How To Turn On Windows 10 Dark Theme

Don’t let the caustic brilliance of Windows 10 apps keep you from using your laptop, notebook or tablet. Turn on the Windows 10 Dark Theme and put an end to all that white light forever.

Think of Windows 10 Dark Theme as a last-ditch effort to use the operating system more comfortably at night. By default, every PC uses the Light Theme, which is a mix of grays and whites. This theme gives the operating system a clean, professional look, but is also too bright to be used in a dark room. To compensate for all the white light, most PC manufacturers include an ambient light sensor in their laptops and tablets that automatically dims their screens. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help desktop PC owners or anyone who doesn’t like white splashes in their operating systems.

Windows 10 Dark Theme turns almost everything that is now white and light gray on your system to dark gray and black.

Here’s how to turn on the Windows 10 Dark Theme.

Open the start area. To do this, press the key on your keyboard. If you have a touchscreen, you can also tap the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen.

Inside the Start Menu or the Start Screen, tap or click along the bottom left edge of your screen.

Inside the Settings app, click or tap the icon in the upper-right corner of the Settings app.

The Personalization menu opens to the Background area. Do not click anything here. Instead, tap or click the Colors menu item on the left side of the Settings app.

Now scroll to the bottom of the Colors settings page. Look for these buttons under White is selected by default. Click the button to open the Windows 10 Dark Theme.

Your computer will take some time to process the change, and then it will immediately start switching to the Windows 10 Dark Theme. Once the process is complete, the background of the Settings app will change to black.

If you also want to get rid of the bright accent color you have, swipe back to the top of the Colors screen. Make sure the checkbox is not selected. Replace your current accent color with dark gray.

Unfortunately, the Windows 10 Dark Theme only applies to apps that get their colors directly from your Windows 10 settings. Any app that doesn’t do this will stay shiny. For example, Microsoft Word Mobile stays white even with change. There is no dark mode at all.

All other apps that come with Windows 10 will automatically confirm your theme change, including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Microsoft Store, Movies & TV, Photos, and Groove Music. Desktop programs, which are software you download from the Internet, do not have access to Windows 10 Dark Theme.

Dark Theme for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome

Microsoft Edge, the default web browser of Windows 10, has a dark theme, but you have to turn it on manually from the browser’s settings. To turn on this feature, open it from the Start Menu.

Click or tap in the corner of your screen.

Click at the bottom of the menu.

Click or tap the drop-down menu at the top of the menu and select .

Google Chrome will ask if you want to download a Dark Theme as soon as you switch to the Dark Theme. Just look for the popup below.

Dark Theme for File Explorer

The biggest shortcoming of Windows 10 Dark Theme is File Explorer. These are the popups for folders, external storage, and Control Panel.

You can create your own Dark Theme for File Explorer by turning on High Contrast Mode. To do this, go back to the Colors area in the Settings app. Click the link in the upper right corner of your screen.

Choose from the drop-down menu. Click .

This is another strange area where Windows 10 is half finished. Expect File Explorer to get a makeover in the future that adds support for a dark theme, as Microsoft slowly transitions all of Windows 10 to its new design. Microsoft has already announced that the next major Windows 10 update will introduce tabs for some apps. It is possible that this update will eventually also introduce this rumored File Explorer update.