Can BetterDisplay completely disable temporal dithering?

On supported Apple silicon displays, BetterDisplay can turn off GPU dithering. The monitor may still apply temporal dithering internally. You can also select an 8-bit connection format where available, but this does not measure or change 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. Identify the record for your display before comparing results. Values for other ports may stay enabled.

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. An 8-bit choice is available only if the display and connection offer it.

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 you want to keep GPU dithering off, compare the image with both options off. This also removes uniformity correction. The settings appear only where supported. If banding remains, it may have another cause.

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.