Surfing the web late at night isn’t exactly a fun experience when you have websites flashing on a white background and giving you teeth-grinding. If Safari is your browser of choice on a Mac, I’m pretty sure that’s an issue. It’s natural to want Dark Mode everywhere in Safari while browsing.
So, there’s the Night Shift. But sometimes, there’s nothing like a dark mode to reduce the strain on your eyes. However, enabling dark mode in Safari is easier said than done. The browser has the ability to switch to a dark theme. But this doesn’t really have an impact on the majority of websites out there.
If you want dark mode everywhere, let’s take a look at what you need to do below. Let’s start with how to enable dark theme in Safari.
Note: The instructions below apply to Safari v13.0, running macOS Catalina.
Enable Dark Theme for Safari
In macOS Catalina, you have a built-in dark color scheme that renders the entire operating system with native apps, including Safari and third-party programs supported in dark mode. I bet some of you know how to enable it. If so, skip to the next section. Otherwise, here’s how to open it.
Stage 1: Open the Apple menu and then click System Preferences.
Step 2: Click on the box labeled General.
Stage 3: In the top section called Appearance, click Dark. This should switch the entire OS to the dark color scheme.
Start Safari; You should see the browser theme display in the dark as well. You should also find websites that support a dark theme that is automatically generated in dark mode. However, only a small minority of sites have a native dark theme, which means you still have to deal with a ton of white pixels on the screen.
This brings us to the next obvious question. How do you get dark mode everywhere in Safari?
Enable Dark Mode for Websites in Safari
Fortunately, there are several ways you can easily use dark mode to render websites – those that do not have a native dark theme. The first method involves using the Reader View. The second method requires you to use an extension.
1. Use Reader View
Reader View is a built-in Safari functionality that removes ads and other unwanted elements from web pages and presents them in an easily readable format. It also allows you to change the default white background color to black. Combine that with Safari’s dark theme and you have full-fledged dark mode functionality at your disposal.
But there is one problem – Reader View cannot be enabled everywhere. Usually, it’s limited to blog posts and articles like what you’re currently reading. Regardless, let’s check it out in action.
Stage 1: Click the Reader View icon in the left corner of the Safari address bar. Note that this icon will only appear on Reader View supported web pages.
Step 2: Click the aA icon in the right corner of the Safari address bar and then switch to the darkest background color. You only need to do this once, as Safari automatically remembers your preferences.
And voila! This should render the page completely in dark mode. Perfect.
By default, you must manually enable Reader View each time you visit a web page. If that gets tedious, you can set it to start automatically on supported web pages. Here’s how to do it.
Stage 1: Click Safari in the menu bar, then click Preferences.
Step 2: Switch to the Websites tab and then click on Reader in the left pane.
To enable automatic Reader View for websites open in Safari, click the menu next to each website listed under Currently Open Websites and select On.
To ensure that other websites always switch to Reader View, click the menu next to When Visiting Other Websites and then select On.
Exit the preferences window. Safari will automatically switch to Reader View whenever you visit a page that supports the functionality.
2. Use the Safari Extension
With Reader View, dark mode works fine, but not on all websites and web pages. Suitable if you read a lot at night, but not ideal for web browsing in general.
If you want dark mode just about everywhere, you should resort to using a Safari extension. However, almost every dark mode extension I came across in the Mac App Store required a fee. Unfortunately this included the awesome Dark Reader extension available for free for Chrome and Firefox.
But I finally came across an extension that didn’t ask me to pay upfront – Night Eye. Here’s how to install and enable it.
Stage 1: Install Night Eye from the Mac App Store.
Step 2: Open Safari Preferences.
Stage 3: Click on the Extensions tab and then check the box next to Night Eye.
And that’s it. Every website you come across, except for a few like Google Docs, must now be rendered in dark mode.
The extension works pretty well and even has controls for system color scheme, brightness, contrast, and saturation adjustment, etc. Capable of working with. Click the Night Eye icon to the left of the address bar to access these options.
However, Night Eye is not completely free. After three months you have to pay to continue using some of the advanced features in the extension. The default ‘Lite’ version, which it then switches to, limits you to using dark mode for up to five websites.
If you like the extension, you can buy it. But I wouldn’t recommend doing that. The price is quite high, at $8.99 for a one-year subscription or $39.99 for a one-time license. Instead, Dark Reader for Safari only requires a one-time fee of $4.99. There are also multiple other dark extensions, such as Dark Mode for Safari, which you can find on the Mac App Store for just $1.99.
Don’t Lose Your Bearings
Using Safari in total dark mode is a pleasure for the eyes. I wish Apple included some built-in toggles that would force sites to run in dark mode so we don’t have to rely on workarounds.
But for now, using Reader View or a dark mode extension is the way to go. If you’re planning to go the extension route, finally get your wallet ready for this ding.
Next: Is Firefox better than Safari on Mac? Read our comparison to understand which browser is better for you.
