Operating Systems
macOS
Apple released dark mode with Mojave, and we think it’s brilliant. Even in the preview, we thought it was better than the original dark mode in Windows 10—especially if you prefer dark gray to jet black.
At this writing, dark mode is available in Catalina, Apple’s latest version of macOS, but if you haven’t upgraded to Mojave yet, you can still get dark mode in High Sierra (sort of).
Windows
We might prefer the macOS dark gray Dark mode to the Windows jet black version, but Microsoft did get there first. It’s not as respected by apps as the macOS Dark mode, partly because Windows has a broader ecosystem of app developers and partly because Microsoft didn’t update its default apps—or Office—at the same time to enable dark mode.
RELATED: How to Enable Dark Mode in Windows 10
Ubuntu
If you use Ubuntu or any Linux flavor with the GNOME Shell desktop, you can enable multiple themes, including dark ones. You can even make your Linux distro look like Mojave’s dark mode.
iOS/iPadOS
As of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, iPhones and iPads have their own dark modes, which are respected by most apps. Unlike macOS, these have a true black background. We’re interested to see if Apple ever incorporates the mobile and desktop user interfaces.
Android
Android is a tricky one because manufacturers implement things in different ways. Google introduced dark mode in Android 9 (known officially as Android 9 Pie). If you have a Google Pixel handset, you’ll find a dark mode option in Settings > Display > Advanced > Device Theme.
If your phone is from some other manufacturer, there’s no guarantee it will implement the dark mode option. Even if it does, the feature might be somewhat different than what we’ve covered so far.
For example, on Huawei phones, you find Dark mode in Settings > Battery > Darken Interface Colors, whereas, on Samsung’s Galaxy devices, it’s in Settings > Display > Night Theme.
You might have to do a little digging to find Dark mode on your device, but if it’s running Android version 9.0 or higher, it should be there.
RELATED: How to Find Out Which Version of Android You Have
Browsers
Chrome
Since Chrome 73 (macOS) and Chrome 74 (Windows), Chrome automatically uses your OS’s Dark mode. If you want to use Light mode for your OS, but want to get rid of bright whites in Chrome, you can force it to use Dark mode, no matter what mode macOS or Windows is in.
Dark mode also works in Chrome on Android, iPhone, and iPad, and it’s enabled automatically based on the operating system’s default setting.
Firefox
Like Chrome, Firefox respects your macOS and Windows Dark mode settings, but there’s also a specific setting to turn on Dark mode just in Firefox.
Edge
Unlike Chrome and Firefox, you have to turn on Edge’s Dark mode manually. If you use the preview builds of Chromium Edge—Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released version based on Google’s Chromium engine—there’s an experimental feature you can turn on to get Dark mode.
Hopefully, this will respect the Windows Dark mode setting at some point. For now, though, we’ll settle for turning it on manually.
Websites
If you enable Dark mode on your operating system, most browsers recognize it and do the same on any website that supports it. For websites that don’t support this yet, there’s an extension in Chrome and Firefox that will help.
Here’s how to enable dark mode on some of your favorite websites.
YouTube
YouTube is a Google website, which means there’s more white than you can shake a stick at. Here’s how to make your next video session a little easier on your eyes.
Slack
Everyone’s favorite chat app has a massively customizable color palette. However, if you prefer Dark mode, Slack has one built-in.
Gmail
More Google means more blinding white. Save yourself from faux-snow blindness with Gmail’s Dark mode.
Outlook
If you use the Outlook web app for email, you can protect your eyesight with this dark theme.
Hulu
A good movie or binge session is better in the dark. Thankfully, Hulu has a Dark mode for its web app.
Apps
You might not want—or be able to get—Dark mode everywhere, but here’s how you can turn it on in some of the most popular apps.
Slack
We mentioned Slack above in the Website section, but you can make the same changes in the desktop and mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Office
The Dark mode in Office gives all the apps in this daddy of workplace productivity suites a much more pleasing hue. Microsoft also added its Dark mode to Office for Mac, as long as your machine runs Mojave or later.
Last but not least, Microsoft also has a Dark mode for its Outlook mobile app.
Facebook Messenger
If you spend a lot of time on Facebook and also use a smartphone, you probably also spend some time on Facebook Messenger. Here’s how you can turn on Messenger’s Dark mode and rescue your weary eyes.
There’s only so much scrolling your eyes can take. Enable Twitter’s Dark mode and bring on another round of cat videos, memes, and arguments with people you’ll never meet in person.
Reddit took its time releasing a mobile app, but it quickly jumped on the Dark mode bandwagon. When you enable this feature, you can browse subreddits to your heart’s content and in comfort.
Android Keyboard
If an app’s in Dark mode, but you have to type on a blinding white keyboard, it can be a bit jarring. Thankfully, you can change your Google keyboard to Dark mode and stop blinding yourself.
Hardware
Dark mode isn’t limited to apps, and your computer or smartphone—you can also enable it on some of your favorite smart home and streaming devices.
Echo Spot
Echo Spots are small and unobtrusive, but the bright, shining interface can have the opposite effect, especially if it’s in your bedroom. If you want to make your Spot even more inconspicuous, you can turn on Dark mode and dial down that sleep-disturbing brightness.
Apple TV
Who doesn’t love dark movie credits followed by a bright, white home screen? Everyone, that’s who. If you have an Apple TV, you can turn on Dark mode and save yourself the pain.
Have a favorite app or website we didn’t cover here? Let us know in the comments, and we will!
