Can BetterDisplay completely disable temporal dithering?

BetterDisplay can turn off the exposed GPU dithering setting on supported Apple silicon displays, but it cannot guarantee that the entire path to the physical panel is free of temporal dithering. Selecting an 8-bit connection format is a separate choice, and neither setting measures processing inside the monitor.

Open App Menu > [display] > Color Mode, usually under the more-options chevron. If GPU Dithering is available and enabled, select it to turn it off. The option appears only when the setting can be read. A successful change is remembered per display and restored when BetterDisplay configures it again.

This is a per-display setting. If an IORegistry query returns several dithering values, they can belong to different framebuffer ports. A port can remain listed without a monitor connected. Another value staying enabled does not by itself mean that changing the selected display failed. Identify the record for that display before comparing results.

In the same menu, choose an 8-bit format if the connection offers one at the current resolution and refresh rate. Check the complete format, including its SDR/HDR state and encoding, rather than selecting by bit depth alone. The list depends on the display and connection. BetterDisplay cannot promise an 8-bit choice for every setup.

Bit depth describes color precision, not the range of colors a display can reproduce. Connection depth also differs from framebuffer depth. Turning off GPU Dithering does not itself change either depth or configure the monitor's internal processing.

If colored bands become visible on a built-in display after you disable GPU Dithering while leaving Uniformity Correction enabled, compare the image with both options enabled. Uniformity correction compensates for panel unevenness, and disabling dithering can expose steps in that correction. If your aim is to keep GPU dithering off, compare both options off instead, understanding that this also removes the uniformity correction. These settings appear only where supported. This comparison does not establish the cause of every banding problem.

If a completely dithering-free result is essential, it needs verification on the exact Mac, monitor, firmware and operating system configuration. The app's setting alone cannot establish that result. See Dithering and Color Mode for the related distinctions and available choices.

Compare hardware brightness floors and exposed dithering settings in the step-by-step tutorial.