Dark mode is an increasingly popular display setting that replaces bright backgrounds with darker colors. This can make reading text easier on the eyes and give your desktop a sleek, modern look. Here’s how to enable dark mode on Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop environments.
What is Dark Mode?
Dark mode is a color theme that uses darker colors for UI elements like menus, windows, and text. It typically uses black or dark gray backgrounds with white or brightly colored text. The high contrast makes text stand out clearly against the darker backgrounds.
Dark mode has a number of benefits:
- Reduces eye strain – Staring at bright white screens can cause eye strain and headaches. Dark mode eases this by using dark backgrounds.
- Improves readability – The high contrast of light text on dark backgrounds can improve text readability.
- Saves battery life – Dark mode interfaces require less power to display on some screens, resulting in battery life savings.
- Looks modern and stylish – The darker palette gives apps and menus a sleek, up-to-date appearance.
Many popular apps like Slack, Twitter, and Reddit include dark mode options. macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows now include native dark mode support as well.
How to Enable Dark Mode on Windows
There are a couple ways to enable dark mode on Windows computers:
Use Windows Settings
1. Open the Start Menu and click on the Settings cog icon to open Windows Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. On the left sidebar, click on Colors.
4. Under Choose your color, select Dark from the drop-down menu.
Windows will now switch to dark mode. The settings app, Start menu, taskbar and other interface elements will all adopt a darker color scheme. Any apps with dark mode support will also switch.
Use Shortcut
You can quickly toggle dark mode on or off using a keyboard shortcut:
1. Press the Windows key + Ctrl + C to open the shortcut menu.
2. Select the “Choose your color” option.
3. Click the Dark option in the menu.
This will instantly enable dark mode. Use the same shortcut and select Light to revert back to normal mode.
How to Enable Dark Mode on Mac
macOS includes a system-wide dark mode option:
1. Click the Apple logo in the top left corner and choose System Preferences.
2. Select General.
3. To enable dark mode, choose the Dark option next to Appearance.
4. Restart your computer for the change to take effect.
Once enabled, your Mac’s menus, dock, taskbar and stock apps will switch to a darker color scheme. Compatible third party apps may also enable their dark themes.
You can quickly toggle dark mode on or off from System Preferences or the Dock. There are also shortcuts to change modes:
- Press Option + Command + T to switch to dark mode.
- Press Option + Command + T again to return to normal mode.
Customize Dark Mode’s Look
You can customize the look of dark mode from System Preferences > General. This lets you adjust the overall color tint and contrast to your liking:
- Select a Darker or Lighter option to make background colors darker or lighter.
- Enable or disable Auto option to dynamically shift between light and dark backgrounds.
- Drag the Contrast slider to increase or decrease how light text appears against the dark backgrounds.
How to Enable Dark Mode on Linux Desktops
Many Linux desktop environments like GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and others include options to enable dark themes and modes:
GNOME Dark Mode
1. Open the Activities overview and search for “appearance”.
2. Click on the Appearance app shortcut to open settings.
3. Under Applications, select the Dark option to apply a dark theme.
4. For a darker desktop background, under Wallpapers select a dark image.
KDE Plasma Dark Mode
1. Right click on the desktop and choose Configure Desktop and Wallpapers.
2. Open the Themes tab.
3. Under Plasma Theme, choose a dark theme like Breeze Dark.
4. Open the Wallpapers tab and select a dark background image.
Xfce Dark Mode
1. Open the Appearance app from Settings or the Application Finder.
2. Switch to the Style tab.
3. Under Widget Style, choose a dark theme like Adwaita-dark or Greybird.
4. Click the Wallpaper tab and pick a dark background image.
The steps to enable dark mode may vary across Linux distributions and desktop environments, but generally involve applying a dark GTK theme and switching to a dark wallpaper.
Applying Dark Themes in Apps and Websites
Beyond system-wide changes, many individual apps and websites support enabling dark color schemes from their own settings or menus:
- Look in app Preferences/Settings for a Dark Theme/Mode option.
- Toggle dark mode via in-app keyboard shortcuts if available.
- On websites, look for a moon or sun icon to toggle between light and dark themes.
- Browser extensions like Dark Reader can force dark schemes on unsupported websites.
With dark modes enabled across your apps and web services, you can browse comfortably for hours without straining your eyes.
Customizing Your Own Dark Theme
If you want deeper customization than the built-in dark themes, you can create your own stylized dark mode with these tips:
Custom Desktop Themes
Most Linux desktops let you extensively customize or even create color schemes and window themes. Change out individual UI colors, icons, cursors, and fonts to craft a unique look.
On Windows 10, third party tools like Windows Theme Manager, Skinpacks, and UltraUXThemePatcher can provide enhanced theme customization features as well.
Custom Browser CSS
For the web, browser extensions like Stylus (Firefox) and Stylebot (Chrome) allow using custom CSS code to restyle websites. This level of customization takes more work but can theme any website to match your custom desktop theme.
App Theming Tools
Some apps offer color customization options within their preferences. Others can be changed using theme editors – for example, Sublime Text color schemes. Userstyles websites host theme and style packs for customizing various apps as well.
Combining these various customization points allows creating a cohesive dark mode look across your desktop, web, and applications.
Conclusion
Dark mode provides an eye-pleasing alternative to traditional light themes on modern operating systems. Toggling a system-wide dark mode is straightforward on Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops environments. Apps and websites also widely support switching to darker interfaces.
Beyond the system defaults, you can achieve deeper customization and make dark mode your own with custom themes, styles, and CSS tweaks. An intricately customized dark mode can provide the perfect backdrop for your daily computing.