How to make a black and white screen on a Xiaomi smartphone: 5 working ways

The black and white mode on Xiaomi smartphones is not only a stylish visual effect, but also a useful feature to reduce eye strain, save battery power and even improve concentration. Many users turn it on in the evening for comfortable reading, and some use it as a tool to combat addiction to bright colors on social networks. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to activate a monochrome display on devices with MIUI 12, 13 and 14, including hidden settings and workarounds for older models.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi doesn’t always provide direct access to this feature in standard settings. Depending on the firmware version and smartphone model (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro or POCO X5), the ways to turn on may be different. We tested all methods on current devices from 2023 to 2026 and weeded out outdated tips that no longer work. If you’re looking for a way to return colors after accidentally turning on monochrome mode, here’s a solution.

Including a black and white screen through the Color Filter (MIUI 14)

The easiest and most official way is to use the built-in color filter that has appeared in the latest versions of MIUI. This method works on most modern models, including the Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Select the Color Filter section (some firmwares call color correction).
3. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
4. In the list of modes, select Shades of Grey.
5. Adjust the intensity of the effect with a slider (recommended 100% for full black and white display).

⚠️ Note: Some devices may lose color in screenshots and screen recordings after activation of the filter. This is normal system behavior - the filter is applied at the level of image rendering.

Make sure that the MIUI version is not lower than 13.0.5|

Close all screenshot protection apps (bank, instant messengers)|

Check the battery (at a low level, the filter can turn off automatically)|

Back up important color images (they will show up in shades of gray)

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2.Use of Reading Mode (for older versions of MIUI)

If your firmware doesn’t have a separate color filter, you can use Read mode, which partially discolor the screen, which is suitable for devices on MIUI 11-12, such as the Redmi 9 or Mi A3, the effect will be less pronounced, but you will not need to install additional software.

How to activate:

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Screen.
• 🔍 Find the option Read Mode (can be called Vision Protection).
• 🎚️ Turn on the mode and set the maximum intensity of the warm filter.
• 🔄 Return to the main screen settings menu and turn off Adaptive Brightness – this will increase the discoloration effect.

💡 Useful tip: Combining a low-brightness reading mode (up to 30%) creates the illusion of a black and white screen in the dark.

To save battery life |

To reduce the burden on the eyes |

Like an experiment with minimalism |

For a photo in monochrome |

Another option-->

3. Hidden settings via Engineer Mode (for advanced)

For users who are ready to dive into the engineering menu, there is a way to activate full black and white mode through Engineer Mode, which works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires caution – incorrect settings can lead to display failures.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
2. In the engineering menu, select Hardware Testing → Display.
3. Find the Saturation parameter and set the value 0.
4. Save the changes and restart the device.

⚠️ Note: After applying this method, some system applications (such as Camera or Gallery) may display colors incorrectly. To return everything back, set Saturation to 128.

4. Applications for forced bleaching

If the built-in methods don't work, you can use third-party utilities, and we tested 5 popular apps and selected the two most reliable ones:

For installation:

1. Download Gray Scale Mode from Google Play.
2. Grant permission to overlay over other windows (Settings → Applications → Special Access → Overlay).
3. Activate the filter in the notification panel.

Important: Applications without root rights cannot completely discolor system dialogs and some secure applications (e.g. banking).

5. Hardware reset of the color palette (extreme case)

If the screen is black and white after experimenting with the settings and you can't get the colors back, you may have lost the GPU settings, and then you might want to use the hardware reset via the service menu:

Instructions:

• 🔌 Turn off your smartphone.
• 🔘 Press the power buttons simultaneously + Loudness up before the appearance of the Mi logo.
• 📱 In the Recovery Menu, select Wipe & Reset → Wipe All Data (this will delete all data!).
• 🔄 After rebooting, the colors should be restored.

⚠️ Note: This method should only be used if other methods have not helped.Be sure to back up through Settings before resetting. → The phone. → Backup.

💡

Hardware reset is the last chance to get back the colors if the software methods didn't work. It deletes all the data, so only apply it after you've created the backup.

6. Alternative methods: ADB and Magisk modules

For users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, advanced methods are available:

Method 1: Through ADB

adb shell settings put secure accessibility_display_daltonizer_enabled 1


adb shell settings put secure accessibility_display_daltonizer 0

Where 0 is the value for the black and white filter (use -1) to turn off.

Method 2: Monet Magisk Module

Install Monet through Magisk Manager and select the Grayscale palette in the settings, which is the most stable method, but requires unlocking the bootloader.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successful activation of black and white mode, users face difficulties:

• 🎮 Colors return in games: Most games bypass system filters.The solution is to use Tasker with the Secure Settings plugin to force the filter to be applied.
• 📸 Camera shows colors: This is normal -- the filter doesn't affect the camera's preview. The finished photos will only be black and white if you use the appropriate filter in the Camera app.
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge: Paradox, but on AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi) 12T, Redmi K50) Black and white mode can increase battery consumption due to the constant operation of the GPU.

💡

If the black and white screen is only for specific applications (such as Instagram or TikTok), use the split screen function in MIUI. Run the app in separate mode and apply a color filter - it will only act on this part of the screen.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions