MAC
How to increase contrast and reduce transparency on a Mac
Real screenshot · MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1In short
Open System Settings, click Accessibility, then Display, and switch on Increase contrast, Reduce transparency or both. On macOS 27 both switches sit near the top of the Display page.
Some backgrounds in macOS use a transparent effect, so what is behind them shines through. It looks smart, until your holiday photo sits behind the words you are reading. There is no need to put up with it: two switches give the screen firmer outlines and solid backgrounds.
5 of 5 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo.
Steps
- 1
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings….
- 2
Click Accessibility, then Display
Click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Display in the Vision group on the right.
On our MacBook Neo, Accessibility was visible below General without scrolling, and Display sat between Hover Text and Motion.
- 3
Switch on Increase contrast
Click the switch next to Increase contrast. Apple says it makes borders around buttons and boxes stand out without changing the contrast of the screen itself.
On our MacBook Neo, it is the third row on the Display page, after Invert colors and Invert colors mode.
- 4
Switch on Reduce transparency
Click the switch next to Reduce transparency, just below. Apple says it replaces see-through backgrounds with a solid background.
On our MacBook Neo, both switches turn green when they are on.
- 5
Fine-tune with Display contrast
Drag the Display contrast slider from Normal towards Maximum. Apple says it changes the contrast of the screen as a whole.
On our MacBook Neo, the slider was set to Normal.
If you do not see this option
- You looked under Displays in the sidebar On our MacBook Neo, Displays in the sidebar is a different page. The switches are under Accessibility, then Display.
- You want to switch them quickly Apple says Accessibility Shortcuts can turn Increase Contrast and Reduce Transparency on or off. Sources: Change Display settings for accessibility on Mac, Change Display preferences for accessibility on Mac
- Your Mac has System Preferences Apple's guide for macOS Monterey 12 says to choose System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, then click Display again. Increase contrast and Reduce transparency are on that pane. Sources: Change Display settings for accessibility on Mac, Change Display preferences for accessibility on Mac
- Want the glass effect lighter, not off? On our MacBook Neo with macOS 27.2, System Settings, Appearance has a Liquid Glass slider under its preview. Drag it to the left end for Clear or the right end for Tinted; we put ours back where it was afterwards. Apple says this slider came with macOS 27 and goes from ultra-clear to fully tinted. Source: What's new in the updates for macOS 27 Golden Gate
Zoomed in on the setting. Tap to see the whole screen
If this does not work
- Colours look odd after the change Invert colors is on the same Display page; check that its switch is off. Apple says Color Filters also change how the screen looks.
- The screen still looks low in contrast Increase contrast does not change the contrast of the screen itself, so for the screen as a whole, drag the Display contrast slider, on the same page, from Normal towards Maximum.
- The menu bar text is still small Set Menu bar size to Large in the Text group on the same page. On our MacBook Neo, the page notes that some apps or system features may need a log out for the change to take effect.
- Not sure Reduce transparency is on? On our MacBook Neo with macOS 27.2, the switch turned green and the menu bar at the top of the screen changed from see-through grey to solid black. The holiday photo stays put on the desktop.
Good to know
Differentiate without color, in the same group, uses shapes in addition to or instead of colour to show a status.
macOS 27 compared with macOS 26: We rewrote steps 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to match the macOS 27 screens. The macOS 26 page keeps the steps and screenshots as they were.
Version history: the macOS 26 version of this guide, with its own screenshots.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)
- App
- System Settings
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 5 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 3 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
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