Dark mode is supposed to make screens easier on your eyes, but it can feel a little dull over time. Dark mode lowers brightness on websites, but it doesn’t strip things down. High contrast mode does something completely different. It’s exactly what you need if you think dark mode isn’t going far enough.
How high contrast mode isn’t just a darker Dark mode
Windows is doing something fundamentally different to your screen.
High contrast mode and standard dark mode might seem like two versions of the same idea, since they are both gentle on your eyes, but they work in completely different ways. Dark mode is designed around comfort, so it swaps bright whites for deep grays, pulls back on blue light, and keeps the interface looking polished.
Everything stays soft, and that’s why I love it so much. However, high contrast mode isn’t trying to do any of that. Instead of easing your eyes into the dark, it forces a strict palette of blacks, whites, and neon accents.
The only goal is legibility, and you’re definitely getting that. The way it achieves this is pretty aggressive. When you turn it on, Windows essentially overrides everything from your browser to your apps, and even your carefully authored CSS.
The OS replaces all of it with its own restricted set of system colors. You’re going to lose wallpapers, transparency effects, and even drop shadows and gradients will be stripped out completely. This is a serious mode change.
Quiz
Windows
Trivia Challenge
From everyday shortcuts to hidden power features — find out how well you really know Microsoft’s iconic operating system.
ShortcutsSettingsHistoryPower UserFeatures
Which keyboard shortcut opens the Windows Snipping Tool (or Snip & Sketch) for taking a screenshot on Windows 10 and 11?
Correct! Win + Shift + S opens the Snip & Sketch overlay, letting you drag to capture any area of your screen. The snip is copied to your clipboard and also appears as a notification you can click to annotate.
Not quite — the answer is Win + Shift + S. Ctrl + Shift + S saves files in many apps, Alt + Print Screen captures just the active window, and Win + S opens Search. Win + Shift + S is your go-to for flexible screen grabs.
What does the Windows ‘God Mode’ folder trick actually give you access to?
Correct! ‘God Mode’ is created by making a new folder and naming it with a special GUID string. It compiles hundreds of Control Panel tasks and settings into one convenient folder, making it a power user favorite for quick access.
Not quite — God Mode is actually a special folder that consolidates all Control Panel settings and administrative tasks in one place. You create it by naming a folder with a specific GUID code. There’s no hidden game or secret admin account involved!
Which version of Windows was the first to introduce the Start Menu?
Correct! Windows 95 introduced the Start Menu in August 1995, and it became one of the most iconic UI elements in computing history. Microsoft even licensed the Rolling Stones’ ‘Start Me Up’ for the launch campaign.
Not quite — it was Windows 95 that introduced the Start Menu. Before Windows 95, users navigated through Program Manager. The Start Menu was such a revolution that Microsoft paid the Rolling Stones a reported $3 million to use ‘Start Me Up’ in its ads.
In Windows 11, where would you go to change which apps open by default for file types like PDFs or photos?
Correct! Settings > Apps > Default Apps is where you can assign which application handles specific file types and link protocols. In Windows 11, Microsoft made this more granular — you set defaults per file extension rather than per app category.
Not quite — the right path is Settings > Apps > Default Apps. From there you can search for a file type or app and assign which program should open it. Windows 11 made this process more detailed than previous versions, giving you per-extension control.
What does pressing Win + D do in Windows?
Correct! Win + D instantly minimizes all open windows to reveal your desktop, and pressing it again restores them all. It’s a quick way to access desktop icons or shortcuts without closing anything you’re working on.
Not quite — Win + D minimizes all open windows to show your desktop. Press it again and all your windows come right back! If you want Device Manager, you can right-click the Start button and choose it from the Power User menu.
What is Windows Virtual Desktop (Task View) primarily used for?
Correct! Virtual Desktops let you create multiple separate desktop workspaces — for example, one for work apps and one for personal browsing — and switch between them with Win + Ctrl + Left/Right arrows. It’s a great productivity tool that many users overlook.
Not quite — Task View’s Virtual Desktops let you run multiple independent desktop workspaces on one PC. You can keep work on Desktop 1 and personal stuff on Desktop 2. Switch between them with Win + Ctrl + Arrow keys for a seamless multitasking workflow.
Which command-line tool in Windows allows you to repair corrupted system files by scanning and restoring them from a protected cache?
Correct! The System File Checker command ‘sfc /scannow’ scans all protected Windows system files and replaces corrupted ones with cached copies. It’s often the first repair tool techs reach for when Windows starts acting strangely. Run it in an elevated Command Prompt.
Not quite — the answer is ‘sfc /scannow’, which stands for System File Checker. While chkdsk checks disk integrity and DISM can repair the Windows image itself, sfc is specifically designed to find and restore corrupted protected system files from a local cache.
In the Windows Registry, what is the correct full path to the ‘Run’ key that automatically launches programs at startup for the current user?
Correct! The HKCU Run key at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run loads programs at login for the currently signed-in user only. There’s a parallel key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE that applies to all users on the machine — a common distinction that trips up even experienced admins.
Not quite — the correct path is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. This key runs programs at startup for the current user. The HKLM equivalent does the same for all users. Malware often hides itself in these Run keys, making them important to know when troubleshooting.
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The setup is actually fantastic for work because there’s almost no background noise. This is the point, since nothing should be competing for your attention when you have this on.
Turning it on is also really easy. The fastest way is with the keyboard shortcut Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen, which toggles it instantly and plays a really cute sound. If you haven’t set a custom theme before, it’ll default to the Aquatic theme, which is one of my favorites.
Or, you can go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Contrast Themes. There are fewer options on Windows 10, but they all work well.
From there, you can also adjust the specific colors used for backgrounds, text, links, and button borders. I recommend making sure the text is dark, especially when trying to keep your place while typing. You can do this down to exact RGB or hex values if you want, but I really recommend only using the standard templates.
The real trade-offs when you strip away visual designed
Websites aren’t ready to handle these changes natively
Windows High Contrast Mode is a bit of a trade-off, forcing solid backgrounds and bright, saturated text. This is a good way to keep awake when working, because dark mode is a bit too dark for me. I feel like I’m falling asleep late at night, whereas high contrast mode gives me just enough light to stay awake.
When everything is high contrast and nothing is hiding behind elaborate styling, text just sits there clearly on the screen without making you work for it.
The problem is that this changes some apps and websites. When the operating system kicks into forced colors mode, the browser starts overriding the CSS that designers wrote, replacing it with whatever you have as your contrast mode. That is not just a cosmetic issue. A lot of modern UI design depends on those properties to signal what’s interactive.
Buttons sometimes fade into the background, and it leaves floating text where a clickable box used to be. It rarely happens because many sites are starting to go for a sleek and modern look, but it’s still a possibility. The same goes for images that aren’t downloaded from a media page.
This can make sites really rough to look at, but Dark Mode has similar issues on sites that were not designed for it. I’ve seen plenty of different modes make sites go completely haywire, so it’s not really a contrast issue, but something to keep in mind while working with any of these modes.
I don’t think it’s bad enough that it is a deal-breaker, but it is worth keeping in mind. If you’re okay with the issues you get from a reader mode or dark mode, then high contrast isn’t actually that bad comparatively.
The halation problem with pure black backgrounds
If bright text on a black screen makes you squint harder, not less
Contrary to what you may think, a pure black mode is the worst thing you could do, especially when pairing it with bright white text. Maximum contrast is not the goal; it’s finding a good balance that doesn’t hurt your eyes.
Making it too drastic will cause halation, which can make eye strain worse, not better. So you shouldn’t mess with colors unless you know how your eyesight will react to them.
In normal lighting, or when using a light-mode interface, your iris constricts to handle all that incoming light. Just like we learn in grade school, a smaller pupil means light passes through the center of your lens, which is the cleanest, most optically consistent part. That keeps things sharp.
Switch to a pitch-black background, though, and your iris opens wide to compensate for the darkness. For people with astigmatism like myself and plenty of others, this is where things go wrong. An astigmatic cornea isn’t a perfect sphere; it’s slightly irregular, more like a rugby ball than a marble.
When your pupil dilates, light starts passing through those irregular outer edges instead of the clean center, and it can’t converge properly on your retina. Basically, that means bright text on a black background doesn’t look crisp; it will bloom. Letters bleed, they start getting soft halos, and you’re doing more bad than good.
A long session on your PC can actually give you headaches and tired eyes. This is why GitHub, Slack, Discord, and VS Code don’t actually use pure black. Their dark modes sit on off-blacks, dark grays, and text that is muted instead of pure white. So this high contrast mode is as far as you should go, otherwise, you may unintentionally do damage to your eyes.
Don’t hurt your eyes
High contrast mode is genuinely useful if you’re just trying to work and focus on your task. I use it whenever I really need to focus because it kills every other distraction around. It’s worth trying before committing, since the keyboard shortcut makes it easy to toggle on and off while you figure out whether it actually helps. If you want to go darker than this, you’re likely going to hurt your eyes.
- Brand
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Lenovo
- Operating System
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Windows 11 Home
The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7X is the part of the second-generation of Snapdragon-powered laptops. Packing either the Snapdragon X2 Plus or Elite SoC, you’ll find plenty of power to get you through the day. With all-day battery life, an OLED screen on every model, and USB4 40Gb/s ports, this laptop has everything you need to handle whatever life throws at it.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
