debian/ubuntu - invert all colours in desktop session (colors)

Sometimes I need to flip from a light colour scheme to a dark one quickly, and I need it to apply not just to the desktop theme but also to any webpages that are open etc.

On the Mac there's a neat shortcut for this (Cmd+Alt+Ctrl+8) - it simply inverts all colours displayed, so the screen looks like a photographic negative.

Is there an equivalent of this that I can use in my debian/ubuntu desktop sessions?


A window manager independent way is:

xcalib -invert -alter

From the xcalib man page

xcalib loads 'vcgt'-tag of ICC profiles to the X-server using the XVidMode Extension in order to calibrate your display.

You can install it using sudo apt-get install xcalib. To make it more convenient assign a keyboard shortcut to the command (e.g. Cmd+Alt+Ctrl+8).


The following works on Pop-OS 21, which is an Ubuntu variant.

Settings > Accessibility > Zoom > Magnifier > Full Screen

enter image description here

Settings > Accessibility > Zoom > Color Effects > White on Black

enter image description here

Alt-Super-8

enter image description here