Tinted Screenshots on Windows 10? How to Fix Wrong Screenshot Colors

If screenshots on Windows 10 look yellow, orange, blue, washed out, or otherwise different from what you see on the display, first determine whether the screenshot file itself is tinted or only looks tinted on your monitor. That distinction quickly narrows the cause to a capture/color-management problem or a display-side filter such as Night light, a color filter, or a vendor eye-care mode.

1. Check whether the tint is in the screenshot file

Take a fresh screenshot, then view the same file somewhere that is not using the same display settings—for example, on another device or on a second monitor with different color settings. If the image looks normal elsewhere, the screenshot is probably fine and the tint is being added by your display configuration. If the file is tinted everywhere, continue with the capture, HDR, and driver checks below.

2. Test with Windows' built-in screenshot tools

Use a built-in capture method to rule out filters, effects, or color processing added by a third-party screenshot app. Microsoft documents Windows logo key + PrtScn as a shortcut that saves captures to Pictures > Screenshots. You can also press Windows logo key + Shift + S to capture with Snipping Tool.

1. Close or minimize your normal screenshot utility.
2. Press Windows + PrtScn.
3. Open File Explorer and go to Pictures > Screenshots.
4. Compare the new image with one made by your usual screenshot app.

If the Windows capture has normal colors but your usual app does not, reset or disable that app's color, enhancement, HDR, or filter options. See Microsoft's Print Screen shortcut documentation.

3. Turn off screen-tinting features and overlay apps temporarily

If the screenshot file is normal on another device but looks tinted on your PC, turn off anything that intentionally changes the colors shown on screen.

• Open Settings > System > Display and turn Night light off. Microsoft notes that Night light displays warmer colors.
• Open Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters and turn color filters off. The Windows + Ctrl + C shortcut can also toggle them when that shortcut is enabled.
• Exit third-party blue-light, dimming, calibration, or overlay utilities one at a time and retest.
• On supported Lenovo models, Eye Care Mode in Lenovo Vantage or Lenovo PC Manager changes screen color temperature. Its exact menu location varies by model and software version, so use the controls shown on your system rather than an old fixed menu path.

Microsoft explains Night light and display color settings, while Windows accessibility color filters can also alter what you see. Lenovo documents that Eye Care Mode adjusts LCD color tone.

4. If you use HDR, test one capture with HDR off

HDR is a more likely cause when the saved screenshot itself looks washed out, overexposed, or incorrectly saturated. Windows capture APIs can preserve HDR data, but converting HDR or wide-color content to a normal SDR image requires additional tone mapping. That conversion can produce visibly wrong colors when the capture path or viewing app does not handle it correctly.

Open Settings > System > Display, select the affected display, open Windows HD Color settings if present, and temporarily turn off the HDR option. The wording can vary by Windows 10 build, such as Use HDR or Play HDR games and apps. Capture the same content again. If colors return to normal, HDR/color conversion is the key clue.

Microsoft's Advanced Color documentation explains why HDR capture needs tone mapping for SDR output. Intel also documents washed-out or less-saturated color when HDR is enabled on some Windows 10 systems.

5. Check the graphics driver only if the problem started after a change

If every screenshot tool produces the same bad colors and the issue began immediately after a display-driver or Windows update, check the graphics driver next. Do not roll back a working driver just because screenshots are tinted.

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click the active graphics adapter and choose Properties.
4. Open the Driver tab.
5. If the issue began after a recent driver update and Roll Back Driver is available, use it and restart Windows.

Microsoft's Device Manager driver guide notes that rollback requires administrator permissions and is available only when Windows still has a previous driver version.

What usually fixes tinted screenshots?

If the image is normal on another device, disable Night light, color filters, eye-care modes, or other screen-tinting software. If the file itself is wrong, compare a Windows-built-in capture with your normal screenshot tool, test HDR off, and then investigate the display driver if the problem started after an update. Testing in that order avoids changing drivers for what is really just a display filter.