared to the smooth transitions that f.lux brings. When the sun sets or rises, f.lux gradually changes the color temperature, so you won’t even notice the change.

There are far fewer crashes, bugs, and glitches when using f.lux. In addition, it also includes keyboard shortcuts to disable the service, change the brightness, or adjust the color temperature on the fly. Therefore, even if the program has the wrong color or does not change automatically, you do not need to dig into the menus.

4

F.lux can also control your smart bulbs

Finally, F.lux comes with a ton of additional features that you won’t find in Night Light. This includes the ability to sync your Phillips Hue smart bulbs to the color temperature of your desktop, making for a seamless lighting switch between day and night.

You will find these parameters in the Connected lighting tab in the f.lux options. You can set the color of the lighting according to your desktop, and even select which lights to turn off when the sun is up. This feature also works with Philips Color Kinetics intelliWhite, YeeLight and LIFX lights.

Overall, f.lux is a free program that is easy to use and lightweight. It helps a lot if you use your computer at night all the time. Changing the color temperature of your computer can also help you sleep better – the blue light our computers emit isn’t great for sleep, especially when you’re staring at your monitor at three in the morning.