Do you prefer to work late at night and have to use Chrome every while?
Whether you be a night owl, a fan of dark modes, or just having a strain on your eyes due to bright colors on your browser, using the Chrome Dark Mode might help.
A few people find it cool to use dark modes on various apps and websites. For some, it might become necessary due to health reasons.
However, not all apps can provide dark mode by default, and Chrome is one of them. It does provide dark themes, but there is more you can do.
In this article, we will learn how to turn on Chrome Dark Mode on various devices such as Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, and iPhone.
So, without much raving, let’s dive into it.
Table of Contents
Enable Chrome Dark Mode in Windows 10
Using Windows Settings
Windows 10 presents users with an option to change the OS theme to dark. Chrome, by default, would adjust its settings to match the operating system and would become dark. Meanwhile, some other apps would also go dark if they support dark mode.
You can change your Windows 10 settings and enable the dark mode by following these steps:
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Firstly, click on the Start and select Settings. You can also press Window Key+I as a shortcut.
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Then, go to Personalization
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Here, choose the Colors option.
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Finally, select Dark under Choose your default app mode.
That’s all. It should make Chrome use the dark theme by default. However, if you don’t want to enable the dark theme in other apps, you can use the next method.
Modify Chrome Shortcut to Use Dark Theme
You can enable dark mode in Google Chrome by writing a simple code in the shortcut address. Here’s how to do it:
1. Create a shortcut for Google Chrome. (You can also use the existing one)
2. Then, right-click and go to “Properties.”
3. In the Shortcut tab, locate the “Target” field.
- You should be able to see “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” or something similar.
6. Then, add the following text after a space in the address and hit “Apply.”
–force-dark-mode
The final address should look similar to this
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” –force-dark-mode
7. Finally, close all tabs and windows and relaunch Chrome to see it work.
There are a few things you should keep in mind to make this method work.
- Put space between your original address and “–force-dark-mode.”
- Close Chrome from everywhere. The best way is to use the Task Manager and kill all associated Chrome tasks.
- To get back to original settings, remove the line you added from the target address.
Install a Dark Theme from Chrome Store
As you might already know, Googe Chrome allows you to use numerous extensions on your computer application. You can also find an option called the Themes in the Chrome Web Store.
Here, you can find some fantastic themes to complement your work style. If you like, choose dark themes, or you can also find other shades if you want.
Here are the steps to change the theme from Chrome browser settings:
- Launch Chrome Browser and click on the three dots at the top-right and select Settings from the Chrome settings menu.
- From the left pane, switch to the Appearance tab.
- Under Appearance click on Theme. You will be redircted to Chrome Webstore.
- Choose any preffered theme under Dark and Black themes.
Enable Force Dark using Auto Dark Mode Flag
Using the above methods you might convert the Chrome desktop application to dark mode. However, the web pages inside will still be the same as they were by default.
The solution to this problem is to use Chrome Flags. Using flags you can force dark mode on web pages or websites you visit on Google Chrome.
Here’s how to do it.
- Visit the Flags URL, i.e., chrome://flags.
- Then, search for dark mode in the search box.
- Select “Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents” and set it to “Enabled.”
- Relaunch your browser for the settings to work.
You can use this method on Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, and Android.
Remember, Flags consist of experimental features, and we can’t guarantee that it will work each time. Also, the inversion might be unstable on some pages.
Make Google Chrome Entirely Dark using Chrome Extension
All the methods we discussed above change Chrome’s UI to resent a dark look. However, the pages you visit will still load in the website’s default color, mostly white.
You can choose to change the website’s color setting if the site permits. Still, it would work only for a few pages like Gmail or Twitter. Don’t worry; we have a method to make each page you visit dark. So let’s learn more about it.
There is a variety of extensions available on Chrome’s web store. That’s the beauty of Chrome. It allows developers to make some essential tools that aren’t available by default.
One such extension is Dark Reader. Many extensions can do the job, but we find Dark Reader to be trustworthy. Moreover, it provides some useful settings for you to adjust the page’s appearance.
One good thing about this extension is, no matter which page you visit, it can change it to black. It works by inverting the color on your screen when you visit a website. You can also change settings like the Brightness, Contrast, and a few more sliders to make the page look comfortable to your eyes.
The extension is also smart enough not to invert images and site elements. Even if it does, it changes the web elements in a way that won’t spoil your experience. Moreover, you can change the fonts on the websites as well.
Using this extension would provide the best results among all other techniques. The only downside is you can not use it in a mobile browser. But, we have a solution for that as well.
How to Use Chrome Dark Mode on Android
Selecting Dark Theme for Chrome on Android
Android lets you tweak and personalize your device in several ways. Therefore, many apps can provide you with desirable tweaks. You can select a dark theme for Chrome on your android device by following the steps.
- Open Chrome and tap on the Menu button. (Three vertical dots)
- Then click on three-dots and navigate to Chrome Android Settings.
- Under Settings, scroll down and select Theme under Basics settings.
- Under Theme settings choose Dark from the given options.
Use Flags to enable Force Dark in Android
You can change your smartphone theme to make all apps compatible with the dark mode. However, similar to the desktop version, it won’t change the webpage color.
The solution to this problem is to use Chrome Flags. Here’s how to do it.
- On your Android device, launch Google Chrome.
- Visit the Flags URL, i.e., chrome://flags.
- Then, search for dark mode in the search box.
- Select Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents and set it to Enabled.
- Relaunch your browser for the settings to work.
You can use this method on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android.
Remember, Flags consist of experimental features, and we can’t guarantee that it will work each time. Also, the inversion might be unstable on some pages.
Done, it would change Chrome’s UI to dark mode on your smartphone.
Enable Dark Mode in Chromebook
Chromebook is one of the popular devices by Google which is equipped with the light-weighted ChromeOS. Dark Mode is one of the most demanded features by the Chromebook user; however, Google is yet to release it officially.
If you want to enable the dark mode in Chromebook, you don’t have to wait for the official release. All you require is to change your ChromOS channel to the Beta version and enable the Dark Mode flags. We’ll guide you on how to do that.
Switch to Beta Channel on Chromebook
Here are the steps to switch to the Beta channel on Chromebook:
- Log in to your Google Account on your Chromebook or Chrome OS device.
- Select a time from the drop-down menu that appears in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Select the Settings option.
- Then you’ll want to go to About Chrome OS.
- Select the Additional Details button or tap it.
- Choose Change Channel, which is adjacent to the Channel option.
- Select the Settings option and choose your preferred channel. Then, tap on the Beta option and select Change Channel once again.
- You should be notified that your device is downloading an upgrade. It will then request that you restart your device when it is finished.
Enable the Dark Mode on Chromebook using Flags
- On your Chromebook navigate to the Flags URL, i.e., chrome://flags.
- Then, search for dark mode in the search box.
- Select Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents and set it to Enabled.
- Relaunch your browser for the settings to work.
Turn On Chrome Dark Mode on macOS
There are two ways to turn on Chrome Dark Mode on macOS. First by enabling the dark mode through macOS settings and second using the flags.
Enable Chrome Dark Mode through macOS Settings
Here are the steps to enable dark mode in macOS:
- Click on the Apple icon on your Mac’s menu bar.
- Choose System Preferences from the drop-down menu and select General.
- Under the Appearance tab, select Dark.
- Launch Chrome in dark mode.
Use Auto Dark Mode Flag to enable Force Dark in macOS
You can use the Auto Dark Mode flag to auto-convert webpages to dark mode in Chrome macOS. Here are the steps for that:
- Visit the Flags URL, i.e., chrome://flags.
- Then, search for dark mode in the search box.
- Select “Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents” and set it to “Enabled.”
- Relaunch your browser for the settings to work.
Enable Chrome Dark Mode on Chrome iOS
If you are using Google Chrome on iPhone or iPad, you can enable the Dark Mode by following these steps:
- Navigate to the iOS Settings and tap on Display & Brightness.
- Under Display & Brightness select Dark to enable the dark mode on iOS device.
- Launch Chrome browser in the dark mode.
Conclusion
There is no toggle button for users in Chrome to enable dark mode. However, thanks to multiple tweaks available, you can quickly achieve the results by following any of the methods mentioned in the article for enabling the Chrome Dark Mode on Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, and Chromebook. I hope you find this article helpful. Feel free to comment below any queries regarding the use of dark mode in Google Chrome.
A dark mode reverses the colors on a website or application, making light elements darker and dark elements lighter. This can be helpful for people who want to reduce eye fatigue when using a device in a low-light environment. It can also be helpful for people with color blindness, as it makes it easier to differentiate between different colors.
Yes! Dark Mode is available in most popular browsers, including Safari, Firefox, and Opera. You can usually find the option under the “View” or “Settings” menu.