How to enable dark mode in Chrome

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Since dark mode entered people’s lives, it has revolutionized the way devices are used in low lighting conditions. By reducing both eye strain and the power consumption of mobile devices, it’s a real wonder this feature didn’t appear decades earlier.

Many recent apps have been released with the option to choose between light and dark layouts. One such application is the Google Chrome browser. In addition to allowing you to choose between these two modes, it also allows you to apply different dark themes and extensions.

How to enable dark mode for Google Chrome in Windows 10

Enabling dark mode in Chrome on Windows 10 requires two steps. First, you need to set the global appearance of your Windows operating system to appear dark. This will basically darken the Chrome settings menu. Next, to tweak the rest of Chrome’s interface, you’ll need to apply one of the dark themes for the browser.

To set Windows appearance in dark mode, follow the steps below:

1. Click the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
   
2. Click the Settings icon. It is the one that looks like a gear, the second icon above the Windows logo.
   
3. Click Personalization from the main menu.
   
4. Click Colors from the menu on the left.
   
5. Click on the Choose your color Dropdown menu. Select Habit. This will allow you to choose the ringtone for the Windows system and applications separately.
   
6. To give your Google Chrome experience a darker tone, it’s important to set Choose your default app mode to Dark.
   

Now that you’ve set Chrome’s menus to dark, it’s time to change the browser’s layout as well.

1. Open Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Click the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome and then click Settings.
   
3. In the left menu, click Appearance.
   
4. Click on the Themes entry on the main screen. If you’re already using a theme for Chrome, this will take you to the theme page in the Chrome Web Store. To go directly to the thematic section of the store visit this link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/themes.
   
5. Now choose the dark theme that suits you best. You can opt for one of the official themes that Chrome publishes or you can opt for third-party options.
   
6. When you choose a theme, go to its page and click the Add to Chrome button. It’s the blue button in the top right corner of the screen.
   

How to enable dark mode for Google Chrome on a Mac

Enabling dark mode for Chrome on your Mac is quite easy with Mac OS Mojave. This also applies to all newer versions of Apple’s operating system. To activate dark mode on your Mac, do the following:

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
   
2. Click System Preferences.
   
3. Now click on General.
   
4. In the General menu, set the Appearance option to Dark.
   
5. Now that you’ve selected the dark appearance, simply close the General menu and you’re done.

When you enable dark mode on macOS, you will notice that this will force other apps to go dark if they support it. Since Google Chrome already comes with its own dark mode, the system will enable it automatically.

While in the General menu, in addition to the Light and Dark options, you can also set Appearance to Automatic. This option will automatically manage the use of light and dark appearances depending on the time of day. When you work on your computer during the day, the system will use light mode. During night hours, the appearance will automatically switch to dark mode. Please note that the automatic appearance setting only works on macOS Catalina and later.

How to enable dark mode for Google Chrome on an Android device

Enabling dark mode on Android is quite easy. Simply follow the steps below:

1. Open Google Chrome on your Android device.
   
2. Tap the menu button in the top right corner of the screen. It is the one that looks like three vertical dots.
   
3. Tap Settings.
   
4. Tap Topics.
   
5. From the Themes menu, select Dark and you’re done.
   

It is important to note that the Themes menu allows you to choose between three options: Light, Dark, and System Default. While the first two are self-explanatory, the third allows you to automatically darken Google Chrome, depending on your Android device’s global settings.

For example, you may want your menus to appear in light colors during the day, but dim them at night. Also, the brighter the screen, the more power it consumes. This directly affects the battery life of the device, especially when it approaches 0%. To manage all that automatically, you can use Android system settings. And when you set Chrome’s theme option to System Default, the browser will automatically align with your system settings.

How to enable dark mode for Google Chrome on an iPhone

Even easier than on Android, enabling dark mode on an iPhone only requires three steps:

1. Open Settings and then go to Display & brightness.
   
2. The first option from the top is Appearance. Here you can change, you can tap on the darkest option to set your system to dark mode.
   

Now, when you open the Google Chrome app on your phone, you will see it in the darker theme.

You can also use your device’s Control Center to quickly turn dark mode on and off.

1. Pull down with your finger from the top right corner of the screen.
   
2. Now that you are in the Control Center menu, press and hold the Brightness slider.
   
3. This will show you the Dark Mode control, allowing you to turn it on or off.
   

Additional FAQs

Here are some more answers to your frequently asked questions.

Can I change dark mode color schemes for Chrome?

Yes and no. If you’re thinking about customizing the color layout of the browser’s Dark Mode option on your own, that’s not possible by default. At least not without some serious coding on your part. However, you can use some of the available themes and extensions to modify your viewing experience with Google Chrome.

Please note that themes and extensions are not available for the Chrome mobile app. Changing color schemes only works on desktop and laptop computers. This includes Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

To change the look of dark and light modes, you will need to install one of the extensions available in the Chrome store. When you install such an extension, it will change the default color scheme for both modes. Every time you switch between them, the color scheme will remain, regardless of which theme you are using for Google Chrome.

1. Open Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Click Extensions in the menu at the top of the page.
   
3. Click Manage Extensions.
   
4. Click on the three bars in the upper left corner to open the Main Menu.
   
5. Click Open Chrome Web Store at the bottom of the page.
   
6. You should now see the results appearing on the page. They are organized into two sections: Extensions and Themes.
   
7. To see more extension options, click the “More Extensions” button at the top right of the screen.
   
8. Now all you have to do is browse the available dark mode extensions and choose the one you like the most. When you decide, click on the name of that extension.
   
9. When the extension page opens, click Add to Chrome to install it.
   

In addition to dark mode extensions, you can also look for dark themes. Although they will change the appearance of your Chrome browser, they will also avoid interfering with the color layout of the options menus. To apply different Chrome themes, follow the steps below:

1. Open Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Go to the Google Chrome home page at www.chrome.google.com.
3. Click Extensions in the menu at the top of the page.
   
4. Click Themes in the left menu.
   

Now, in the main window, you will see various topics organized into sections. The first section is published by Chrome, which hosts official Google themes. Directly below, you will find the Dark and Black Themes section, where you can explore numerous variations on the theme.

Once you find a theme you like, open its page and click Add to Chrome. It’s the blue button at the top right of the main window.

How do I go back to normal or light mode if I don’t like dark mode?

Going back to light mode is super easy. Just as you have enabled it, you can also disable it.

In Windows 10, you can turn off dark mode in the system or Google Chrome settings. To disable it on the system, do the following:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows button and the letter I at the same time.
2. On the Settings menu, click Personalization.
   
3. Click Colors in the left menu.
   
4. On the main screen, choose your color from the drop-down menu and select Light.
   

To disable it in Google Chrome, follow the steps below:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click on the three dot menu in the upper right corner.
   
3. Click Settings.
   
4. Click Appearance in the left menu.
   
5. Click Themes on the main screen.
   
6. Now choose one of the luminous themes that suits you best.
   
7. Click Add to Chrome and you’re done.

On Mac OS X machines, it’s a simple matter of turning off the system’s dark mode option.

1. Click the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
2. Click System Preferences.
3. Click General.
4. Set Appearance to Light and you’re done.

On Android mobile devices, you can disable dark mode by following these steps:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Tap the menu button in the top right corner of the screen (three dots).
   
3. Tap Settings.
   
4. Tap Themes.
   
5. From the Themes menu, select Light.
   

On iPhone and iPad devices, it’s easier than ever to turn off dark mode.

1. Displays the Control Center menu.
2. Press and hold the Brightness control.
3. When the Dark Mode control appears, tap it to return to Light Mode.

Surfing in the dark

Now that you know how to enable dark mode in your Chrome browser, your eyes will thank you when you work in the dark. Turning those bright white menus into a dark gray color makes a big difference. And whenever you think you need light mode again, it’s just a matter of hitting the switch in the options menu.

Have you managed to enable dark mode in Chrome? Have you customized your browser’s color scheme? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.