How to use Dark Mode in Windows 10

If you’ve seen the Dark Mode that Apple recently introduced with its macOS 10.14 Mojave operating system update, and wished that Windows 10 could look the same, well, it can! Microsoft has quietly slipped the feature into not only the latest version of Windows 10 but also its Edge browser and Microsoft Office applications. We show you how to find the settings that can turn your PC to the dark side.

Before you begin you’ll need to update to the latest version of Windows 10, as the Dark Mode is a new feature in the October 2018 release. See our How to use Automatic Updates in Windows 10 for more details.

Enabling Dark Mode in Windows 10

Turning on the Dark Mode in Windows 10 is surprisingly easy, as there are no additional apps to download or anything like that. Instead, you need to open the Start Menu and click on the Settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) found in the lower left corner.

Next, select the Personalisation option then click on the Colours tab in the left hand column.

Scroll down, past the grid of coloured squares, until you see the section entitled Choose your default app mode. 

Underneath, there are two options – Light and Dark – and you’ll want to select the latter.

Now your display should dispense with the mainly white backgrounds and instead employ the black one of Dark Mode.

While this works for Windows, you’ll find that many apps still use the normal Light mode. This can at least be addressed in other software by Microsoft.

Enabling Dark Mode in the Edge browser

Launch Edge then click on the row of three dots found in the top right corner. From the menu that appears select Settings and look for the option entitled Choose a theme.

Click the drop down menu and select Dark. Once more your interface will be bathed in the pallor of night.

Enabling Dark Mode in Microsoft Office

It’s a similar story with Office. Open the relevant app (Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.) and select File>Account. Look for Office Theme, change it to Dark, and your interface will resemble the interior of Disaster Area’s Sundive stuntship.

For more details on what’s included in Microsoft’s latest release read our Windows 10 October update features guide.