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How do I turn on dark mode in Chrome on Android?

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A phone on a small table showing a dark browser layout, with a small panel of settings over the corner of the screen and a half-moon above

In short: Open Chrome, tap More at the top right, then Settings › Theme, and choose Dark.[1] System Default follows your phone, and also turns dark when Battery Saver is on.[1] It darkens Chrome's homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages, not every website you visit.[1]

On Android, Google calls it Dark theme rather than Dark mode, which is the first small confusion.[1] The second is bigger: you turn it on, Chrome goes dark, and the first article you open is as white as ever.

Turn on Dark theme in Chrome

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome.[1]
  2. At the top right, tap More, then Settings, then Theme.[1]
  3. Choose Dark, Light or System Default.[1]

Our reading: System Default is the one to pick. Chrome then turns dark whenever your phone is in dark theme, or when Battery Saver is on, without another trip to the settings.[1]

Turn on dark theme for the whole phone

Android itself has had a dark theme since Android 10, and it applies to the system and to apps.[2] There are three ways to switch it on:[2]

Android's developer guide lists three benefits: it can cut power use depending on the screen, it helps people with low vision or sensitivity to bright light, and it makes the phone easier to use in low light.[2] We look at the battery claim closely in does dark mode save battery?

Why websites stay white

Chrome's theme covers Chrome: its homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages.[1] A website's colors come from the website. If it offers its own dark version, it can switch when your phone is dark. If it doesn't, you get a white page inside a dark browser.

Chrome has experimented with an automatic dark theme for light websites on Android. Chrome's developers introduced it in Chrome 96 as an origin trial, and described a test setup using an experimental flag and a checkbox in Chrome's Theme settings.[3] Flags are experiments that can change or disappear, so treat that as a curiosity, not a fix. The full story on computers is in Chrome dark mode not working on websites.

And Google Docs on your phone?

Google Docs in Chrome on a phone is still a web page. The Docs app is a better place to read at night: it has its own dark theme, with a System default option that follows your phone. We cover it step by step in Google Docs dark mode on your phone.

Docs, Sheets and Slides in real dark mode. Keeptab Dark turns the whole Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel page dark. Images keep their colors, and there is no white flash. Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.

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On your computer, the page goes dark too

Back at your desk, Chrome's dark mode still stops at the toolbar. Keeptab Dark is our Chrome extension that darkens the page itself in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel for the web.[4] Images keep their colors, with no white flash, and the file is unchanged for others, when printing and in PDF.[4]

The Soft gray theme is free, and Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.[4] Pro switches on at night and off by day, following your computer or your own hours.[4]

FAQ

How do I make Chrome dark on Android?

Open Chrome, tap More at the top right, then Settings, then Theme, and choose Dark. System Default follows your phone's theme and Battery Saver.

Why are websites still white in Chrome's dark theme on Android?

Chrome's Dark theme changes Chrome itself: the homepage, toolbar, settings and some other pages. Websites keep their own colors unless they offer a dark version.

How do I turn on dark theme on an Android phone?

On Android 10 and higher, go to Settings › Display › Theme, or use the Quick Settings tile. On Pixel phones, Battery Saver also turns on dark theme.

Sources

  1. Google Chrome Help. Browse in Dark mode or Dark theme (Android). https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/9275525?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
  2. Android Developers. Implement dark theme. https://developer.android.com/develop/ui/views/theming/darktheme
  3. Chrome for Developers. Auto Dark Theme (2021). https://developer.chrome.com/blog/auto-dark-theme
  4. Keeptab Dark. Dark mode for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel. https://keep-tab.com/dark/

Docs, Sheets and Slides in real dark mode

Keeptab Dark turns the whole Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Excel page dark. Images keep their colors, and there is no white flash. Alt+Shift+D turns it on or off.

Add to Chrome — it's free

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