Linux

graytoggle

Instant grayscale mode for Linux.

Instant grayscale mode for the XFCE4 desktop — a real-time compositor shader, no extra hardware required.

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See how it works

Off: the normal desktop

Everything is in colour, exactly as the app shows it.

On: the whole screen in grayscale

One shortcut or toggle and a compositor shader turns the entire display monochrome in real time.

Compare directly

Half and half: the same image in colour and in grayscale, so you can judge contrast and composition without leaving the screen.

Why you'll like it

One command

Toggle from a terminal or bind it to a shortcut.

Real-time shader

Runs through the XFCE4 compositor, no screenshots or overlays.

What it's built with, and why

Shell + xfwm4 compositor shaderDirect compositor-level color transform is the only way to get a real-time, flicker-free effect.

No daemon, no background processA one-shot toggle keeps the tool auditable and resource-free when not in use.

Recent activity

a9af49aSocial preview: full example screenshot behind the text
3160951Regenerate example and social preview from new screenshots
d1f4a4dImprove social preview legibility; show whole uncropped desktop

Versionv1.0.0

Platforms

Linux

LicenseGPL-3.0

2026-09-29

Why grayscale matters (and how hard desktops make it)

Color is a lever built to pull you back in. Here's why I built graytoggle for XFCE, what to use on GNOME and KDE instead, and why none of this should be this hard.

#linux#xfce#gnome#kde#accessibility

Enjoying this project? Support my open-source work

License: GPL-3.0