Eyedropper not available? How to fix it

You open a color picker to grab a shade from a button, photo, or design, but the eyedropper is missing or does not let you select anything. The cause is often the browser or device, not the color you are trying to sample.

The Color Picker can sample colors from anywhere on your screen in Chrome and Edge on a computer. Use the checks below to find out whether your browser supports that feature and what to try if it does not.

Check the screen eyedropper

1. Open the Color Picker in a regular browser tab on a computer.
2. Look for the option to pick a color from the screen. If it is available, select it and follow the browser's on-screen prompt to choose a point.
3. Move the pointer over the color you want, such as a flat area of a button or illustration, and select that point.
4. Check the color values shown by the tool. If you need another shade, start a new pick and try a different point.

Screen sampling is available in Chrome and Edge on computers. In other browsers, on phones, or inside some restricted browser environments, the Color Picker may show fewer features or no screen eyedropper at all.

What the result means

The screen picker appears and returns a color

The browser supports screen sampling, and the tool can read the point you selected. If the value seems wrong, check that you picked a solid area rather than an edge, shadow, or text. Those areas contain mixed pixels, so the sampled color can differ from the main shade.

The screen picker is missing

Your current browser or device may not support the feature. This is common on phones and in browsers other than Chrome or Edge. Try the same page in the latest desktop version of Chrome or Edge.

The option appears, but selecting it does nothing

The feature may not have started from a direct click, or the page may be running in a restricted tab or embedded window. Reload the page, open it directly in a normal tab, and start the picker with a fresh click.

You can pick a color, but it does not match the original design value

The eyedropper reads the color displayed on your screen, not the original color code stored in a design file. Color profiles, transparency, shadows, and antialiasing can all change the visible pixel. Sample a flat, opaque area for the closest displayed value.

How to fix it

1. Switch to a supported desktop browser. Open the Color Picker in Chrome or Edge on a computer. If you are on a phone or tablet, try a computer instead. Other browsers may still offer basic color tools, but not screen sampling.
2. Open the page directly. If the tool is inside another website, a pop-up, or an embedded frame, open TooLab in its own tab. Browser features can be restricted when a page is embedded or managed by another site.
3. Reload and try again. Close the current picker if it is open, reload the page, then click to start a new pick. The screen selector must be started by an action on the page, so an old or interrupted attempt may not respond.
4. Update your browser. In Chrome on Windows 11 or macOS, open the three-dot menu and choose Help › About Google Chrome. In Edge on either system, choose Help and feedback › About Microsoft Edge from the three-dot menu. Install any offered update, restart the browser, and test again.
5. Check whether a managed browser blocks the feature. A work or school computer may have browser policies that limit newer web features. Try an approved, up-to-date Chrome or Edge browser, or ask your administrator whether screen color sampling is restricted.
6. Use a screenshot as a workaround on Windows 11. Capture the area with Snipping Tool, open the screenshot in Paint, and use Paint's eyedropper on the color. This samples the saved screenshot, so it may not match the original file's stored color value.
7. Use the built-in meter on a Mac. In Finder, open Applications › Utilities › Digital Color Meter. It reads the color under the pointer on your display, so you can use it when the browser picker is unavailable.

Get a more reliable sample

Choose a large, even patch of color. Avoid the boundary of text or shapes, where the browser blends the foreground and background to smooth the edge. Avoid transparent areas, gradients, shadows, and highlights if you need the main fill color.

If you are sampling a small item, zoom in before picking it. The visible color may change slightly when you zoom because the browser redraws the edge pixels. For a design handoff, use the original file's color value when available instead of relying on a screen sample.

Screen sampling reads what is visible on your display. It does not change the image or upload a photo or file.